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TheArtandTechniqueoftheInterview©2019,LarryEngelWhatgoesintoaninterview?It’seasytothinkthatallyoudoforaninterviewisplopsomeonedowninachair,setupthecamera(maybeintheoppositeorder),doalittlelighting,getthesoundready,haveyourquestionssetandfirewhenready.Well,it’snotquitethatsimple.Thereareanenormousnumberofdecisionsthatareeithermadebythefilmmakerorlefttoluck.I’moftenaskedhowtosetupashotforanintervieworhowtolightone.Therearefartoomanyvariablestobeabletohaveasingleencompassinganswer.Everydecision,fromthetypeofshotandlightingtothelocationandlengthoftimetosetup,dependsonmoney(ortime)andthevisualizationchoicesofthedirector(thestyleofthefilm).Moneybuysmoretimetosetupandshoot.Itbuysabiggercrewandmorelightsordifferentkinds.Itmayalsobuyascout.Ifthedirectorenvisionsa“runandgun”approach(thinkMichaelMoore),thenthesetupwillbefardifferentfromaformalinterviewapproach(alsohighlystylized,thinkErrolMorris).ItendtodowhatIcall“touch”lighting,tryingtouseexistinglightandsimplytouchitupabit.Themoretimeittakestosetlightsandthescene,thelesstimewehavetofilm.Iliketousesmallerlightsforvideoandmoreeco-friendlyonesatthat.LEDlightsandsmallChineselanternswithLEDbulbsthatcanbedimmeduselesselectricity,don’theatupaspacetoomuch,andareeasiertohandleinthefield.QuiteoftenI’lljustuseacollapsiblereflectorortwotobouncelightorcreate“negativefill”(takingawayorflagginglight).IalsotakewhatI’mgiven,beitawindowforakeylightorpracticals(existinglightsintheshot).Ialsofindthatwehavetorememberthatthelocationmaybeveryimportanttowhatwecometoknowaboutthepersonbeinginterviewedandwhatattitudewemaytaketowardhimorher.Sometimes,inthisdayandage,interviewsaredoneagainstagreenscreenandthebackgrounddroppedinlater.Sometimesthedecisionismadetohavea“limbo”set,aneutralor“blank”background.(I’vedonethiswhenwe’vehadaseriesofexpertscommentingonasituationortopicbutwhoarenotdirectlyinvolvedinthescene,andwhomwewillnotfilmso-calledB-rollofthem.Thelimbosetseparatedthemfromtheother“active”subjectsofthefilm.ThiswasalsoatechniqueusedinthefeaturefilmRed.)Moreoftenthannot,though,thelocationoftheinterviewgivesthedirectoradditionalelementstohelpcommunicatehisorherpointofviewtowardthecharacterorhelpdefinethesubjectinmoredetailandeffectively.

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Tosuccessfullyfilmaninterview(ortodosomethingmorethanjustmimicbroadcastjournalism),andcreateascenethatcarriessomeweighttoit,alotofthoughthastogointothepre-productionandproductiondecisions.Sometimes,ofcourse,realityraisesitsuglyheadandbitesyou;soyouyelpandadapttothenewsituation.Buthavingaclearplanorintentionalwayshelpsprepareyouforadaptationandserendipity.Firstoff,thefilmmakershouldhaveavisualizationschemeorstyleplanforthefilm.Arecolorsimportantandcontrollable?Whatkindofshootingisplanned–allhandheldoralllockeddown?Nowideangles?OnlyCUs?Istheframinggoingtobeneutraloraggressive(LevelorDutchangle[canted]?Unbalancedorsymmetricaltotheframe-line?Isthefilmitselfobservationalorconstructed?)Thelookofthefilmisthereforethefirstelementthatgoesintomakingdecisions.Ofcoursethisitselfisdependentontopic,characters,thefilmmaker’spoint-of-viewtowardthem,andhisorhercinematicsensibilities.Also,justwhatconstitutesaninterviewandwhyissomuchattentionpaidtoitratherthantherealityfromwhichthepersoncomesorisrelatedto?Theanswerusuallyhastodowithconventionandmoney.A-rollversusB-rollSadlythecurrentconventionhasthemostimportantelementofthedocumentaryornonfictionfilmastheinterview(ornarration)whilethematerialthatcomefromtherealworldisconsideredthe“coverage,”thestuffthatillustratespointsmadeverballyandallowssoundediting.EvenwhenI’mdoinganarratedand/orinterview-basedfilm,Istillinvertthisso-called“rule.”Compellingcinemacomesmoreoftenthannotfromwhat’shappening(orperhapsthathashappenedaswitharchivalmaterial),fromtherealmoment(s)inaperson’slife,notthemtalkingaboutit.Sometimes,though,thetalkingheadisthecriticalthing;againthinkaboutErrolMorris’brilliantwork(“ThinBlueLine”,“FogofWar”).Nevertheless,Ialwaysthinkaboutconstructingscenesthatarecommentedonorbridged,elucidatedbythesubject.FurtherIlookatnarrationfirstandforemostasanaidtotransitioningfromonethoughttoanother.Thisforcesmetoshootscenesoutintheworld,notcollectaseriesofshots–atleastthat’smygoal.Ifweconsiderthemostimportantelementtobetheinterview,wemaymissthestory,oratleastthelifeofthestory.OneofmystudentsrecentlycoinedmyinversionofAandBrolltobe“life-roll.”Thusapproachingafilmfromanarrativeframework,notaninformationalone,directsonetofocusonthelifeofthesubject,theirexperiences,engagements,action.ThisframeworkalsometolooktowhatIcall“scenebuilding,”whichinsomewaysistheoppositeofcoverage.AswithanynarrativeIfocusonstorystructureandlooktobuildsceneswithbegins,middlesandends.Ilookforwaysinproductionandposttoescalateaction,engagetheviewerinthestoryanditsemotionalbase.Asaresult,Ifindthatthestrongest

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worksindocumentaryengageprimarilyandatfirstthroughemotion,theninformation.Intheearly1990stherewasarevoltintheindustryagainstthetalkinghead.Wewereinstructedbytheusualsuspectsthatwecouldhavenomorethat5-10percenttalkingheads,namelysubjectsonscreentalking.Partoftherationalwasthatasthebroadcastersandcableoperatorswerecreatingmoreinternationalco-productions,costscouldbereducedbylimitingthenumberofvoicesinafilmthatneededtobetranslated.Forawhileandcontinuinginsomecasestotoday,lower-budgetedprogramshaveonlythenarratorasavoice,makingtranslatingandvoicinginanotherlanguageparticularlyinexpensive.However,ifyouthinkaboutyourexperiencewatchingfictionfilms(onanyscreen),you’llnoticethatyou’reactuallywatchingalotoftalkingheads(exceptperhapsinanaction/adventurefilm,butevenheretheactionfiguresdoaheckofalotofdialogue).Thevisualinformationthatcomestousnonverballyfromthehumanfacesaddsdimensionsofnuanceandmeaningthatwedon’tgetwhenthatfaceisoffscreenandwe’relisteningsolelytovoice.Researchsuggeststhatmorethan50%ofamessagecomesfromseeingthepersonspeaking.AsnotedabovejustwatchascenefromoneofErrolMorris’filmstomakethispoint. StaticShotHandheldEvenwitha“sit-down”youhaveachoiceontripodorhandheld.Theadvantagetohandheldisthatitmaybettermatchtherestofyourfilm’slookandthereforemayallowtheeditoreasiercutting.Ontheotherhand,ifyouwanttoclearlyseparateelementsthendoingtheoppositemaybetherightchoice.IsometimespreferhandheldifIfindthatthecharacterisreallyanimated,usingthehandsand/orpropstohelpanswerquestions.ThatwayIcanflowmoreeasilywiththeperson.InthesecircumstancesIhavealsosuggestedthatthepersonstandorsitontheedgeofthedeskandfeelfreetomovearound(office,lab,etc.)TripodLockedSomepeopleliketolockthetripodoffandkeeptheframerocksolid.Thissometimesforcesthecinematographertoopentheframeabittoallowforthesubjecttomovewithinthatstaticshot.Thereisacertainformalityand“soberness”tothiskindofframing.Fluid(correcting)Mostoften,evenonatripodthecameraisfluidsothatthecameraoperatormaypanortiltslightlydependingonwhatthesubjectisdoing.Thecameraisabitmoredynamicwiththis“correcting”framingmethod.Butyouhavetobecarefulnottobetooaggressiveorquickwithyourmovesasthismaybecomedistracting.

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ProductionDesign,Architecture,andColorSpaceBeforetamperingwiththeexistingrealityandmovingthingsaroundtakeseveraldigitalpicturessothatyoucanrestorethelocationtoitspreviouslook.Notewherechairsareplaced,flowerpots,curtains,etc.Rememberyouareessentiallyinvadingsomeoneelse’slocationandyoumustrespectitandthem.IneverputgearontabletopsunlessIaskandputsomethingunderneathsuchasatablecloth,orpieceofrubbermatting.Theleveltowhichyouchangespace,essentiallyapplyingproductiondesigntechniquestoyourfilming,dependsonseveralcriteria.Ifyouareworkingonastrictobservationalfilm(directcinemaorcinemaverité),orifyouareworkingonajournalisticprojectthatdoesnotallowthemanipulationofspacebeyondlighting,thenyouwilllikelynotpursuetoomuchhere.However,therearesomebasicelementsofwhichyoushouldbeaware.Rememberthatsometimesleavingallchoicestothesubjectsorcharacters,orto“nature”maymeanthattheresultswillbemoreeditorializedthanhadyoumadesomesmallsuggestionsorchoices.BackgroundWhileattentionismeanttobeonthesubjectoftheconversation,attendingtothelocationandthespaceoftheconversationbeforeandbeyondthesubjectiscriticallyimportanttoasuccessfulconversation.Fromfictionfilmmaking,weknowthataDP(directorofphotography)can’tsuccessfulfilmwithoutworkinghand-in-handwithaproductiondesigner.Theproductiondesignerisresponsibleforthesetorlocation,thespaceinwhichactorsliveandperform.Colorspace,architecture,furniture,props,wardrobe,etc.areallpartofthePD’sdomain.TheDPisresponsibleforcreatingtheappropriatelightenvironment,colortemperaturetothatlighting,selectinglenses(perspective)andexecutingthestoryboardorshotlist,aswellasdirectinganycameramovement.WhenI’msettingupforaconversation,Ipaycloseattentiontothedetailsofthelocation.Iworkwithmysoundrecordisttofindthebestpointofvieworbackgroundtominimizeanyextraneousnoise(saystreetnoisecomingthroughawindow).(I’lltrytofilmwiththecameraanddirectionalmicaimingawayfromthatwindow.)Itryalsotominimizedistractionsintheframe.Ialwaysaskpermission,butIwanttoactasaproductiondesignerfirst,takingwhatcontrolIhavewiththelocationtomakethebackgroundlessdistractingandmorerelatedtothesubjectandtheirstory.Ofcourse,iftheproductionismoreobservational,orthereisareluctanceonthepartofthesubjectorfilmmakingteamtotamperwiththatreality,wechange

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ourperspectiveandworktousecompositionandlightingonlytoeffectastrong,compellingbackground.WardrobeRedistough,eveninHD.Avoidsmallandcomplicatedpatterns:twoproblems,oneisaliasing/moiré-ing,theotherdistracting.IalsoavoidlogoswheneverIcan.Peoplereadfirstthenwatch.(That’sanotherreasontopullsubjectsawayfromwallsandbookcases.Viewerswilllookatthebooktitlesonshelves,notatyoursubject.Avoidthesekindsofdistractionsbyrememberingtomovesubjectsawayfromwallsandshootingondiagonals,notparallels.)Whiteandblacksometimesdon’tdowelldependingonthecolorofthepersonbeingfilmed.Askwhenyoucanforcharacterstowearnaturalfabrics–lessclothingnoisewhenusinglavaliermics.Tightfitsmakeitsometimesdifficulttohidemicsonthebodyunderclothing.Looserfitsmakesoundrecordistshappier.Also,manydistributorsdon’twanttoseeanyclothingorhatswithlogos.Sometimesthishastodowithproductplacementissuesoradvertisingsponsorship.Trytoavoid“formal”dressunlessyoureallywantit.Ontheotherhand,youshouldbeawareofwhothepersonisandhowheorshewillbe“seen”orperceivedbasedonwardrobechoice.Youmaywanttohelp“support”thepersonbyrecommendingcertainattirethatsendsamoredirectmessagetotheviewer(doctorwithstethoscope,forinstance).

Composition&Sight-lines/AngleontheSubject:Off-screenorDirectAddressRunandGunorInterviewinginsituClassically,orconventionally,indocumentary,mostinterviewsaredonewiththesubjectlookingoff-camera,notdirectlyintothelens.ThesinglemostsignificantexceptioncomesfromthebrilliantfilmmakerandphilosopherErrolMorris,whoeversinceThinBlueLinehashadhissubjectslookdirectlyintocamera(moreonthisandMorrislater).However,don’tassumethatdirectaddress–lookingrightintothecamera–issomehow“wrong”ora“mistake.”Itmaybeexactlywhatyouwanttodointermsofcreatingadifferentrelationshipbetweenthesubjectandaudience.Itmaybeawaytobetterengagetheaudienceintopayingmoreattentiontothestory,orbecomemoreemotionallyconnectedtothestoryandsubject.Don’tassumethataconventionisarule.InfacttherehavebeentimeswhereIhavemixedoff-screenanddirectaddressinasinglefilm.OftenthatcomesaboutbecauseI’mdoingmyownshootingandpeoplewillnaturally“find”meinthelens.Oritmaycomeaboutifthecharacterismoreahostthansubject.

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Theconventionofsubjectslookingoff-lenscomestousthroughjournalism(news)inwhichacorrespondentinterviewshisorhersubject.Inthecaseofbroadcastjournalism,itisclearthatthereisareporter/interviewerandtheyappearoncameraregularlyinareparteebetweenthetwo.Oftentheconversationisfilmedwithatwo,threeorfourcamerasetup.Indocumentary(inmostbutnotallcases),theinterviewerisunseen,andthereforeimplied.Moreandmore,productionsarehavingsubjectswhoarenothostsspeakdirectlytocamera.PersonallyIlikethis,especiallyinthenewworldofthesocialmediaandtheWeb.

However,therearealternativestotheformalsit-downinterview.Forinstance,sometimesI’llbeoverthesubject’sshoulderortothesideastheygoesaboutworkandI’llthrowaquestionsuchas,“Whatareyouthinkingaboutnow?What’sgoingtohappennextdoyouthink?”Andthepersonwillcontinueworkingbutcomeovertheshoulderbacktocameratoanswer.NowIusuallydothisonlyafterI’vegainedtrustandhavebeenfilmingthesceneforawhile.Iliketogetthesubjectcomfortablewithmypresenceandtheactivity(interference)offilmmaking,soItendtojuststartshootingandletthepersondowhatcomesnaturallyforthescene.

ItrytokeepamentalnoteastowhatothershotsImayneedtomakethescenework,thepiecestheeditorwillneedtobuildascene,compresstime,andcreatetension.Idon’tliketodoalotofstartingandstoppingearlyonasithasatendencytomakethefilmmakingmorelikeafictionpiecethannon-fiction.OnlywhenIthinkthatI’vegottenagoodfixonthesceneandfeelcomfortablebreakingthe“reality”ofthemomentwillIfirststepinandgetthefragmentsorpiecesthatIneedforcompressingtheaction,andonlyafterthat(usually)Imaythrowquestionstothesubject.

Off-ScreenSightlineAvoidthe“correspondent”anglethatworksforjournalismbutistoo“off-camera”fordocumentary(30ºormore).Weusuallyhavetheinterviewersitrightnexttothecamerawithhisorhereyesaboutthesameheightasthecameralens(nearly0ºto5ºoff-axis).Thisforcesthedirectorandcinematographertopaycloserattentionto“eye-flicker,”wherethesubjectlooksfromtheinterviewertothelens(orthesoundperson,orothercrew-member,whichisonereasonwhyIalwaystrytomakesurethatonlycameraandinterviewerarewithinthefovialviewofthesubjectandtherestofthecrew,includingsound,remainsattheperiphery.SometimesIevenmakesuretotellthesoundrecordisttokeeplookingatthemixerandnotlookatthesubject!Ofcourse,ifyouareactingasareporterorareinthefilmandyourquestionswillbepartofthefilm,andyouintendtoshootatleastwithtwocameras(oneonyourself),thenamoreoff-camerasightlinemaybebetter.

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Also,sometimesyoumaywanttodoaprofileornewangle,especiallyifyou’reshootingwithmorethanonecameraorifyoufeelthatyourproductiondesignwarrantsit.Further,glassescomplicatethings.Ifthereflectionsareheavythenyoumaywanttomovethecameraabitawayfromthatmore“head-on”angle.Thisleadsmetosuggestthatallcrewwheredark,neutralclothing–thisminimizesdistractionsbothintermsofreflectionsandsubjectattention.(Ialwaystrytogetenoughlightintotheeyestoseethepupils,evenwhenthepersoniswearingglasses.Moreonexteriorissuesvisavisthesunelsewhere.)

BalanceandScreenDirectionUsuallythedirectionofthesightlinedetermineswhichsideofthescreenthesubjectisplaced.Ifthepersonislookingoff-screenright,thenthetypicalframingwouldhavehimorhersetontheleftsideoftheframe,thusgivingthelinesome“breathingroom”ormovement.Howevertherearetimeswhenthedirectorchoosestopushthesubjecttotheedgeofthatvectororframe.Thiscreatesavisualtensiontotheintervieworscene.Itisabitmoreaggressivevisually.Whichsideofthescreenshouldcharactersbeframed?Alwaysagoodquestionwithnoeasyanswers.MostWesternculturesreadtextlefttoright.Thisishowweusuallyscananimage.Thuswestartintheupperleftcorneroftheframeandmovetothelowerright.Themoststableimagereflectsthis;puttingthepersonontheleftsideoftheframe(applyingtheruleofthirdsgenerally)lookingoff-screenrightismoresettled,familiarthantheopposite.Iftherearetwo“opposing”sidestoyourproject,thenyoumayhaveallofonesidelookonedirection,andtheother,opposite.(Thesametendstoholdtrueformovement.)

HeightTheheightofthecameraasitrelatestothesubject(seated,standing,lyingdown)isanotherchoicepoint.AccordingtofilmmakerandtheoristStefanSharffinElementsofCinema,eye-levelshootinginfictionisusuallynotcommoninmasterworks.Normallyfilmmakersusethematchingofslighthigh-angleandlow-anglealternationstohelp“glue”aseriesofshotsinascenetogether.Thisholdstrueindocumentaryaswellasinfictionfilms.Variationorchange,andthereforeopposition,helpsviewersrecognizepatternsandmakeconnectionsamongshotsandpoints.Typicallythisoccursmoreobviouslywiththesightlineofthecharacter.Inatypicalmagazineformatshowsuchas60Minutestheproducerswillhavethe“goodguys”framedleftlookingoff-screenrightandthe“badguys”oropponentsframedrightlookingoff-screenleft.Whilethereareaestheticandpsychologicalreasonsthatmaycontributetothesechoicessometimestherearealsotechnicalreasonsthatdriveheight,sightlines,etc.Facialfeatureshaveanimpactonheightchoicesaswell.Usually,itisabitmorepleasingtoframeslightlyhighonpeople–youavoiddoublechins,etc.But

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sometimestheforeheadandcheekssuggestthataloweranglemaybebetter.Also,ifthepersonisahand-waverandanimatedIusuallyframefromaloweranglesothatevenwhenI’monaCUthehandsjustcomeintoframe.(TherearetimeswhereIwillalsoaskthepersontoraisehisorherhandsoffthecrotchanduptothechest–forobviousreasonsinwidershots).(Theshapeofthefacealsowillhaveaninfluenceonyourlightingdesign.)Theloweranglealsohasatendencytodropshadowsinthebackgroundoutofframe,notabaddealifyoucan’tseparatethesubjectenoughfromthebackground.Further,thereissomevaluetoconsideringthepsychologicalimpactoftheheightoftheshot.Theconventionalapproachsuggeststhathigh-anglesdownonsubjectsdiminishtheirstatureorpower(visavisothersubjectshotfromlow-angleplacementsandtheaudienceitself),whilelow-angleshotsshootinguponthesubjectelevatestatusandpower.FocalLengthScaleorimagesizeisdeterminedbycamera-subjectdistance,focallengthandaperture(notirisorf:stop,butthe“cut-out”infilmorchipinvideo).Thereisabigpsychologicaldifferencebetweenashotthatusesashortfocallength(wideangle)andiscloseintothesubjectforaclose-upversusasimilarimagesize(close-up)setbyusingalongfocallengthandincreasingthedistancebetweenthecameraandsubject.Thelatterismorea“portraiture”shotandfeelsmorelikefiction,hasatendencytodiminishemphasisonthebackgroundthroughcompressionandashorterdepthoffield.Itwillalsotendtoemphasizefacialfeatures,thesubjecthim-orherself.Theformer(wideandclose)willhaveagreaterdepthoffieldandthereforeemphasizethecharacterinthespace.Itwillfeelinsomewaysmore“documentary”orreal-world.Perhapsthewaytothinkoffocallengthandcorrespondingimagesizeisthatthelongerlenswillemphasizethe“figure”whiletheshorterwillemphasizethe“ground”inafigure-grounddesignsense.

DepthofFieldThef:stopisoneofseveralcontrolswehaveoverexposure(brightnessoftheimage).Butitisalsocriticaltotheapparentsharpnessoftheimagebeforeandbeyondthecriticalplaneoffocus(distancebetweencameraandcharacter).Whenthebackgroundissoftfocus,it’stheDoFandcamerasubjectdistancethatusuallycreatesthateffect.Theshorterthedistancebetweencameraandsubjectalsoreducessharpness.Withlargerchipsinmanycamerastodayitiseasiertohaveshallowdepthoffield,asthelargerthechipthelessdepthoffieldforanycam-subdistanceandf-stop.However,whenitcomestosmartphones,wehaveachallengeinthatthechipsaresupersmall.SmartphonesthathaveduallenseshelpwithshallowDoFwhenyouswitchtothetelemode(longerfocallength,smallerfieldofview).

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UsingashallowDoFhelpskeepdistractionsinthebackgroundlessintrusive,anddrawsattentiontothesubject(figure/groundrelationship).SoeffectivelycreatingashallowDoFisreallyimportant.However,ashallowdepthoffieldcanbeachallenge.Ifit’stooshallowaslightmovementoradjustmentinwherethesubjectissitting(saytheyleanforwardtomakeapoint)willthroughthefocusoff.It’sthereforereallyimportanttomaintainconstantvigilanceoverthefocusorincreasethedepthoffield.Noteorremember:DepthofFieldisnotevenlysetbetweentheforegroundandbackground.A1/3rdoftheapparentsharpnessisbeforethesubjecttowardthecameraand2/3rdsoftheDoFisbeyondorbehindthesubjecttowardthebackground.ThereareanumberofsmartphoneappsthatcalculatetheDoFforanycamera/chip.

PerspectiveIusuallyavoidaflatframe,meaningthatItrytocreateasenseofdepthonadiagonalortrytofindorlightforavanishingpointdeepintheframe.ThereforewhenI’mframingupashot,Iliketocheckoutthelocationratherthanthepersonfirst.Toavoidflatframeswhereallthelinesandshapesofthescenearesymmetricallybalancedwiththeframe-lineofthecamera,Itrytopositionthecameratotakeadvantageofanaturalprominentlinethatdrawsmyattentionfromdeepbackgroundtoforeground.Sometimesthisisatabletop,aseriesofwindows,chairs,orsuch.Sometimesitisaseriesofprops,suchasplates,candles,labequipment.Inoutdoorlocationsitmaybeamountainridge,trees,streamorroadtakingmefromdeepinthebackgroundtotheforeground(evenoff-screen).WhatIdoistotrytocreateadiagonallineormovementfromobjecttoobjectoralongthemain“line”orcurve,thattakesmeeitherfromdeepframerighttostrongforegroundleft,orviseversa.Ontheotherhandtherearespecificandintentionalcompositionalchoicestobemadeforafilmorseriesthatchangesthisgeneralnotion.MTC

Perspectiveleadssightline,subjectframingandlightingschemeThisperspectivewillthendictatewhichscreendirectionIpreferthesubjecttolookto,andtheinterviewerplaced.Foradeeprighttoforegroundleft,I’llusuallyplacethesubjectscreenrightandhavehimorherlookoffscreenleft,thusfollowingtheperspectivelineoftheoverallscene.Foradeeplefttostrongforegroundright,I’llreversetheplacement.Thesubjectwillbeputontheleftsideofthescreenandhavethelookgoright,withtheinterviewerobviouslybeingontherightsideoffthecamera.AsIusuallylikeshootingintoshadoworfillratherthanthehighlightorkeysideoftheface(seelightingandshadowsectionformoredetail),perspectivewillhaveadeterminingfactorinmylightingschemeaswell.IfIhavethesubjectframedleftlookingoff-screenright,thenI’llputmykey-light(main)off-screenright.Icallthe

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relationshipofthecamera,interviewerandkey-lightmykey-lightsandwich,whereIputtheinterviewerbetweenthecameraandthekey-light.Easytoremember.(AsImentioninthelightingsection,Ibelieveshootingintotheshadowsideofthefacedrawstheviewerin;heorsheeffectivelyhastopeerintoseethepersonbetter.Further,shootingintotheshadowcreatesastrongersenseofthree-dimensionstothehumanface.ButItryalwaystomakesurealittlebitofkey-lightorasolideye-lightkicksintotheshadow-sideeye.)

BalanceandSymmetriesTherealwaysseemstobeatensionincompositionbetweena“balanced”and“dynamic”frame.Placingobjects(includingpeople)withintheframeisactuallycriticaltothesuccessorapparentfailureoftheinterview.Muchcanbegleanednon-verballyfortheshotselectionanditscomposition.Youmayusethecameratomakeasubtleornot-sosubtlecommentaboutthesubject.Thinkofwhatusuallyhappenswithapointandshootcamera.Thecenteroftheframeiswherethefocusdotorrectangleusuallyis,sowetendtoframetheshotbyputtingtheperson’sheadrightsmackinthemiddleoftheshot.Pressthebuttonandwehaveaphoto,butnotnecessarilyaverygoodone.Sureit’sthepersonbutit’snotwellcomposed.Thereistoomuch“headroom”oremptyspaceabovethesubject’sheadandheorsheiscutoffatthebottomoftheframeeitheratthefeetorgut.Also,thecenteroftheframeisnotnecessarilythebestormostappealingplacetoputthecenterofattention.Infact,quitetheopposite.Thecenteroftheframeistheworstplace,usually(andtherearefortunatelyalwaysgoodexceptionstoanystatementlikethis),toputthesubjectorthethingthatthefilmmakerwantsustoconcentrateon.FramingandZoomingorTrackingSincethemidtolate2000saninnovationcameintotheprofession–theuseofasecondcamera,usuallyaDSLR.Thisnewperspectiveprovidedaneasyeditingtooltohelpcompresstheconversation.Usingasmartphoneisbecomingmorecommonforthesecondcamera.However,I’venoticedthatchangingtheframesizeoftheprimarycameraseemstobediminishing.It’simportanttochangeimagesize(notangleontheperson)duringtheinterview.Usuallytheeasierquestionsandanswerswillbeshotwiderthantougherormoreintimatetopics.Therelianceonthemediumshotseemsubiquitous,atleastamongmystudents.Itseemsthatthere’sareluctancetomoveinclosetoaperson,toshowthefacealone.IfindtheCUtobethemostcompellingimagesizeforinterviews.Notalways,butmostly.

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It’salsoimportanttopayattentionastowhenyouzoomormoveintoaCUorouttoaMS(mediumshot).Youshouldnevermoveunlessit’sreallyimportantoryoucandoitwithoutruiningthemomentduringananswer.Waitforabeat,pause,ortheendoftheanswerbeforechangingimagesize.Ifyou’regoodathandheldinandcanchangefocuswellmovingintoaCUbyleaningforwardinyourchairorsteppingforward,thengiveitago.Otherwise,stayput.

TheinterviewitselfStartingtheinterviewWhenyouneedtorepeatorre-frame(intermsofresponse),blameyourself,technicalissuesandcrewratherthanthesubject.Don’tcomeoutandsay,“Ihavenoideawhatyou’retalkingaboutsolet’stryitagain.”Also,don’teversay,“Couldyoutellmethatagain?”or“Whenwetalkedonthephoneyousaid,‘Blahblah…’sowouldyoujustsaythatagainon-camera?”Allanyofthesestatementsorquestionsdoistoputthecharacterintoadifficultplace.Heorshehastonowmemorizelines;thispullshimorheroutoftheimmediacyandhonestyofthemomentasthecharacterwillnowbeconcentratingontryingtorememberwhatwordstouseorwhatexactlytosay.Oftenthisiseasilyseenoncamera.Soinstead,comeupwithotherreasonstoredoorrevisitananswer.Iusuallysay,“Thatwasgreat,butIthinkthatImayhavemadeaslightmistakeonfocus.Doyoumindifwestaywiththisforanotherminuteorso?Thanks.”ThenIusuallyre-askthequestionbutwithanacknowledgementofpartofthepreviousanswer.SoinsteadofjustrepeatingthequestionI’llsaysomethinglike,“WhenyousaidthattheQuarkisastrangelittlepieceofmatter,whatdoyoumeanbythat?How…”Thisisastrongdirectorialre-enforcementforthesubject,makingitclearthatyou,thedirector,havebeenlisteningtohisorheranswerstoyourquestions.Thismovesthe“interview”moretowarda“conversation.”EvenwhenIgoontoanotherquestionorsection,IstillacknowledgethatIhavepaidattentiontotheresponseandI’mnotsimplyrunningthroughaquestionlist.Ialsosometimesgivehandsignalstomycrewthatindicatestheyshouldmentionapossiblesoundorlightingglitchtomeafterananswerthatwasn’tsogreatsothatI’llhavetoredothequestionandanswer–thistechniquejusthelpstomakesurethatthesubjectdoesn’tfeelstressedaboutnotprovidingagoodanswer.Therearetimes,anditreallydependsonthecharacterandyourrelationshiptohimorher,whenitisokaytotellhimorherthattheanswerwastoocomplicated,hardtofollowornotfullenough.Peopleoftengodownlongtangentialroads;scientistsandpoliticiansoftenbringinfartoomanyqualifiersandlosefocus.Itrytostartoffbyacknowledgingthatthesituation(whenit’snotahostorcorrespondentaskingthequestionandthereforethequestionswon’tbeon-cameraoron-screen)isn’tnormal.WhileItrytoalwayscallmyinterviews“conversations”becauseIthinkthat

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betterreflectstherelationshipthatshouldbeaimedfor,Ialsotellthecharacter/subjectthatIcan’tsayanythingduringtheanswer,Icanonlybenon-verbalinmysupport.Further,Itellthecharacter/subjecttotrytofindawaytocreateatopicsentenceoutofmyquestion(andItrynottoaskyes/noquestions).Igiveanexample.Ifyou’vegainedtrustoryou’redealingwithafriend,orifthepersonhastherightattitudeandcantakeit,feelfreetolethimorherknowthattheanswerjustdidn’twork.Anotherpoint.Pleasedon’ttalktothecrew,editor,executiveproducerandcertainlythesubjectintermsofsoundbites.Thisdiminishesthepotentialoftheinterview/conversation.Itputsarealdamperonthemomentandonceagainforcesthepersonbeforethecameratothinkaboutwhatshouldbesaidratherthansimplytalking.Italsosetsapoorframeworkfortheinterview,puttingthemediumaheadofthecontent.However,thedirectormustbeabletoreinthepersonin;sothere’sabitofabalancingacthere.Youasdirectormustalsocarrytheeditoronlocationwithyou.Idothisbothwhenshootinganddirecting.Youmustbeabletohearnotjusttheconversationthatison-goingbuttheeditedpieceasyougo.Whatdoesthismean?Rememberthatnomatterwhat,youwillnotbeusingthewholeconversation,andcertainlynotintheorderinwhichitwasshot.(ThisisalsowhyImakesurethatmysubjectsneveruse,“AsIsaidbefore,”or“Likewetalkedaboutbefore.”Nosuchreferencetotimeworksforthereasonsabove.)Youalsohavetokeepyourearsattunedtopacing;willyoureditoractuallybeabletocutattheendofasentenceorphrase?Youmayhavelittlecontrolduringtheinterviewtodomuchaboutthisbutitcertainlyshouldbesomethingthatyoupayattentiontoduringresearchwhenyou’recasting.Isthepersonseriousbutnotcomplicated?Istherehumorintheresomewhere?Doesheorshesimplyanswerquestionsortellyouastory?Canheorshetakedirection?Doestheindividualhumandhawalot?Also,I’malwayslisteningforthemomentintheanswertothequestionwhenitactuallybegins.Howmanyendingsdoestheonequestionhave?

TheflowoftheinterviewDependsonthetype:FriendorFoe?Ineithercase,berespectful(atleasttostart).Usuallybegineasyandworkyourwaytothehardstuff,thenresolvewithamildfinish.Somethinglikeafilmwithaset-up,escalationofaction,andshortresolution.Ialwayshavetwostandardendquestionsthough:“Whatisyourfondesthopeforthefuture,orwhat’scomingnext?”;and“Whatisyourworstfear?”Further,Ialsoaskcrewthensubjectiftherearethingsthatseemedconfusing,missingorinneedofclarification.Idoaskthesubjectifheorshewouldliketotelltheaudiencesomethingthatwedidn’thitonduringtheconversation.Nowifyou’rerunningan“ambush”intervieworyouknowthatthesubjectisantagonistictoyouoryourfilm,thenyoumaywanttogetratherinnocuousorlead-

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upquestionsdonefirst,includingthehopeandfearquestions.Thenyoumayhaveonlyoneshotatthequestionthatismostimportant.Howyouaskalongwithyourtonemaymakeallthedifferenceastohowfartheinterviewgoes.Atthestartoftheinterview,IalwaysdothistobuildabitmoretrustwiththesubjectandprovideproofthatI’mlistening.Thishelpsvalidatethesubjectinthemidstofpressure(fromthemoment,theapparatus).WhatisitthatIdo?Wellinthefirstanswertothefirstquestion,ImakesurethatIpicktwoorthreethings(keywordsthatItrytoremember)thataresaidthatIwanttofollowuponbeforegoingontothenextquestion.Whentheanswerisover,I’llaskaquestiontohelpelaboratepartofthatanswer.Forexample,ifsomeonetellsmethattheirfromProvidence,thenI’llaskaboutwhatitwaslikegrowingup.Sobeinthemomentduringtheinterview,throughout.PayingattentionandthepauseIfyouhaveaseriesofquestionsthatyou’regoingtogothroughpayattentionfirsttothepersonnotthequestions.I’vebeeninsituationswhere,asthepersonisfinishingananswer,thedirectorlooksdownattheirnotesratherthankeepingeyecontactwiththesubject.Thisbreaksabondbetweenthetwoandhurtsthetrustbetweenthemaswell.It’sasmallgesturethatmakesahugedifference.Whenyoulookdown,inthatcircumstance,you’reeffectivelydismissingtheperson,ignoringwhatthey’resaying.Further,insteadofpreparingforthenextquestion,checkingyournotes,andpossiblyaskingthenextquestion,staywitheyecontactasthepersonfinishingansweringanddonothing.Don’tcallforacut,don’tsaygreat,don’taskthatnextquestion.Instead,wait.Thisgivesthepersontimetothinkthatmaybethere’smoretotheanswer,andyoumayendupwithalittlebitmore,somethingthatismorepersonal,intimate.

Whentointerview?Somedirectorspreferdoingtheinterviewbeforeshootingotherelementswiththecharacter,oratleastearlyintheprocess.Thatgivesthemthechancetopickupscenesandshotsofspecificmaterialthatwasreferenced(well)duringtheinterview.Othersprefertoshoottheinterviewafterfilmingothermaterialwiththecharacter(I’mgenerallyinthiscamp).Thistimingallowsthedirectortomakesuretogettheshotsorscenesthatarereferredtowellduringtheinterview.Further,justbecauseyoudotheinterviewinsomeformalmannerataspecifictimedoesnotprecludeaskingquestionsandcontinuingtheconversationwhilingfilmingotherelementsofyourstory.