W E E K 5

INTERVIEW APPROACHES• Don’t ask more than one question at once

• Practice ‘active listening’

• Don’t speak while answers being given,

and allow a pause after response is

finished, both for the edit, and because

they might have something more to say

• Film Cutaways & B Roll– walking into

office, making tea, looking over files, out

window, etc. and other people listening,

taking notes, etc in group situations

• “Save it for the interview” – don’t talk too

much about the subject beforehand, to

repeat themselves

• Help people relax and let them know if

something needs changing

INTERVIEW APPROACHES

• Conversational interview where

interviewer appears on screen.

• In this case a walking interview can

be good to give a feeling of a

natural conversations, but will need

to be properly covered for sound

with wireless microphones and

possibly a boom

• Capturing discussion between two

characters talking about the subject

“TELL ME…”

Asking Questions

• Prompting subjects by asking them, “Tell me about…”

• Repeating the question in the answer for clarity in edit room so you can

cut out interview question. Example:

• Q: “Why did the protests in Hong Kong grow in size so quickly?”

• A: “The protests grew in size so quickly because….”

ASKING QUESTIONS

Avoid leading questions, and questions with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ responses

Example of leading questions that give bad answers:

• Q: “Is it difficult being a domestic worker in Hong Kong”?

A: “It’s not too bad.

• Q: “You’ve been working here for 10 years?”

• A: “Yes”

• Q: “You said you come from the Philippines?”

• A: “Yes, that’s right.”

How could this have been done differently?

ASKING QUESTIONS

Use open ended questions

• Tell me what it is like to …?

• How long have you…?

• How did you feel..?

• Tell me about when….?

• Prepare a questions list before hand

• Develop themes so your questions flow, but don’t get stuck on your

questions

• Ask easy questions first and go towards harder or more emotional

questions later

CONSIDERATIONS

Background

• How might background effect the feel of the film?

• How will location effect the way character feels in the space?

• Can we learn something about the person through the background?

• What does background convey to the viewer about the story being told?

• Can the same background be found in all interview situations?

• Is it quiet enough (no planes, fridges, screaming children, music)?

• Exterior vs. Interior (considering weather, time of day, storytelling)?

“The Law in these Parts”

(2012) Incredible use of

green screen, and a

single interview location

CONSIDERATIONS

Camera Angels

• Close up or Medium Close up / straight

on, low angle, high angle

• Often Medium Close up is standard

interview position, with options to

move in if need be

• Getting subjects to look into camera, or

close to into the camera

• Be careful of eyeline! Interviewer is

often best placed as close to camera as

possible

• Looking directly into camera gives

sense of authority, or as though subject

talking directly to viewers

• Low angle gives power to subject,

rather than looking down on them

Fog of War, Errol Morris, 2003 Pushing the

Talking-Head

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-weapon-for-unsettling-interviews-the-interrotron

CONSIDERATIONS

Questions of intimacy

• Make sure your interview subject feels comfortable

• Let them know how long it is likely to take and the kinds of

questions you’ll be asking (if it’s appropriate)

• Have water on hand

• Non verbal listening, and listening in general

• Assure them that they don’t need to be nervous and you just

want them to be themselves

• Make eye contact throughout, and let the subject know that

they should be speaking directly to you, not the camera, and

to ignore other people in the room (if there are any)

• Leave a pause at end of someone speaking

Last Train Home, Lixin Fan, 2009Cinema-Direct

Cinema-Veritie