Looking for good tips on interview/documantary style

[Joel Arvidsson]

I enjoy the interview style where you cut out the questions and let the person tell the story. When do you let the subject read the question? If they get them to early I think
the answers will not be spontanios. So perhaps just before rolling. Thought this might be a good place for good suggestions and advices since Im more used to standard interviews and shorter manuscripts.
Of course like all interviews you keep the questions quite open. Its not me that writes the interviews but I will be pushing hard for this approach as I feel its the way to go to get more "life and thoughtfulness" in it. Less television scoop feel.

A good example what i mean would be "Great Wooden Boats" by mr Bloom
http://vimeo.com/26287132

or
"It's a Burl" by mr Guilmette
http://vimeo.com/19502657

 

[Simon Knight]

Hi Joel,

I give questions to the talent just before like you suggested. I also keep the camera rolling throughout the entire interview so as to catch the subtle nuances of their speech. I sit just over the camera lens so they are practically looking into it and then just chat.. I find its important to just "chat" to them for a while. They get used to you asking questions and them answering - so when you do it on camera they don't immediately think "We're actually doing this - like for real!!" They then get all nervous and try too hard.

If that makes sense?

Regards

Simon

 

[Christopher Mills]

"it Depends"
I have interviewed a huge number of people on camera over the last 10 years, as about half of my projects are documentary unit or informational pieces.

In the case of people who have been through severely traumatic experiences, or have been subjects of controversy, I offer the questions. half or more of the time, they decline.

If my client is the doc unit of an entertainment project, and I am interviewing an actor, I will brief them on the topics we will be covering, and the approach of the interview.

If they are A list, and under the most severe time pressure, I am prepared to give them or their handler the questions in advance.


When I am contracted to do a corporate piece, the questions are always know to the subject or to their assistant. These are projects that do not want spontaneity in the information returned to the question, as this is not journalism, but public relations or instruction.

Spontaneity is over rated. Responsiveness is under rated. If you want information, you want complete and candid information. Off the cuff responses are almost always shallow.

Be prepared to learn something you never knew in each interview. Be grateful to the subject for the knowledge they impart.


On to general technique:
This presumes you are not going to be seen or heard in the final project.
As interviewer you must have knowledge and familiarity with the background of not only your interviewee, but of the circumstances you are covering.
I fully expect to spend a great deal of time in research prior to conducting an interview. You also need to have a fabulous memory for what other interviewees have told you prior to the one you are conducting.
Make very sure you are able to read the subject's moods.
the most useful question could be paraphrased as "LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU"
Work very hard to make the technical side of the interview as invisible to the interviewee as possible. YES THAT MEANS THAT A LOUD FAN IS A PROBLEM. go to longer lenses if you have not developed your own methods of dealing with the fan noise in cameras.

 

[Rob Gardner]

I do a lot of interviews for television and these are my basic procedures:
1) Never give them questions before the interview because they will rehearse the answers if they are nervous and it leaches spontaneity out of the interview. People will often ask for this and if they do, I just give them a general subject list, as vague as possible.
2) Always begin each question with the phrase "Will you talk about..." to avoid yes or no answers. You want them to explore the subject area, so you have to set them up for that.
3) Always prepare a list of questions for yourself to work from, but make them simple enough that you need only glance at them, so as not to break the connection with the subject. It is important to keep in mind that any interview is basically a seduction in which you are convincing the subject that what they are talking about is the most important subject in the world and that you are fascinated with it. People like talking about themselves, but not always in front of a camera, so this personal connection is important. Looking down at a notes and creating periods of awkward silence breaks that down.
4) I always have a little pre-interview conversation where I remind them not to look at the camera, explain that my questions will never be used and that I want them to try to incorporate the questions into the answers, that we my stop for battery changes or unexpected noise and so on. This not only gives them this information but gives them a little time to get used to the set-up.
5) An interview is actually a highly contrived and awkward way to talk to someone, so you have to work to make it comfortable and conversational, but all the while never interrupting them. You have to be in control, while not appearing to be in control. Their psychological comfort is important (as is their physical comfort, for that matter).
6) Emotional information is always more valuable than factual information, so whatever the subject matter, going after how the subject feels about it will often get you the most effective material. Sometimes you have to wait for this or nurse it out of the subject but when it pays off it really pays off.
7) Make notes and go back and ask a question again if you don't think you got it the first time, but wait until later in the interview.

 

[Russ Fill]

You can always ask the wrong question to prompt them to correct you.
IE... they have a red hat on and you say "are you wearing a blue hat" they say oh no this is a red hat Im wearing. People like to help you understand so sometimes it now always good to be so smart.

HUMBLE YOUR SELF...

And starting a sentence and having them finish it helps a lot to get them going the direction you need. "I walk to work because......"they finish.
Interview is an art and is as important as camera work. It might pay to have someone do one or the other. I find unless the conditions are good it really pays to have someone conduction the interview or me and someone on camera to get the best of both possible worlds. Sometimes..
OH I almost forgot. the new build with a buffer will help to not have to roll through everything to get the start of it. IF your really good you can sit and wait and then roll when you start to hear it going somewhere. And a small digital audio recorder with the audio channel to it will help bridge the missing bits if you don't want to roll on every thing.

 

[Christopher Mills]

oh.. yeah.. the sound thing... I would rather have a sound person than a camera person to help me.. though if I can, I will use both.
I like to light the space, then have an operator mind the shot.. and a sound mixer who records a full length backup..

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Hey Joel,

some good tips have been provided here, but if I am to share my opinion, is that if time is not of a concern on the interview when it will Air, I would always avoid a single talking head, but prefer making it a chat with an actual face, so that the interviewed has a conversation on camera, not to the camera, making it much more enjoyable to view, if time is an issue and the interview needs to be as short as possible then Rob already got you covered...

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

Thanks, this thread turned out great! Lots of goodies.

And a small digital audio recorder with the audio channel to it will help bridge the missing bits if you don't want to roll on every thing.

I would like this, the only problem with red is once you turn of the recording it sound like a hairdryer. So It will spoil the other recorder.