Researching In Preparation for Interviews

Digital Video Production 


Digital video is the "representation of moving images" with "encoded digital data" meaning everything is shown digitally whereas in contrast to analogue where everything is represented by a "continuously variable physical quantity". In order to make an interview successful, if you were to film an interview through digital video, there are many techniques and technologies you must take into consideration in order to create the best possible interview.


http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/shooting_tips/ 

From this link, the blog writer writes about different video techniques and mentions a face-to-face interview and the different techniques you could use when filming an interview to make it successful. For example, as you can see the writer suggests asking the person you're interviewing to look at the interviewer and not the camera, which makes the interview seem more like a conversation and not so forced. The writer also suggests and tip of trying to avoid a straight on shot, suggesting maybe shooting from a slight angle which would be understandable as it may look more aesthetically pleasing for audiences when viewing the interview. Another tip suggested is the obvious of having your interviewee sat on a chair that doesn't squeak as this is obviously distracting and will of course prolong the interview with different complications; these things must be checked before the interview begins. Another technique would be having the camera a little closer to the subject instead of using a zoom feature to get a close-up shot as if you did use a close-up it would look more awkward and "accentuate movement" which is not needed. Other tips, like the squeaking chair is fairly obvious and should be fully checked beforehand, like unnecessary noise which may create noise and distort audio or distract the interviewee. The blog writer also states that you mustn't do a "pre-interview" beforehand where the interviewee will know about the questions, which again is understandable as then the person knows how the interview will be making it seem fairly unnatural and can construct responses before; you must however give the interviewee a general idea of what will be discussed obviously. The last tips/techniques the blog writer suggests is having the camera roll for a few seconds before you ask your first question, and this also helps if you have a few minutes to spare to re-check audio and see if the camera is okay position/contrast etc and finally during the interview you must relax and listen carefully. This is especially important as the interviewer can listen to the interviewee's response and then ask them questions which weren't originally set, the writer also states a tip would be not to nod or make gestures with the interviewee and this would be because you'd be agreeing with the interviewee whereas you may need to just ask questions, depending on the style of interview.

The writer also gives further techniques for sit-down interviews, suggesting a technique where with the camera you start with a "set-up shot from behind and to one side or the other side of the interviewer" which means it focuses on the person talking while the questions are asked. This also makes the interview seem more like a conversation, when switching between showing the interviewee and interviewer. Another technique is leaving extra room in the shot so that the interviewee or interviewer is not directly centering the frame as this often looks awkward for audiences and can be unflattering. You can also do a wider shot as suggested here showing the interviewer's response to questions and not just always focusing on the interviewee but this also depends on your style of interview. You can also do reverse shot or cutaways, you can do over-the-shoulder showing the interviewer listening to the questions and then cut back from showing the interviewee talking to the interviewer from an over the shoulder from the interviewer. And it's stated that it is very important that you take into consideration the camera position/angle and shot, ensuring everything is the same when filming from both sides. It's also stated as a technique to visualise yourself that there's an axis that runs from the interviewee to reporter (or interviewer); when taking first shot from behind to one side of a person you must stay on the same side of that axis when you move your camera, so again position/angle/composition must all be considered. Finally, another tip is to not show the person asking the actual questions and only show the person listening to responses from the interviewee so when undertaking the interview overall, you can take into consideration the above techniques and mainly you must show both of the people undertaking the interview in this sit-down interview instead of just showing the interviewee talking. This interview may come across more like a conversation and seem more natural, but of course it all depends on your style of interview.

The writer also gives techniques for microphone, providing different tips; if you're using a handheld microphone its suggested to hold about 5-6 inches below the subject's mouth and not to hold the microphone in front of the person's mouth but slightly to the side and tilted. For my own interview, if I were to do a sit down or face-to-face interview, I wouldn't choose to put the microphone in frame either. There are different microphones like clip-on microphones however as stated here, you must take into consideration jewellery and other things like buttons on a shirt that could rub against the microphone and create unnecessary noise. If you chose the option of a clip-mic you must also attach about 5-6 inches below their mouth so the same applies and also try to keep the microphone as much to the center as possible.

In terms of headroom and nose room, it states you must "leave the proper amount" in front of and above the person who you'll interview. You mustn't shoot with an "excessive" amount of empty space above a persons head as this is known as "dead space" which isn't needed, as it looks very uncomfortable for the viewer and isn't the most flattering for the person being shot. The writer states there should be "just a little room" above someone's head when in a shot. They also state that it's far better to have room below the person's head in contrast to above. This also leaves room to add a title with the person's name when you're going through the editing stage which is very useful to think about before shooting and visualise how you'd want your finished product to look. It is advised however to be careful that you don't shoot to low so that you can't see the top of a person's head and what would also be useful is to have test shoots before, just to see where a person's head would be and also when they're talking, watch for their body language. The site also states rule of thirds which is very useful when shooting and must be something I take into consideration if I were going to film a face-to-face interview.


The next screen grab I found from a link from the Stanford Academic Computing Services website https://acomp.stanford.edu/tutorials/video_production_basics :

As you can see, all of these won't necessarily apply to my interview, however with that being said some are useful and applicable to my own production. For example, planning is vital when undertaking any production and beforehand I must ensure that everything is fully constructed so that the interview goes to plan. i.e I must consider the above, microphone I'll use, position of camera, and most importantly the questions and have the correct amount of existing knowledge. I must also consider as stated on this website, the rule of thirds; as explained in the link before this is very important and is definitely applicable to the interview depending on the style of interview. An establishing shot may not be applicable to this production nor a closing shot, however with that being said you could always start with a shot of the interviewee and interviewer together as an establishing shot and then cut to one or the other and then for a closing shot you could end on the same shot of the two together; so this could be applied to my production. The website also lists keeping shots steady and of course this is very important when filming as for the viewer, we want the interview to look as aesthetically pleasing as possible and unsteady shots will definitely make audience's viewing experience uncomfortable. For smooth zooms and pans this isn't applicable to my interview as I would intend to only use steady shots; and this also applies for the letting action start or end out of frame, this may not be applicable. However, the last thing listed is getting plenty of natural sound, and although this may not be directly aimed towards interviewing, this is also applicable and important when it comes to interviewing in my opinion, as you must ensure that you capture the natural sound as if it's a flowing conversation and not directly spoken into a microphone which can be very constructed and seem unnatural.


I also further researched and found a website listed "How to produce video interviews" under the following link: http://www.mediacollege.com/video/interviews/

This link states all things on interviews, in particular I decided to look at interview structure; I thought this was an interesting way to think of an interview conversation involving three people stated as "the interviewer, the guest (interviewee) and the viewer." It states that this creates a three-way interaction which can produce a successful interview. The viewer is something you must take into account which isn't automatically thought about, but as stated on this site the viewer is the "silent observer" who is "invited to the conversation" meaning the interview must be constructed well solely for them. The site states how the interviewer will set the scene by "inviting the viewer" by "introducing the location, guest and topic." This isn't something I really thought about before however, depending on style of interview this may be very useful in order to set the scene and invite the viewers into the interview. The interview will then go from that to speaking to the guest or interviewee with questions "usually designed to encourage the guest to talk a lot" and this is important as you want the interviewee to be relaxed and feel comfortable to express opinion and talk freely, as well as answer well as it makes the interview more enjoyable for the third person, the viewer. The writer of the link then goes on to talk about the style of interview, explaining a "vox-pop style interview" would last long to get information however a more in-depth interview would be more structed so to speak where simple facts are discussed and it's less like a conversation. Finally, the interview should be concluded by "thanking the guest" (interviewee) and if introduced to the audience by talking straight to the camera, the interviewer can end it in the same way by saying goodbye to the viewer or the "silent observer" third person.

From the same website, the writer also talks about composing shots, mentioning "setting the interview in an appropriate location" taking into account the "background features" however this is referring to sort of on location interviews; if I were to film a face to face interview it wouldn't necessarily be on location but could be shot in their "natural surroundings" i.e. in their workplace. The site also states how "lighting can set the mood", giving examples of the different temperatures for an intimate feel or a confrontational approach; also stating the position of framing which can change how the relationship is perceived and for my own interview, I'd want the relationship to come across to the viewer as natural and seem more of a conversation that a confrontational interview.

The site then discusses background which talks about how nothing must be a distraction from the interviewee when speaking or even if the camera is on the interviewer; nothing must distract viewers. The site then explains some of the distractions however as the interview would be in a room of some sort and not on location,  this may not be certainly applicable.
The last section of this page talks about eyelines, explaining how the interviewee and the interviewer's eyes must be level as any difference will definitely be noticeable by the viewer and will make the interview seem awkward and uncomfortable for them watching and can give off "unwanted messages". Eye level can be assured and checked with the help of chairs which can be adjusted and then talks about on location which isn't applicable. Overall, I feel this website provided a lot of useful information which can be used when undertaking a professional style interview.

The next website I looked at was the link below, regarding "how to conduct a good telephone interview". The reason I researched into this style of interview, is due to this being a possibility I may undertake, being a telephone interview it's a lot easier to contact companies and receive quick feedback for myself.


: http://thesocialtester.co.uk/how-to-conduct-a-good-phone-interview/ 

As you can see, the website states in order to have a successful telephone interview you must keep the interview short, meaning you must stick to an allocated time. When undertaking my interview, I would have to stick to an allocated time and try not to ask too many questions nor ask too little; I would need to ensure that the feedback I get is detailed enough to write up but still ensure that the interview doesn't go on too long as this means feedback can lack detail after a while, which is required.

The link then goes on to talk about structure, as this is a very important aspect to ensure everything goes to plan perfectly and is set out ready in order to be successful. The website suggests using a "rough agenda" listing how you must first introduce yourself, then thanking them for their time, and then goes onto suggest other techniques but this won't apply for my interview as this website is for a telephone job interview however with that being said, some of these do apply. So introducing yourself and thanking them for their time is definitely applicable, and then you could give an overview of the questions and then begin, ending the interview giving opportunity like this states "opportunity to ask further questions". Of course, as said all of these won't apply to my task however, some of these are applicable and are applicable for any type of over the phone interview which was worth looking in to. 

This is also very important when conducting an interview, communication. You must ensure that you fully communicate with the person you'll be interviewing to ensure that they have full details in order for them to prepare for the interview; you don't want to receive feedback which is rushed, thought of at the top of someone's head etc. you want feedback which is detailed and accurate in order to receive the response you want and find out what you want to find out.

This may be something which seems natural to do however people can easily forget to do this, but taking "copious notes" is vital as you are highly unlikely to remember the discussion and interview responses so you must take an extensive amount of notes. The website also states perhaps creating a mind map and as you go through the questions you can take notes however this may be too difficult to do whilst going through the questions and may feel rushed, missing vital responses which you may need meaning sticking with a notebook and pen will most of the time be adequate.

This is a very important aspect to take into consideration when conducting a telephone interview as you will have no visuals, as it states you won't be able to physically see the person you're interviewing meaning you can't observe their body language and response to questions and even see whether or not the person is just reading from a list of responses. As the website states, you must compensate for this lack of visual clues meaning you must listen very carefully to make up for this and listen closely to what's being said taking into account some words which may not always convey the true message. The link also states how you must ask further into things which may not seem clear to you, asking the interviewee to clarify on what they mean if not understood properly and this is more applicable to over-the-phone interviews in contrast to face-to-face. The last thing the website states on this particular section is to be sure you use simple words, being clear as possible over the phone and this ensures the questions are fully understood in order to receive the outcome you desire.