Notes on interviewing on camera
Here are a few things I've learned about interviewing people on camera over the years. Not a definitive take, obviously. More a collection of things that have been useful to me.
Putting people at ease It's better to think about interviews as a conversation rather than an asymmetrical exercise. It's easy to edit the interviewer out of the film. The interviewee doesn't have that luxury. So it's the interviewer's responsibility to put them at ease.
If you have the chance to meet or talk on the phone in advance, that can help. But if not, it's not the end of the world. It takes a while to mic people up, and make sure cameras are in focus. That's an opportunity to break the ice.
One of our team's go-to questions was to ask people what they had for breakfast. When the interview proper starts, asking people who they are and what they do is a friendly way in, even if you don't intend to use it. You can't dispel nerves entirely, but you can make it easier for them to feel comfortable talking.
Smiling goes an awfully long way. (I should do it more generally.) Being open and friendly – being yourself. If you're not someone that naturally goes in for small talk, you can try to put on a small-talk hat.
I make sure I'm not sitting in the interviewer's chair when they come in – feels a bit Mastermind. Be busy with something. Somehow it's easier for them to come into the room before everything feels ready.
If you feel like the interview's lacking energy, you might need to throw in some spontaneous questions. Some of the best answers come in response to off-the-wall or candidly-worded questions.
Keeping feedback/advice to a minimum It's tempting to give the interviewee a dozen tips to keep in mind before the camera rolls. Makes sense – it could save a lot of hassle in the edit.
The problem is, this mainly serves to make the interviewee more nervous. Consequently, they interrupt themselves, preempting criticism and noticing tiny hiccups that viewers wouldn't even notice.
It's helpful for the interviewee to answer in complete sentences so the interviewer doesn't need to appear, slowing the momentum of the film. You might want to mention that, but there are other ways of making it happen. Cultivate the conversation and return to a question or topic again later if you need to.
It's tempting to ask the interviewee to rephrase if they haven't said it quite as you'd like. Often, it doesn't really matter if they've answered the question so long as they say something interesting.
Listening, and being inquisitive Listening is the most important part of interviewing. There are lots of reasons to listen intently to what the other person is saying. They might go off on a useful tangent you hadn't thought of – if so, can you expand on it?
Or they might say something brilliant, but with a phrase or acronym viewers are unlikely to understand. You can just ask them what they mean. Or, if it works for you, overlay some text.
Listen out for the soundbite amidst a longer spiel. You can put people on the spot and ask them to sum up in a few words – but often you can spare them this if you've listened in detail.
Mainly, it's best to listen because the interviewee will probably be able to tell if you're not – not nice for them.
Never interrupting This is the cardinal sin. Interrupting puts people on edge. You want them to talk fluidly. They'll say lots of things you don't need, but they're much more likely to say something magical when they're in full flow.
People naturally summarise. It might seem as though an answer has gone on too long, but by cutting them off you're denying them the chance to wrap up in their own way. They'll do it better if they get there on their own. If needed, something like “That's great. How would you sum that up?” is better than “Let's try that again, only shorter.”
If the interviewee is answering a different question to the one you're asking, let them finish. Again, they might say something useful and unexpected. After, rephrase your question. If the interviewee hasn't understood it, see it as the interviewer's responsibility to fix.
Sometimes they worry about not being able to say the same thing again. Tell them not to. “We can use most of what you said. Saying something different would be great too.”
You'd be surprised about how many things don't ultimately matter. (And in life too, right?) They got the name of a thing wrong? Does it matter? They mispronounced a word. Does it matter? They keep using a phrase you don't like. Does it matter? Some problems are show-stoppers. Most are not.
Sometimes an interviewee will mess up and not realise it. It's fine to do a question again. But blame something else. Did you hear that door slam? I think, yes, there was a car horn in the background. Do you mind if we do that again? People are nice. They don't mind.
Being grateful It's not easy or, frankly, all that pleasant being interviewed, though some people do seem to enjoy it. So be grateful. You might have to interview them again one day.