Amy DeLouise speaks about how to prepare for and conduct great video interviews. Presented to the Interagency Visual Media Group, October 2015. #Video. #Interviews.

1. THE ART OF
A GREAT INTERVIEW
@brandbuzz at IVMG 2015
#IVMG15

2. What a Great Interview Can Do
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 Give a “window” into the main issue or theme of your
story.
 Serve as the narrator so you don’t need one.
 Create an emotional connection for viewer.

3. Today
How can we …
 Be more effective storytellers?
 Make the best use of technology
and budget?
 Overcome obstacles on location?
 Create a story arc through an
interview?
 Solve problems on location that
translate into better edits?
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4. Amy DeLouise
 Commercials, Features, Documentaries
 Production Co. Executive
 Writer/Producer/Author/Speaker
 Brand Strategy Meets Digital Story
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5. Getting in Touch with Amy
 www.twitter.com/brandbuzz
 www.linked.com/in/amydelouise
 www.plus.google.com/+AmyDeLouise
 www.vimeo.com/amydelouise
 www.amydelouise.com (Amy’s Brand Buzz Blog)
 Lynda.com
 http://bit.ly/ArtofInterview
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6. Research Tells Us…
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 When we connect with other people on screen, we
develop “Narrative Transportation”
 Empathy
 Proximity to content
 Identification with characters
 Emotions experienced
 Our brain chemistry even changes when we are
engaged with characters in a strong narrative!

7. Keys to Interview Pre-Production
PLANNING THE ROAD AHEAD7

8. What role will interviews play in your story?
How can you connect audience to characters and settings?
What is the story arc and how can you build it?
What are the best technical tools, given characters, location,
timeline and budget?
Define Your Story Goals8

9. Get to Know Your Subject
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 Conduct a pre-interview by phone if possible
 Make a recording, with permission
 Gives you a personal connection before on-set
 Phone actually better than in person

10. Get to Know Your Subject
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 Use multiple background sources
 Talk to validators
 Read articles, blogs, book summaries
 Know stories he/she is likely to tell
 Learn views, biases, concerns
 Gatekeepers

11. Know Your Location
 Setting is a character
in your story
 Sets tone, supports theme,
defines characters
 Contributes to or
degrades emotional
impact
 Create the most
comfortable environment
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12. Location Scouting Tips
 If you can’t scout, use
tools
 Websites
 Flickr
 Google Map street view
 OpenStreetMap
 Foursquare
 LightTrac
 Plan ahead for
obstacles
 Sirens, busy times of day,
internal noise issues—that
can distract
 Parking, load-in, staging
area for gear
 Location permits and
permissions
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13. Plan for Releases
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 Location Releases
 Appearance Releases
 https://asmp.org/tutorials/frequently-asked-questions-about-
releases.html
 Be careful about
 Copyrighted buildings, sculptures, artwork
 Logos on T-shirts, soda cans, computers
 Fair Use for Filmmakers
 http://www.cmsimpact.org/fair-use/best-practices/documentary-
filmmakers-statement-best-practices-fair-use

14. Consider Camera and Lighting Options
Plan Ahead for Challenging Setups
Define Your Look14

15. Enhance the Personal
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16. Camera Considerations
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 One vs. Two Camera Setups
 Consider primary camera in motion (Dana or Wally
Dolly)
 Keep gear and personnel out of sight lines
 Create less distance from interviewer to interviewee

17. 2nd Camera Options
 Positioning
 Sliders
 Parabolic
 Manual
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18. Lighting Considerations
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 Key Light
 Natural, sourced or mixed?
 Lighting Options
 LED Panels
 Genaray Bi-colors
 Nila
 Kino Flos
 3200 and 5500k tubes
 Divas
 Tungsten and Daylight lamps

19. Plan for Challenging Setups
 Noisy/busy office
 Hospitals
 Exteriors
 Busy Leader
 See the noise
 Small camera body;
Rolling bins for gear
 Establishing shots
 “Walk and talk”
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Obstacles Solutions

20. Questions and Research
Preparing Your Subject
Preparing for Your Interview20

21. Preparing for the Interview
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 Think like a lawyer
 Don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to
 Memorize your questions, but be flexible to follow a
new path.
 Use themes and know how they will intercut in
advance.

22. Prepping Your Subject
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 Don’t send them every question
 Offer general themes and topics
 “Think of examples about…”

23. What Not to Wear
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 Send in writing
 Include time for shaving for men, and hair and
makeup requirements for women
 Ask them to bring multiple options
 Follow up 24-36 hrs before shoot
 Define “not green” explicitly if doing green-screen

24. Strategies for Better Storytelling
ON LOCATION24

25. Framing Your Shot
 Interviewer in or out?
 What’s in the background?
 How does it inform the
story?
 Will you be using primes?
 Will you have time to swap
lenses? Will it interrupt the
flow? Or is it purposeful?
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26. Build Rapport
 Pre-interview chat
 Introduce crew
 Makeup artist can
break the ice —or that
might be you!
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27. Make a Human Connection
 Don’t break eye line—
even in audio interviews
 Confidence-building
 “It’s a conversation”
 Smile!
 Show you’ve spent the
time to learn about them.
 Make reference to a
speech or book.
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28. Questions to Build a Story Arc
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 Preamble
 Your first questions are throw-aways, confidence-builders
 This is not really the open for your show
 Open
 Some piece of the climax that will grab the viewer and pull
them into the story, but not give it away
 Often it is the underlying reason the person cares
 Short versions for montages or social media use
 Ask “how” “why” and examples questions

29. Questions to Build a Story Arc
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 Climax
 Elicit Key Story or Challenge Overcome at mid point
 Ask “how” “why” and examples questions
 Impact / Resolution of Conflict / Call to Action
 Get big-picture answers/Thematic
 Elicit a call to action if relevant (better than using text or a
narrator)

30. Questions to Build a Story Arc
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 Conclusion
 The conclusion of the interview should be a high point, but it may not
be your ending in terms of the edit
 Build in a satisfying end to your conversation for interviewee
 Opportunity to continue relationship
 Wrap Up
 Give opportunity to share anything additional
 Don’t start throwing in new questions
 “What’s the ONE THING”…?

31. More on Story Arc
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 FREE RESOURCE http://www.lynda.com/Video-
Shooting-Video-tutorials/Creating-story-arc-your-
questions/141499/155890-4.html

32. Going “Off Script”
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 Follow your story
 Tips for getting back to the main point
 Only lead where you are prepared to follow
 Recovering from a difficult moment

33. Minimize Narration
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 Include my question in your answer
 Give an example: “If I say what’s your favorite color, don’t just say blue.
Say blue is my favorite color.”
 Get “Room Tone”
 More than once in a long interview
 You can only notch filter if you can isolate the noise WITHOUT interview
 Edit in Your Head
 How the sentence will cut—does it have a subject?
 Did they mess up—clear their throat on a critical word?

34. Avoid “Can You Repeat That?”
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 Try body language first
 Or a quick gesture
 Or a “sorry, I didn’t…”
 If you must ask them to repeat, ask another way
 Avoid “as I said before”
 Get them to use your words
 “Can you tell me why this is a bold new program?”

35. Techniques for Getting Better Answers
WHAT KIND OF LEARNER?35

36. Quick Take
 Visual – up
 Auditory - side
 Kinesthetic –down/right

37. So What?
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 Visual – needs to visualize; may want to see
your questions first
 Auditory – conceptualizes; good storytellers
 Kinesthetic –learns by doing; may need to
describe process

38. Couples, Children, Experts, Foreign Language, Fast Interviews
CHALLENGING INTERVIEWS38

39. Experts and VIPs
 Really know their work
 Writings
 Lectures
 Give big-picture project goals
 Encourage storytelling
 They may want to give a thesis
 Ask “for laypeople…”
 Be prepared for them to be distracted
 Know the Handlers
 Give them a place to sit out of
eye line
 Give them an opportunity to talk
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40. English as a Second Language
 Seated best
 Q&A format may not work
 Offer more background on Q
 Ask for a story
 Get clarifications, definitions
 Be Prepared to Wait
 Example: Johnny M.

41. The Elderly
 Interview Seated
 Home/office/familiar turf best
 Consider interview structure
 Subject may tire – get best content up front
 Put stories into historical context
 Something your subject may uniquely do
 Great for new FB timeline feature

42. Couples
 Get to know their style
together
 Prep them on which
order
 Prep DP on camera
moves

43. The Very Young
 Avoid Yes, No Answers
 Encourage storytelling
 Ask “how,” “why” and feelings questions
 Get declarative descriptors to edit into overly short
answers
 Interview standing up
 Try to avoid parents cueing (speak with them before-
hand)

44. Limited Time Interviews
 Build rapport during Q&A
 More like a conversation
 Memorize your questions
 No more than 4, and #3 is the most impt
 Keep as many handlers out of the room as possible!

45. WRAPPING UP: FINAL THOUGHTS45

46. THANK YOU!
THE ART OF
A GREAT INTERVIEW
@brandbuzz
More from Amy on Lynda.com:
http://bit.ly/ArtofInterview
#IVMG15