THE ART OF

A GREAT INTERVIEW @brandbuzz at IVMG 2015

#IVMG15

What a Great Interview Can Do 2

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.

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?

3

Amy DeLouise

Commercials, Features, Documentaries

Production Co. Executive

Writer/Producer/Author/Speaker

Brand Strategy Meets Digital Story

4

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

5

Research Tells Us… 6

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!

Keys to Interview Pre-Production

PLANNING THE ROAD AHEAD 7

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 Goals 8

Get to Know Your Subject 9

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

Get to Know Your Subject 10

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

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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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

12

Plan for Releases 13

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

Consider Camera and Lighting Options

Plan Ahead for Challenging Setups

Define Your Look 14

Enhance the Personal 15

Camera Considerations 16

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

2nd Camera Options

Positioning

Sliders

Parabolic

Manual

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Lighting Considerations 18

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

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”

19

Obstacles Solutions

Questions and Research

Preparing Your Subject

Preparing for Your Interview 20

Preparing for the Interview 21

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.

Prepping Your Subject 22

Don’t send them every question

Offer general themes and topics

“Think of examples about…”

What Not to Wear 23

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

Strategies for Better Storytelling

ON LOCATION 24

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?

25

Build Rapport

Pre-interview chat

Introduce crew

Makeup artist can

break the ice —or that

might be you!

26

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.

27

Questions to Build a Story Arc 28

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

Questions to Build a Story Arc 29

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)

Questions to Build a Story Arc 30

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”…?

More on Story Arc 31

FREE RESOURCE http://www.lynda.com/Video-

Shooting-Video-tutorials/Creating-story-arc-your-

questions/141499/155890-4.html

Going “Off Script” 32

Follow your story

Tips for getting back to the main point

Only lead where you are prepared to follow

Recovering from a difficult moment

Minimize Narration 33

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?

Avoid “Can You Repeat That?” 34

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?”

Techniques for Getting Better Answers

WHAT KIND OF LEARNER? 35

Quick Take

Visual – up

Auditory - side

Kinesthetic –down/right

So What? 37

Visual – needs to visualize; may want to see

your questions first

Auditory – conceptualizes; good storytellers

Kinesthetic –learns by doing; may need to

describe process

Couples, Children, Experts, Foreign Language, Fast Interviews

CHALLENGING INTERVIEWS 38

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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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.

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

Couples

Get to know their style

together

Prep them on which

order

Prep DP on camera

moves

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)

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!

WRAPPING UP: FINAL THOUGHTS 45

THANK YOU! THE ART OF

A GREAT INTERVIEW @brandbuzz

More from Amy on Lynda.com: http://bit.ly/ArtofInterview

#IVMG15