Creating an intriguing interview video can be a challenge for even a seasoned professional filmmaker. Thankfully, this video from Parker Walbeck and www.FullTimeFilmMaker.com breaks down the process of filming an interview into seven steps to help you manage any on-set worries and improve the quality of the footage you create.

Here are the seven steps from Parker’s video, condensed to give a brief overview the excellent content that this and the accompanying blog post provide.

  1. Location – The two things to consider when picking your location are 1) Lighting and 2) Composition, so that you can get the best looking shot possible.
  2. Composition – Once you have your subject positioned properly, the next step is to compose the shot so it looks great in-camera.
  3. Lighting – Once you’ve got your scene and your positioning nailed down, then it’s time to start adding and/or subtracting light to ensure your subject matter “pops.”
  4. Audio – “George Lucas said that ‘Audio is half of the viewing experience.’ Don’t take audio lightly! No matter how professional your image looks, if your audio is echoey or distorted, your whole production feels amateur.” Make sure to have the right people and tools to capture the audio correctly to ensure a quality production.
  5. Camera Settings – Typically, you want your shutter speed to be double your frames per second (FPS), but in a situation with minimal movement, you can can increase your shutter speed to compensate for having a low aperture instead of messing with ND filters. You’ll also want to ensure that your settings and picture profiles are matched across all cameras in a multi-shot setup.
  6. Slider Settings – Sliders aren’t necessary, but having them and putting to good use will add a definite cinematic movement and feel to your production, taking your interview to the next level. Your speed of movement should match the intensity of the interview.
  7. Interviewing Process – Once you have everything set up and your cameras are rolling, there are a few things to remember to keep a smooth interview process:
    1. Sync Your Video and Audio – Use a slate or have someone clap to help sync the audio and video in post.
    2. Listen – The best questions often come from listening to the responses of the interviewee and asking questions based off of their responses. Make it more of a conversation by keeping eye contact and making them feel less intimidated by the cameras and lights.
    3. Don’t Fear Silence – Let your interviewee think after asking a question and give them time to respond properly. It’s better to have their BEST answer rather than their quickest.

Check out the video below for all of this in much more detail:

 

For those who mostly shoot still photos, diving into video can be a bit intimidating. These seven steps should help take some of the pressure off for any of you looking to get into filmmaking.

Be sure to check out the rest of Parker’s work and education via the links below and let me know in the comments what you think about this video.

Content shared with permission from the creator. Do not copy or distribute without direct consent from the creator.