When filming a video for a business, more often than not you will be filming someone that represents the company rather than a professional actor. Thus, achieving a succinct and high quality interview can be occasionally difficult. Those unaccustomed to being in front of the camera will often be fidgety and strained in their responses leading to a poor delivery of content and brand image. In this article we'll be looking at a few ways to lessen the effects of nerves on non-professional talent.
There are a few key things to remember when you're conducting an interview that can help your production run more smoothly... Once you have these understood you don't have to follow them precisely - it's possible to conduct an interview without a regimented formula, but it's a good idea to stay within the guidelines. Remember the Chris Stark and Mila Kunis interview that went viral recently? Yes, well... everything about that told us it should have been a terrible terrible interview, yet it actually worked.
Firstly, make your subject comfortable and motivated to talk. To do this, sit down with them beforehand and talk over the content, ask questions, be interested and the subject will be happy to tell you what you want to know. As well as this, it'll also help the subject develop mental furrows with regards to their answers, producing more succinct and natural responses.
If the subject remains nervous, despite all your easing-in methods they still might fidget. If they have fidgety hands then it's usually a good idea to frame a tighter shot on them rather than attempting to repress their urges. Do everything you can to avoid this nervousness though, a casual conversation or run-throughs before the interview starts can make all the difference.
Something you should also consider letting your subject sit where they like. You are the professional and you do know the best composition. But you should try as much as possible to mould your shot around the comfort of your subject - in the end, that's the most vital aspect of the interview. Don't force them to sit out in the middle of an open plan office just because it grants you a nice wide frame (unless they're cool with that) otherwise you're putting more pressure on your subject in front of a larger audience.
Once your subject is completely at ease and your shot is well arranged, a good use of light and minimal makeup will vastly improve the shot, a shiny and dimly lit subject would be a terrible result to the hard work throughout your interview. This is vital, particularly if you're going in for a closeup where every little facial detail is on show.
Lastly, stress the nature of video production, especially the editing. Informing your subject that they can have multiple takes and can take their time when delivering a response can do wonders for their stress. A lot of nerves in front of the camera stems from a lack of understanding about the production process - many subjects believing it all has to be in one take and word perfect.
There are a few key things to remember when you're conducting an interview that can help your production run more smoothly... Once you have these understood you don't have to follow them precisely - it's possible to conduct an interview without a regimented formula, but it's a good idea to stay within the guidelines. Remember the Chris Stark and Mila Kunis interview that went viral recently? Yes, well... everything about that told us it should have been a terrible terrible interview, yet it actually worked.
Firstly, make your subject comfortable and motivated to talk. To do this, sit down with them beforehand and talk over the content, ask questions, be interested and the subject will be happy to tell you what you want to know. As well as this, it'll also help the subject develop mental furrows with regards to their answers, producing more succinct and natural responses.
If the subject remains nervous, despite all your easing-in methods they still might fidget. If they have fidgety hands then it's usually a good idea to frame a tighter shot on them rather than attempting to repress their urges. Do everything you can to avoid this nervousness though, a casual conversation or run-throughs before the interview starts can make all the difference.
Something you should also consider letting your subject sit where they like. You are the professional and you do know the best composition. But you should try as much as possible to mould your shot around the comfort of your subject - in the end, that's the most vital aspect of the interview. Don't force them to sit out in the middle of an open plan office just because it grants you a nice wide frame (unless they're cool with that) otherwise you're putting more pressure on your subject in front of a larger audience.
Once your subject is completely at ease and your shot is well arranged, a good use of light and minimal makeup will vastly improve the shot, a shiny and dimly lit subject would be a terrible result to the hard work throughout your interview. This is vital, particularly if you're going in for a closeup where every little facial detail is on show.
Lastly, stress the nature of video production, especially the editing. Informing your subject that they can have multiple takes and can take their time when delivering a response can do wonders for their stress. A lot of nerves in front of the camera stems from a lack of understanding about the production process - many subjects believing it all has to be in one take and word perfect.
About the Author:
Have a watch of Masters in Public Policy, and Masters in International Relations for two great examples of interview techniques done right.
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