Shooting an interview

You know how to shoot a location. Now it’s time to shoot an interview.

Again we follow a very simple set of rules.

The contributor should ideally be to the left or right of frame — looking into the shot. See below. Notice how the rule of thirds plays in here.

Don’t shoot everybody on the same side of the frame. Alternate.
The background should be interesting but not distracting. Avoid windows and try not to shoot right up against walls.
Leave some headroom and some shoulder room.
Make sure they’re looking at you, not at the camera.

This short clip with Iolo was shot on an iPhone.

Social Distancing makes things more challenging. You can’t get too close to the contributor (you need to be two metres away) so that means you will need to be somewhere quiet to be able to hear them. You may also need to film outdoors.

If you’re filming on a mobile, the shot will probably end up being a little wider than you might like. You can try using the zoom on the phone to tighten, but if it’s handheld it will shake a lot more.

Activity: Shoot an interview and find a good twenty second soundbite.

This contributor is on the left of frame looking to the right. He’s looking into the frame.

In this shot the contributor is on the left of frame looking out of the frame. Can you see that the shot looks odd?

In this shot the reporter is standing too far from the camera, so the contributor is in profile.

https://videopress.com/v/mhZNi4wQ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

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