1. Project 2 ‘Getting on the ladder’ Week 2: 9th of January 2017
Skills workshops:
Problems and solutions
Filming and editing: ‘Interviewing techniques’
Topic: Do you remember

2. Evidence for: Unit 5 LO1. 1 and LO 2. 2 Evidence for: Unit 6 LO1
Evidence for: Unit 5 LO1.1 and LO 2.2 Evidence for: Unit 6 LO1.1 and LO2.2
Interviews are at the hart of almost every factual program. Get the interview right, and the program will be interesting, informative and entertaining. This means been very well prepared and organized.

3. Key interview techniques:  
Preparation:
Find out as much as possible about your contributor.
Prepare your questions in advance.
Sort out your locations in advance.
Do your recce
Prepare what you are going to do.
Think of what pictures you are likely to need as cutaways

4. Ask open questions:
Open questions are any questions that give more than a yes- or – no answers. A question that begins with on of the six W words is an open question:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

5. For example:
When did you first …..
When you look back……………….
Where were you ……
Why did you choose ….
What was it like ………..
What where the advantages of ………….
How did you feel ………….

6. Shooting the interview
Setting up:
Contributor: Sit or stand the contributor in the location where you want to do the interview. Runt through the questions.
Tripod: Interviews always look better filmed with the camera mounted on a tripod rather than hand –held. Make sure the camera is level, not looking down or up at the contributor.
Eyeline: Set up the interviewer’s chair as close as possible to the tripod and the camera lens. Make sure the interviewer’s eyeline is at exactly the same height as the camera lens, and at the eyeline of the contributor.

7. White balance: Always do the white balance in the exact location of the interview.
Test the microphone: Always do the sound check to make sure the microphone works.  
Focus: Focus on the eyes, not on the nose or mouth.
The viewfinder: Always check the position of the subject through the viewfinder. Look around the edges of the frame. Make sure there is not part of the background apparently sticking out of the interviewer’s head.

8. Shot size matters:
Standard shot sizes for an interview are: MS,MCU, CU
Medium shot: keep the same shot size between interviewer and interviewee

9. Cutaways:
Cutaways are shots / pictures that you can cut to during an interview so that the interview is not just one long talking head. Cutaway gives you the ability in editing to cut away from the contributor at the point where you want to edit for content. They are preferably shots of what the contributor is talking about. For examples if you are interviewing cook shoot footage of cook working in the kitchen.

10. Important: Yes, do have prepared questions but be ready to adapt and move the story forward by asking supplementary questions, which arise from the interview.
It is always best to tell people what you are going to ask them so that they do not panic and prepare themselves for answers.
Be a good listener: It will help you concentrate on listening to answers if you look at the contributor all the time, and nod or smile occasionally.

11. Presenter out of vision:
When you shoot the interview you will need to shoot ‘noddies’ and reverse questions with presenter.  
Noddies: are silent shots of the presenter nodding or just slightly moving his or her head or even just looking thoughtful. They are used in the edit as cutaways. You will see those in news and current affairs programs.

12. Reverse questions:  
Those are shots of presenter asking exact the same questions as if to the contributor. They work as cutaways, and as a way of changing the subject or moving on to another topic.
The presenter must look to camera the opposite way to the interview. If the contributor is looking to camera right, then the presenter must look to camera left. Try and match the shot size as well.

13. Lighting and sound for interview:
Don’t sit your interviewee in front of a bright window or white wall. If you do you will get a very dark under lit face.
Don’t sit your interviewee with his or her back directly against the wall. Move the subject at least meter from the background.
Do the white balance after your have set up the lights, not before. By pressing the white balance button, the camera will automatically adjust for the colors and the amount of light it requires for that particular location.

14.  Check that microphone is working. Do sound test prior to interview.  
Make sure that the sound level is consistent throughout the interview. Check your sound recording straight after the interview.  
If you are using stick microphone move it between interviewee and interviewer. Keep it at distance of around 30centimetars away from the mouth. Point the microphone directly at the mouth not the chin.
Use headphones for sound monitoring.

15. Wrap:  
Don’t cut the filming straight after the last word leave camera rolling for a few seconds and then say ‘it is a wrap’. Also think is there anything else that you can think of that can be asked or filmed to add to your project.  
GOOD LUCK

16. Examples: Interview two people with one camera
Interview two people with one camera students work:
/01/19/shooting-two-people-interview-with-one-camera/
/shooting-two-people-interview-with-one-camera/
Sink sound tips:

17. Task:
You will work in groups to plan, film and than individually edit an interview with two people and one camera.
You need to take into consideration all technical elements mentioned in previous slides when you plan and film your interview.
Don’t forget to keep your questions open, but within the subject matter.