How to Write a TV Interview
- 1). Research the interviewee. Thorough research will give the writer a solid pool of information to draw questions from.
- 2). Determine format constraints. The interview may be a five-minute live interview or a taped hour-long discussion. The interviewer may be with other journalists on a panel. In any case, the format and running time will help determine what types of questions to ask. A short live interview must get right to the point, whereas a longer taped interview has time to explore topics.
- 3). Develop a theme for the interview. The theme is characterized by the main content of the interview. What is it that the audience should know from watching this interview? For example, if you are interviewing a scientist who recently made a technological breakthrough, the interview should focus on that research and its implications.
- 4). Develop your main questions. These are the questions you must ask at some point. They can be hard-hitting or essential. Do not worry about order or organization, just get the ideas down.
- 5). Develop a structure for the interview. These are the script notes for the interview. Start to put together a story. Start with the background of the person, use your research to ask questions about where he was to help give the audience a map of how he arrived where is he is now. The main focus of the interview should be on the current work/story associated with the person.
- 6). Add deepening questions. If you can anticipate the responses to some of the questions, then include notes for following up on those responses. Of course the actual wording will vary based on the response, but still you should have a general idea.
- 7). Review the script for the interview. Make changes and edits as necessary. Check how well the questions flow. There should be a natural progression and not an abrupt jump from question to question. For example, "Can you tell us how your academic experience shaped your current work?" should not be followed up with, "Tell us about your recent divorce."
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