How to Carry Out an on Camera Interview
- 1). Classify your interview. Are you interviewing a celebrity? A major political figure or even a head of state? A college professor? A group of frat boys at a bar? It is easier to conduct an on-camera interview and set the right mood if you know who you are dealing with ahead of time.
- 2). Prepare a list of questions to ask your interviewee. Celebrities are going to be more reluctant to answer personal, political or otherwise loaded or controversial questions than, say, a random person you pulled out of the supermarket parking lot to interview about rising food prices.
- 3). Tell your interviewee what you are going to talk about before the cameras roll. This will make the person feel more comfortable and less prone to being defensive, which can kill the mood of an interview very quickly. Do not disclose the exact questions you plan on asking. Just give a brief summary of what you want to discuss.
- 4). Have your cameraman and sound man test the lighting and sound or test it yourself if you are using your own camera and a tripod. This will help avoid any glitches during the actual interview. Apologize to your subject ahead of time if it appears the process will likely take more than 5 minutes.
- 5). Apply a little bit of make-up to the interviewee's face to avoid having it shine during the interview.
- 6). Start recording the interview and let the interviewee know the camera is rolling. You will want to sit on a chair opposite the interviewee and a little to the right or left side and have him look at you when he is being recorded. The subject should not be looking at the camera during an interview.
- 7). Have the interviewee repeat his last sentence if he was interrupted mid-sentence for whatever reason, or if he stumbles on his words. This is to ensure you record subjects speaking in complete sentences so that it is easier to edit for a broadcast report or video package.
- 8). Record the interviewee in both long and wide camera shots.
- 9). Use as many of the questions on your list as time permits, but try especially to make the interview much more casual and comfortable by also asking questions you come up with on the spot, in response to the subject's answers.
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