Conduct interviews

If you choose to do an interview you can capture your interviewee's story in whatever way you want – you can film them, make an audio recording of their story, or write notes to turn into text or a voiceover. Be sure to read through the filming tips below for advice about using a camera to record an interview.

TIP: Remember, even if you only want to have audio in your final digital history, you can still use a camera to capture the interview and just use the audio part of it.

TIP: Don’t have access to a camera? Don’t worry! You can use a smart phone or a tablet to film your interview. Just make sure you prop them up steady so it doesn’t move around during the interview.

Setting up your camera

• Choose a quiet space, ideally with natural light and a background without distractions. This doesn’t mean you need to have a blank wall behind your interviewee – an interesting background can add to the story.
• When filming your interviewee, put the camera at eye level and get in close. Move the camera closer to the subject and avoid using the zoom. If you’re not familiar with shot sizes and movement you might want to check out Lesson Bucket’s cinematography guide.
• Follow the rule of thirds and place your interviewee in the left or right third of the frame rather than in the middle.
• Avoid horizontal lines if you can. For example, if there are horizontal blinds, don’t use them as a backdrop.
• Use a tripod to keep the camera steady.

Lighting

• Position your interviewee so there is ample lighting on their face without it being too harsh.
• The ideal lighting setup is to have natural light coming from the side.
• Avoid backlighting. For example, setting up so sunlight through a window is behind the subject as this will create a silhouette and you won’t be able to clearly see the subject’s face.
• Avoid front lighting, which will shine in the subject’s eyes and make them squint.
• Consider using a reflector to bounce light into the person’s face – even a white piece of cardboard will do.

Sound

• Get in close to your interviewee so the camera’s microphone can pick up sounds. Ideally, use an external microphone and hold it just out of frame, or clip a lapel mic onto your subject’s shirt. Be sure clothing doesn’t rustle against the lapel mic and create noise otherwise you won’t get any usable sound.
• Watch this video lesson on capturing clear audio.

 Interview techniques

• Be encouraging and supportive to your interviewee. Some people get nervous before an interview. Brief them before you start and ask them if they have any questions.
• Sit next to the camera as close as you can, and ask your interviewee to look at you rather than at the camera.
• Ask your interviewee open ended questions (those that don’t require yes or no answers) and ask them to incorporate the question in their answer. For example, you might ask, “Can you tell me about when you first arrived in Australia?” and your interviewee can response with a detailed answer. This means when you’re editing your interview you can remove your question so the interviewee is telling their story.
• Try to give silent feedback when interviewing. For example, don’t respond with “that’s interesting” when your interviewee says something. Instead just nod your head and use facial expressions to respond.

TIP: Check your equipment to ensure everything is working before you go to the interview. Make sure you have the necessary batteries, power cords and memory cards, etc.

TIP: Learn to make better videos with these lessons and tutorials from Vimeo Video School.