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LESSON 125

Shooting interviews

Eyeline, framing and the questions.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. The form
  2. Framing and eyeline
  3. Coverage with one or two cameras
  4. Sound and questions
  5. Practice: a calm set

The form

A journalistic interview is a conversation in which one person asks questions to draw out facts or views from another. It is one of the main ways reporters gather information and present opinions to readers and viewers. The question-and-answer interview in journalism dates back to the 1850s. On camera, the interview is the spine of documentaries, news features and corporate films, and it brings two jobs together: getting a good conversation and recording it cleanly in picture and sound. Both depend on preparation.

Framing and eyeline

This is working practice, built on the shot sizes in this school. Most interviews are framed as a medium close-up or close-up, with the subject placed slightly to one side and looking across the larger space in the frame toward the interviewer, who sits just beside the lens. That gives an eyeline close to the camera without staring into it. Looking straight into the lens works for presenters and some testimonies, but it feels direct and must be a decision. Keep eye level at or slightly above the lens height.

Coverage with one or two cameras

With two cameras, a wider shot and a tighter shot on the same side of the line give the editor freedom to cut out pauses and mistakes; they must be synchronised with timecode or a clap. With one camera, change shot size between questions, never during an answer, for the same reason. The 30-degree guideline from continuity editing applies: a change of size or angle too small looks like a jump. Plan B-roll of the subject's world to cover cuts.

Sound and questions

A lavalier microphone clipped to the subject's clothing is the usual choice, because it leaves the hands free and stays close to the mouth; a boom or a second microphone gives a backup. Record room tone afterwards. For the questions, this is working practice: ask open questions that cannot be answered yes or no, ask the subject to include the question in the answer if the interviewer will be cut out, stay silent after an answer to let more come, and do not talk over the end of their sentences.

Practice: a calm set

This is working practice. Set up before the subject arrives, so they walk into a finished room. Chat a little before recording. Keep the crew small and quiet. Offer water. Start with an easy question and keep the difficult ones for later. Let the subject see the frame on the monitor if it helps them relax, and tell them it is fine to stop and start an answer again. Thank them at the end and record a few seconds of them listening, which the editor can use for reaction shots. Finally, check the files and the sound before the subject leaves, in case a short pick-up is needed.

Try it today

  1. 01Set up a medium close-up with the subject looking across frame.
  2. 02Clip a lavalier and record room tone.
  3. 03Ask five open questions and stay silent after each answer.
  4. 04Change shot size only between questions.
  5. 05Cut the best two minutes and note which pauses you removed.