Being Confident in Giving Your Interviewee the Mic

The last thing a director wants their video to be is predictable. This doesn’t necessarily mean a production should completely shock the audience, but it should be kept interesting and organic enough to keep their attention throughout the entire video. This can be achieved by following some tricks and strategies that some of the greatest video production artists from Utah to the East Coast have executed in their work. 

It’s important to keep in mind that in a video production such as a documentary, the main focus should be the interviewee. Good responses from interviewees oftentimes result in good stories. 

Making sure the interviewee is comfortable as early as possible is imperative. The more comfortable the interviewee is, the easier they will open up. A great way to do this is to start having a casual conversation with the interviewee before the actual interview. A casual conversation might go something like this:

“So, tell me, where did you grow up?”

“I grew up in Utah!”

“Interesting, I have family from there!” 

Establishing a connection and finding something that the producer and interviewee have in common is a great way to break the ice and make the video production environment more comfortable. 

Being prepared with specific questions to ask the interviewee is obviously a must. While it’s OK to ask unplanned questions that may come up (which can make conversation more natural and elicit better answers from the interviewee), having questions prepared ahead of time is always a wise strategy. 

Again, the production is focused on the interviewee, so the interviewer or producer should let the interviewee do the majority of the talking. If the interviewee is talking about how he or she grew up in Utah, the interviewer should not go on telling stories about their family who grew up in the same place while filming. 

One of the best tools an interviewer can use is their attitude. When an interviewer sounds authentically excited and happy about their questions, the better chance there is of the interviewee giving rich and detailed answers. It’s part of human nature that most people love to talk about themselves when they get the chance. Taking advantage of this can be very beneficial to the interviewing process.

Keeping these tips and tricks in mind while conducting interviews will give producers in Utah and across the nation a greater chance of a successful interview and a great video production.

Jordan Lee writes for Fusion 360, an advertising agency in Utah. She writes for many other clients as well.