How to Shoot Cinematic Interviews | 10 Easy Steps

Summary: 1. Scout location (visually interesting; depth; if possible avoid visual background unrelated to story; leading lines) 2. Camera placement (camera height, position, and perspective to person; framing) 2.5. Camera settings. FPS. For TV, Broadcast, cinema? For YouTube? Shutter speed for optimal motion blur 1/(FPS * 2) 3. Key light (Forward grid fabric for light - no double shadow, spill) 4. Back light (Separate subject from background, create three dimensional image) 5. Background light (Add color? Create contrast? Teal and orange?) 6. Light with practicals (Use set lamps and lights to make shot more interesting; use dimmer to dim practical lights or expose shot using them so they don't ruin lightning setup) 7. Set decoration (Bring set alive - add production elements, stuff related to story; remove distracting stuff; use brightness to guide the eye) 8. Second camera (Subjects don't give perfect answers and responses; Second angle means easier to edit, talent seems more knowledgeable and comfortable; same camera manufacturer means same color science) 9. Audio setup (Don't dip into shot; shotguns generally outdoors; cardioid or hyper indoors; boom pole shadows; point mic not to mouth but chest because of head sloping; room audio echo - sound blankets and good carpet or sound blanket on ground) 10. Talk to subject (Comfortable talent; be quiet at times for cleaner sound bites, give gap to finish. Remind subject to repeat the question in their answer)

Holy crap, this is pure gold. In 20-minutes this video summed up everything I had to learn the hard way since 2012. I made every mistake possible from framing, lighting, talking over my interviewee, etc. This rundown is so incredibly informative to any budding videographer/YouTuber and even has nuggets of wisdom in it for experienced folks like myself. We're never done learning! Yet again, wonderful work, Indy Mogul.

the tip about letting people finish what they are saying is the single best tip I could give for an interviewer. As a photojournalist having to edit a sound bite that you can hear the reporter stepping on is one of the most annoying things during the edit

Great video! To add a couple of things that I find helpful: A) It is great to have a stand in for your talent. That way they are not sitting in the chair while you set everything up. B) Be making your talent comfortable as soon as they arrive. Chat casually and explain things. C) Some makeup helps. She looks shiny. HD powder is pretty neutral. In a pinch, try a coffee filter to wipe down shiny face. D) When your talent is trying to do full statements that are pre-written, have a teleprompter if they can sound and look natural. Otherwise, remind them to complete each chunk of dialogue, even if they flub it. People tend to stop talking when they mess up and they get tense. Finishing their statement every time helps them relax.

This is the best interview "how to" video I've seen. It's very nice to see you cover all aspects of the process rather than just the cinematography.

Try to ask questions which begin with: "WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY OR HOW". The interviewee will then give a full answer. If your question begins with: IS, DID, HAVE, WILL or ARE, the interviewee can answer yes or no.. If they are a willing interviewee they will expand on the YES or NO. Even so there will still be a YES or NO at the beginning of the answer which may make editing a little more awkward if you want to remove the questions from the final film.

Fantastic video. Learned a ton -- fun dynamic between you guys!

I have learned MORE in this single video then I have in the 27 videos I seen on how to shoot interview style. Alright Alright Alright!! Thanks Guys

For the talent's sake, consider using a polarizing filter to kill those unflattering reflections from the key light. You do need to make sure it is not only screwed on your lens but also spun in the position where it's pattern will be most effective in killing the reflections. You then have to compensate the exposure by adding about a stop and a half of light (either by increasing your key light or by bringing it closer, either by bumping up the ISO of the camera). This works like a charm especially if you do not have a make-up artist (although you should still use it in combination with make-up).

Couple suggestions: Find out the interviewee’s height and do setup with a stand in/assistant. When interviewing, make sure you’re at the same height as the interviewee so they’re not looking up or down. Shoot main angle at higher resolution so you can punch in when you cut back to that angle for a tighter framing if you want it. Monitor audio. Record 1 min of room tone. Your editor will thank you.

GREAT VIDEO. Here are few more tips 1. Eliminating the Dreaded "Um" If possible, prepare you subject with the topics or questions a little before hand so that there is little or no "filler speech" - the dreaded “um,” “uh,” “er,” are all filler speeches that can be eliminated to a great degree if the subject knows some of the questions or topics beforehand and are mentally prepared. If you have two cameras, then this issue can be eliminated somewhat in post production. 2. Control the speed of to talking If the subject tends to talk fast - you really cannot tell the individual to slow down. However, you'll notice if you talk slowly - the subject will tend to slow down too. Subconsciously they will try and imitate your speed of thinking. 3. Maintain eye contact Maintain eye contact with your subject. Never let your subject look down for too long (your audience will check out). If you should want to get some more emotion out of your subject, maintain eye contact and be expressive (smile, frown or if its an emotion piece, you'll have to feel free to feel that emotion and....get misty eyed or whatever it takes to remove inhibitions from the subject). 4. Shoot to edit "Shoot to edit" - which means, before you even arrive for your project - know what it entails to make this shoot great! Once you have that plan in your head - you'll keep an eye out for the various pieces of the puzzle that you'll need (audio bites, B Rolls etc) and as you are talking to your subject, make sure to cover all of that in the interview session. Cheers!

The hardest thing is making the interviewee comfortable on camera. Most people are not used to it, and get very nervous and end up looking at the lens, at the camera person etc. I always remind them to smile way more than usual since low energy comes across very badly on camera.

Thanks a lot! This video was soooo helpful and well done!

Wow that quick tip about mic being pointed at the chest and not the mouth is really great!! Thanks for the info!

this is the kind of contents I like most: informative and straight to the point, no 'cabaret' and yelling like a Fortnite player. Nice job!

One of the best A to Z "Interview set-up" Tutorials. BRAVO

This is such a comprehensive guide for interview filming - great tips!!! 😘

Probably also a good idea to have translucent powder and some makeup sponges handy. People on camera tend to sweat and that leads to shine and that never looks good in an interview. Some translucent powder goes on clear and blends with just about any skin tone.

im a intermediate shooting guy, and most of the time, whenever i have to prepare a shooting, i always search on youtube and find ur vidoes, this channel have help me through from shooting indoor outdoor shooting, product shooting, interview brarara to editing...etc, not only it gives out tons of tips, but mainly, it gives me confident to be ready to shoot. Thank you or your team so much !

It's crazy, man... in just a single video I got what I miss so far. Thank you very much indeed.