As a video and film director, a significant portion of my projects include unscripted interviews. Documentaries, testimonials, corporate videos, promotional ads— all of these lean on interviews to craft the narrative. While each project requires its own approach to interviews, I follow a number of soft rules I’ve established in my career that guide my style of interviewing.
Before the Interview
1. Establish a few clear goals for the interview upfront.
There’s a Werner Herzog quote from his Masterclass series that has stuck with me and informs much of my filmmaking:
“We are not garbage collectors. We are filmmakers.”
Going into an interview, I identify some broad goals for the vision of the project. For example, I might consider if the interview will be more information-heavy and journalistic or if I can allow myself to loosen up and explore emotional truths and personal narratives. From there, I’ll weigh how the interviewee fits into the entire project’s narrative as a character. Do we see them as the main character telling their own story? Are they acting as an authority on a topic or issue? Or are they a side character that can add charm and bring context to the main narrative? I use questions like these to draft an initial list of topics I’d like to cover in the interview and how they can support the structure of the film or video.
However, all of this initial prep should be about exploring possibilities. I don’t want to predetermine a narrative or close myself off to someone’s story because of how I think it should go. With that in mind—
2. Prepare enough that you feel comfortable throwing it all out of the window.
Early on in my career, I found it natural to have a list of a half dozen questions that I knew I had to ask. I’d bring a paper list to the interview, fully intending to ask those exact questions along with a few follow-ups as needed. Today, I seldom use this exact approach.
While I’ll still draft a list of questions, I’ll rarely look at them during the interview if I’ve done enough prep work. This prep always includes reading and research on the interview topics, but may also include a short conversation with the interviewee before the interview. This pre-interview is only enough to establish a relationship and identify a few core topics for the main project.
This pre-interview should steer away from being an in-depth conversation— if the interviewee reveals too much before the interview, there’s a significant chance they won’t go into as much detail when it’s time to film— because they’ll assume you, the interviewer, already know the context for their answers.
If I’ve prepared enough for the interview, I can be completely present on the day of shooting. I feel confident exploring other questions and following the conversation naturally since I can always fall back on my prep work if the conversation starts to wander. In this way, bringing a list of questions becomes more of a safety blanket than an active tool– it makes it obvious to the interviewee that I’m prepared and I value their time and story, but it never becomes a cumbersome, cold checklist either.
3. Talk the interviewee out of bringing their own notes.
In the hundreds of interviews I’ve filmed, conducted, or edited, I can only recall a handful of interview subjects using notes effectively during an interview. An interview subject will often ask to use notes if they are nervous about what they need to say on camera. Sometimes, they’ll even rehearse scripted responses. This scripted, nervous energy can ruin an interview. With written notes, the interviewee will likely stumble as they try to recall the exact sentences and phrasing they’ve prepared. Even if they don’t completely lean on their notes, they’ll likely glance towards them during the interview, making their responses come off as canned, phony, or uncertain.
So, if an interviewee asks if they can bring notes I’ll gently attempt to talk them out of it. I’ve rarely had pushback after explaining how notes can negatively affect the interview.
4. Create a welcoming atmosphere and build trust.
Most people I interview have little or no experience being in front of a camera. After adding in lights, microphones, and a few crew members, the production can quickly become overwhelming for some interviewees. In these cases, it is vital to show them that you’re both a confident professional and a trustworthy guardian of their story.
A few simple tips to show respect and build trust include:
- Have water and snacks readily available. If you do bring food, always ask for dietary restrictions and food allergies before the day of the shoot.
- If appropriate for the production, offer to shoot the interview in a comfortable place, such as their home or office.
- Make the space as physically pleasant as possible. If you can help it, ensure that the temperature of the room isn’t too warm or cold. Have an interview chair that is comfortable. Consider the brightness of your key light and the discomfort that might cause. Plan to have a clear path into and out of the interview chair, free of light stands, electrical cords, and camera equipment.
- Take them aside privately—or in the days leading up to the interview—if you plan to cover a sensitive subject so they aren’t caught off guard.
- Reduce the number of onlookers watching the interview take place. Depending on the shoot, this might mean asking the interviewee’s colleagues, coworkers, or family members to leave the room. If this is a corporate shoot, it might mean gently asking the company’s communications director to leave the room, too. It might also mean asking a few crew members to leave the set or hide out of view.
- Reaffirm to the interviewee that you are here to make them look good and capture their story as they wish to tell it. Clearly stating this shows that you’re looking after the person in the interview chair.
- Generally, the more you can make the “production” disappear and instead create the atmosphere of a conversation, the more likely you’ll get relaxed, honest responses from the interviewee.
5. Be transparent about the cumbersome process of interviewing on video.
Filming an interview for film and video often requires more verbal polish than the interviewee may be used to. I’m upfront about these considerations right away. For example, I’ll explain that I might ask a question more than once if there’s unexpected background noise. I’ll establish times for a break if a session will be particularly long or if the camera crew needs to pause for a media card or battery change.
I’ll also mention that it is best to repeat the question as a statement, for example:
Q: “Why do you love your job?”
A: “I really love my job because…”
The more the interviewee knows about the nuts and bolts of how the process works, the more they’ll be put at ease since they’ll know what to expect. The more at ease they are, the more likely they’ll give honest, insightful, and revealing answers.
As film and video professionals, it is part of our job to have generalist knowledge about many, many things, but we can’t know about the minutiae of pasta manufacturing, venture capital, raising livestock, or the many other highly-specific topics we might be tasked to cover in video projects. So, when appropriate, I’ll also let the interviewee know that I’m not an expert in what we’re about to talk about, even though I’ve done some research. I find this important for two main reasons. First, the interviewee gets a certain level of power and authority in the interview— they’ll know they know more, and in turn they’ll often answer questions more confidently. Second, the interviewees will tend to craft their answers in a way that is more accessible to the average viewer. If the interviewee sees me as too well-researched in their area of expertise, they might skip over crucial introductory elements of their answers, making them too high-level and specific for the general audience. Of course, this advice will vary depending on the specifics of the project, but it is worth considering prior to the interview.
During the Interview
1. Recognize How Your Presence Affects the Interview
Even if you aren’t on camera, your presence in the room affects the interview. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen many interviewers forget some basics about this. While the interviewee is talking, make sure you maintain eye contact as much as possible, resisting the urge to flip through your notes or glance over at a camera monitor. Give silent, non-verbal cues to respond to what the interviewee is saying, like nods of agreement, leaning in, or smiling. The more you can communicate genuine interest in their answers, the more likely they’ll be willing to open up and share.
2. Begin with simple, approachable questions.
I always begin with easy questions that are still pertinent to the project.
For example, if I was interviewing a violinist, some interview prompts might include:
“Please introduce yourself and tell me what it is you do.”
“Could you tell me about your first experiences playing music?”
“When did you first join the symphony, and why have you stayed?”
These types of questions introduce the interviewee to the process of answering questions in front of a camera. If they are nervous, these easy questions should increase their confidence and also give a natural base on which to build a conversation.
However, I do avoid asking superficial questions that aren’t related to the project. I’ve sometimes seen this technique employed to loosen up an interviewee, but it can lead to confusion. If I asked the same violinist about their favorite basketball team or flavor of ice cream, it might loosen up the interviewee, but more than likely it will confuse them and increase any anxiety they might be facing.
3. Ask questions that allow the subject to answer with stories.
In an ideal interview, the subject gives detailed, passionate answers to the questions asked without additional prompting. However, many people new to being interviewed on camera tend to clam up and give brief, direct answers to questions. To get more out of the interview, I’ll ask questions that begin with phrases such as:
“Tell me the story of when…”
“Set the stage for us…”
“Could you walk me through…”
“What thoughts were going through your mind…”
Questions such as these encourage the subject to respond in a narrative-rich way with details, characters, and settings. And, when you ask follow-up questions, it will show genuine interest in their life and the narratives they’ve created for themselves. This again builds trust and often opens the door for rich answers.
4. Listen! Stay in the moment and remain curious.
This is where the benefit of doing adequate prep work can significantly pay off. During the interview, I try to remain open to the flow of the conversation. If I’ve done my prep, I know the topics that I must capture to make the story work in the edit. If I’m confident that I’m getting that information during the interview, I’ll allow the flow of the conversation to loosen up and follow stories and topics that I didn’t originally intend. When the interviewee feels like they’re freely sharing stories and not being “interviewed,” I find that they are more vulnerable in their storytelling.
Listen with the intent to understand, not to judge. No one wants to share openly when they feel they are being judged. Follow the emotional threads. A genuine curiosity paired with the trust you’re building will help immensely.
5. Be cognizant of fatigue.
Being interviewed can become exhausting, and it is important to remember this when performing an interview. If an interview is particularly revealing or reflective, the subject could be emotionally drained from the experience. Additionally, many interview sets become uncomfortable over time as lights heat the room, muscles stiffen from sitting, and stomachs growl, ready for a break. As the subject and the crew grow tired, the chances grow for the interview to become a slog. With that in mind, I make sure to check in with the interviewee at the first sign of their fatigue, even if it is slight. In all, I’ve found that keeping interviews to less than an hour at a time is usually best if permitted by the production. And when not— schedule a break to grab water or a snack at the very least.
6. Let pauses linger.
It’s tempting to fill in dead air. I often have to fight back the desire to respond to a subject’s answer immediately to prove that I’m listening intently and that I’ve understood their answer. But, when I suspect there’s more to their answer than they’ve shared, I’ll wait a beat. Because silence can be uncomfortable, the interviewee will likely try to fill that emptiness. In doing so, they may reveal something that they’ve been thinking about but haven’t let surface in the conversation. Or, it may give the subject a moment to think about their answer in silence— a very useful piece of footage to have in the editing room.
7. If you are having difficulty getting emotionally resonant answers, start questions with “Why?”
The questions of who, what, where, when, and how set the stage for a story best. They establish a framework for the narrative and give us the nuts and bolts of what the story is. Why informs us what the story is really about. Asking why forces introspection, and depending on the interview, it invites the interviewee to share big-picture ideas.
8. End with big questions.
This is where the “why” questions come in with full force. After spending a full interview building trust and sharing genuine conversation with the interviewee, it is more appropriate and fruitful to ask the big questions. By now, if I’ve done my job well, the interviewee will fully trust me and hopefully has had an enjoyable, cathartic conversation with me. It’s here that I’ll ask questions about pride, identity, self-reflection, personal impact, legacy, etc. By saving these for the end of the interview, I often try to tie in things they’ve shared with me throughout the conversation, giving them a frame in which to share their answer.
9. Let Them Tell Their Story
Taking all of the above advice into account, it’s important to remember the obvious: people are all different. Every person I interview has a unique style of conversation and storytelling. The same goes for every person you’ll interview as well. Above everything I’ve discussed thus far, be sure you create a safe space that allows them to speak their story freely and without judgment.
After the Interview
1. After you finish your conversation, thank them. But, keep the camera rolling.
After finishing the interview, make sure to thank the interviewee for their time and vulnerability—depending on the nature of the project, answering interview questions can be cathartic or stressful, and they deserve your appreciation. During the moments directly following the interview, I like to keep the camera rolling for a short while. I’ve often captured particularly impactful moments once the pretense of the “interview” falls away, making for relaxed, revealing moments for the film or video project.
2. One final tip for the edit.
In the days after the interview, I’ll eventually find myself in front of an editing computer, either by myself or with one of my colleagues. As a general rule, I do one thing immediately before listening to the playback of the interview: I delete all footage of the questions being asked. I find that if I hear the question being asked, I’m more likely to bias their answer based on the frame that I gave them on the day of filming. However, once the project goes into editing, the focus should be on what the interviewee actually said. Oftentimes their answers don’t neatly align to the actual question that was asked. By removing the interview questions, it allows me to see the answers in a fresh light apart from any answers I may have preconceived with the question I asked.