The Humble Interview
So you’re thinking about producing some filmed interview content?
The humble interview is intimate, authentic, engaging, no bull storytelling. And when we are constantly consuming advertising on a daily basis, authentic storytelling is a breath of fresh air.
At Eric, Tom & Bruce, we do a lot of filmed interviews.
But there is a BIG difference between a great interview and an interview that gives the whole genre a bad rap.
Here’s a few basics for nailing your interviews:
1. Getting a little friendly goes a long way
Get to know the person you’re interviewing and their story prior to the shoot. Meet them for a coffee, have a chat on the phone, organise a video call. Doing this will kill two birds with one stone: develop a rapport with your talent and gather valuable information for your interview preparation.
2. Find the heart
Before you put pen to paper, you need to figure out what the heart of the interview is. Why are you interviewing this person? What is the point of this whole thing? If your answer is something vague like ‘their story’...sorry...start again. Every interview needs a concise, powerful moment to build to, because that moment is what gives structure and drive to the whole thing. Find it!
3. Write the right type of questions
Every interview needs a mix of leading and open-ended questions. There will be times where you know the answer you want and other times you’ll want to be surprised. A little bit of chaos in all the order is what makes the humble interview so goddamn good.
4. Structure your interview based on emotion, not content
Now this is an important one. People can’t turn their emotions on and off like a switch, they need to warm up. Whatever the heart of your interview is, whether it be something that elicits sadness, joy, anger, grief - you need to give your talent a bit of time to get there. Think about your favourite movie, the best bit is always about three-quarters of the way in.
5. Prep your talent
As important as it is to prepare yourself, it is more important to prep your talent. Be transparent about the interview process and how it will happen on the day. Prepare them for what the environment will be like, what the questions will be about, the length of the interview and how they may need to repeat themselves. All of this will ensure your talent is comfortable and confident on the day.
6. Set the tone
As the interviewer, it’s your responsibility to set the tone of the interview from the moment the talent walks into the room. That includes everyone and everything inside the interview room, including yourself. Location, equipment, people, sound, light, body language, tone of voice all play a part in getting your talent into the right headspace for the interview.
7. Treat it like a conversation
A good interview isn’t a conversation, but it should feel like one to your talent. Listen, contribute, go off script, ask them clarifying questions, look them in the eye and not at the page in front of you! The quicker your talent forgets about all the lights and cameras and just starts to talk is when you’re going to capture the best content.
8. Don’t be afraid to double back
A great interview is fluid and adaptable. We promise you the best moments you will capture are going to happen in the middle or the end of your interview, not the beginning. This is because it takes time for talent to warm up and get in the right headspace. During your interview, if you sense your talent is in the perfect headspace or tone to revise an answer from earlier, double back and ask them to answer the question again. This is when you can capture the real golden moments of your interview