{"id":7369,"date":"2021-09-15T13:15:42","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T17:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sproutvideo.com\/blog\/?p=7369"},"modified":"2023-11-06T18:25:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T23:25:20","slug":"how-to-produce-interview-videos-that-people-actually-want-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sproutvideo.com\/blog\/how-to-produce-interview-videos-that-people-actually-want-to-watch.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Produce Interview Videos That People Actually Want to Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
(PHOTO CREDIT: <\/em>LightField Studios<\/em><\/a>\/SHUTTERSTOCK)<\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes interview videos don\u2019t work out the way you expected. There might be inclement weather, or someone got sick. Maybe the lighting is terrible or someone forgot the \u201chero\u201d prop. Or maybe you start editing the footage and think, \u201cWow, this is one boring interview.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t do anything about Mother Nature or forgetful crews. But we can certainly talk about things you can do to produce interviews people actually want to watch. And it all comes back to the basics: Location, lighting, audio, framing, and B-roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout this post, we\u2019ll be examining each of these basics aspects of filming to help you improve your next interview video. (And no, you won\u2019t need to hypnotize anyone in order to get them to watch.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back to the Filmmaking Basics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s rare for a video shoot to go absolutely perfectly. But no matter what the challenge is, it\u2019s the filmmaker\u2019s job to pick up the pieces and make something a client, manager, or customer will enjoy watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s especially true when it comes to interviews. You can control the lighting and atmosphere (more on that in a bit), and you can use your natural charms to make your subject comfortable and encourage better answers from them. But that\u2019s only a start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about the best interview you\u2019ve ever seen. If you sat and watched the untouched footage, there\u2019s a pretty good chance you wouldn\u2019t last 5 minutes into the video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all too easy to lose interest when a project isn\u2019t the most exciting to shoot and edit. And when that happens, we often fall back on habits, like the things we learned in Videography 101<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yes, everything on that list might feel like an elementary part of filmmaking. But sometimes building blocks are the things we take for granted. All you need is a simple trick to get new ideas. And what could be simpler than modified versions of the oldest tricks in the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Obsess About the Location<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest complaints about interviews is where they\u2019re shot. In most cases, you\u2019ll be in an office space. But your locations might vary; they might feel like a cold and grim hospital room, or an abandoned downtown loft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you fixate on the challenges of the location, you could overcorrect or, worse, you might give up on trying to deal with it and slap a bandaid on it in post-production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where the \u201clemons out of lemonade\u201d idea comes into play. And set design is going to be your favorite lemon to use, because it gives you at least a little creative control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the space a little too busy? Find anything not nailed down and move it. Is it too empty? Beg, borrow, or steal props from any other room you can access. You use lighting or white balance to create a tone or guide the viewer\u2019s eye, but you still need to establish visual interest in the very first frames of the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unfortunate thing is that you won\u2019t always have the opportunity to scout a location<\/a> and choose it beforehand. That\u2019s why you want to focus on finding a good spot as soon as you arrive on set for a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 But Do Obsess About the Lighting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re working with a client, lighting is the hill you should choose to die on (if you have to). It\u2019s not always easy to explain the concept to someone, but how you light a scene literally sets the tone of the entire production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is you don\u2019t need thousands of dollars of equipment to have a good interview lighting setup<\/a>. But you will want to use the tools you do have, whether that\u2019s your own gear, or nearby windows, or your DIY diffusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take advantage of natural lighting when possible. If you can\u2019t get a location with nice windows, use your own lighting to recreate a natural vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n