A Guide to Producing On Camera Interview Content

Interviews can give you the chills. It is not a very comforting situation for many people.



When you think of it, you feel like being studied under a microscope. You want to give your best because you want the interviewer to like you. That is the reason why many people who go on an interview feel so tense.



It is also during an interview that you get to know more about the interviewee. For this reason, this kind of setup is a great way to create content. A camera interview is so appealing in many ways. It educates, it motivates, and it can even make you relate to the person on screen. If you think of a new video concept for your marketing page, you should consider doing an interview video production.


How to interview someone for a blog


When doing information giving interviews, there are specific steps that you need to take from the preparation, to the execution and up until distribution. These are not very exhaustive, and you may even think of more to add to it, but they will help you get started. Read on to learn how to conduct a good interview.



Conceptualize

The first step in all content creation is to look for a concept. How do you like the interview to flow? What is the topic that you will discuss? Who are the people you are hoping to impact using this material? These are just some of the questions that can help you in planning out your content. From here, you will be able to decide who your interviewee, or interviewees, will be. It will also determine where to conduct an interview and all other matters relating to it.



Research

Not because you are doing the interview means that you will not do your part in researching. For you to be able to come up with the right questions, you need to have sufficient knowledge about the subject matter. It will help you draw out pertinent data from the interviewee. It will lead you to the right resource person too. It does not matter if the topic is simple or complex; you have to be on top of things to know if you are getting the right material.



Setup

When you already have the materials and you have chosen who you will interview, it is then time to setup. You need to look for the appropriate location for the video. If you are doing a formal interview, you may need to have an office setup. If it is a casual one, a coffee table approach will do. You also need to ensure that the lighting is good and supply what is lacking. Be mindful of possible background noise during the shoot to avoid distractions. Get everything prepared so that when you roll, it will be smooth.


Shoot

Once everything is right, you may then begin filming. You must know about getting proper angels and knowing when to zoom in or zoom out for emphasis. Do not keep switching frames or trying to be too dynamic. Keep it still, for the most part. The focus here is more on what is said by the subject. That doesn’t mean that you will neglect visual presentation. Just do not make it so much about the visuals that it distracts the message.




It is where the rubber meets the road, and it often takes several tries until you get the shots you are aiming for in this material. Here are some on-camera interview tips that you can follow to make a better outcome for your shoot:


Building rapport

Due to the common notion about interviews, people tend to become uncomfortable when doing one. If your interviewee is not a professional actor, it could take some time to warm up to the setup. You must take time to develop a rapport between the interviewer and the interviewee. It will help put them at ease so that when you start filming, you will not feel that uneasiness that often comes with interviews, especially for those who barely know each other.



Warm them up with pep talk and a getting-to-know-you chit chat even before the camera starts rolling. It will help loosen any possible uneasiness that will be apparent to the audience. Once your actors are at ease, you will get better shots for your video.



Give careful reminders

It would help if you reminded the interviewee to answer questions in the most concise but informative way possible. He or she must always stick to the context. Do not keep straying out and including things that are no longer pertinent. If possible, you may give the questions in advance to have an idea of what is coming their way. If this is not possible, at least inform them that they need to stick to the topic.



Eye contact

It is your responsibility to pan on the faces of the video subjects, so remind them not to be conscious about it and advise them to make eye contact with each other. If needed, you may signal them to look a the camera. The important thing is that their eyes focus on the direction you want them to be, not looking elsewhere.



Redoing crucial parts

The start of the interview is not always the best one. But as the camera keeps rolling, the subjects begin to become more at ease that they appear more natural in what they do. If you think that you need to, you may require redoing the initial part of the interview when done shooting to the end. This time, it will look more smooth since everyone has warmed up. You only do this if necessary, and you got all the frames and angles that you need for the video content.



Edit


When done filming, editing comes next. You may need a professional to do this for you if you are not very savvy at it. You must be present during this stage to determine which part the editors can splice and which should remain. It may look more genuine to keep it as raw as possible, but sometimes, there are some contents that you need to edit out. Do not sacrifice context for visual appeal.


Sharing

The last step in this interview video content is sharing it online. You can use several social media platforms to distribute your output; YouTube and Facebook feeds are among them. If you have your website, you may also embed a copy. Keep sharing to engage more viewers and attract more customers to your page.



Your on-camera interview content



There you go. Now you know how to conduct an interview on-camera for your website content. It is very straightforward. It is one of the most uncomplicated contents that you can use for your page. All you need to do is follow the above steps, and you are on your way to making fresh, meaningful, and exciting content.



Icon of YouTube
April 6, 2021
Just a few minutes of browsing YouTube, the top Video-on-Demand platform, will tell you that influencers and independent content creators mostly occupy it. 
April 6, 2021
Producing videos is not just about grabbing a camera, filming some footage, and piecing it together on a timeline.
April 6, 2021
Humans have always loved storytelling.
Icon of YouTube
April 6, 2021
Just a few minutes of browsing YouTube, the top Video-on-Demand platform, will tell you that influencers and independent content creators mostly occupy it. 
April 6, 2021
Producing videos is not just about grabbing a camera, filming some footage, and piecing it together on a timeline.
April 6, 2021
Humans have always loved storytelling.
Icon of YouTube
April 6, 2021
Just a few minutes of browsing YouTube, the top Video-on-Demand platform, will tell you that influencers and independent content creators mostly occupy it. 
April 6, 2021
Producing videos is not just about grabbing a camera, filming some footage, and piecing it together on a timeline.
April 6, 2021
Humans have always loved storytelling.
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