Interview Techniques session

On Friday 13th February, we were given the task of going out on the streets of Sheffield and obtaining three documentary interviews. We also recorded some gv's and filmed an introduction of a documentary. Afterwards we got back to the workstation to review the footage, our feedback was positive.

Images of the tasks below:

Photography by Tony Ansell

Style and Approach

Kanye West Interview – With Zane Lowe (2014)

For the documentary, we can use close-ups of the interviewees as this can keep the audience interested in watching. I feel that we should have two cameras, one for the wide shots and one for close-ups. In the editing process, we can cut to different cameras to give the interview pacing and engagement.

First image (above) continued with different shot

I like how this is a medium-long shot, with the background behind Kanye West. The background is out of focus but it is appealing to look at. I also like that there is an over the shoulder (OTS) shot of Zane Lowe as it looks like he is having a conversation with the interviewee. The over the shoulder shot will not feature in our documentary but it is a good camera technique.

The Imposter (2012)

The shot here is from the film documentary The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton. The subject is talking directly into the camera. This is known as being a ‘talking head’.  The style of this interview tries to grab the attention of the audience by the subject staring into your TV or laptop screen. The technique makes you feel that the person is actually talking to you. The shot is a medium shot as it’s framed only to see his head and shoulders. There is enough room to add Astons (text on screen) in the right hand side of the shot.

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

This shot is a two shot as it contains two subjects in the frame. This documentary feature is directed by Michael Moore.  I like the framing of this shot as it shows two people interacting with each other and this gives the audience a sense of involvement in the discussion on screen.  As we are not looking to have a presenter in our documentary, I have getting the idea of how to construct a two shot perfectly.

Production Schedule

Please click on image to see a clearer version

Different types of Documentary modes

Expository documentaries are another mode which a documentary can full under. These modes speak directly to the viewer, often proposing a strong argument and point of view. These documentaries try and persuade the viewer, seen with and objective with a superiority voice over to again persuade the viewer. This mode can be similarly linked to propaganda films as they offer an argumentative point of view.

Observational documentaries which simply observe with a minimum of intervention therefore, concerns itself with the truth.  No music, no interviews, and no narration is used, it allows viewer to make their own conclusion. It can be seen as a fly on the wall as it uses gives that perspective at does not interfere with the situation. These techniques is used to emulate realism and for the viewer to make their own conclusion.
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Interactive mode centers around interviews on contributors which are involved with the topic in hands. Gv’s and stock footage is also used to altogether gather an answer of a question which catalyst of this mode. This type of mode would feature music and graphics on screen however a presenter would not be seen as they would be located off camera.

Reflective mode is an anti-realist style of documentary and can be seen as can be seen as being completely different to the other modes from the way it is presented, as it shows the audience the behind the scenes of filming. The filming is usually handheld which permits the camera operator to film the presenter. The presenter can be often also being seen hold equipment or crew could be seen in reflections.

Poetic mode is a style of documentary which is seen as very artist as it can shot very abstract. The aim of this mode is to expressions of the world not the objects that represent them. This mode attempts to establish an emotional effect in a poetic way

Documentary interviews? Why do they exist?

Documentary interviews are conducted to inform and even excite the viewer on current or past events. Purposes of documentary interviews are there to give the audience satisfaction by interviewing certain people and asking them a number of questions. Interviews tend to gain exclusive information from people and the general public can hear the truth from the person themselves. There are different types of documentary interviews but this depends of what type of documentary TV or film they appear on. Some interviews can be a heart-lighted talk but some can be hard hitting where the interviewee can be pressured but the interviewer or vice versa; this is known as combative interview, where the interview turns into an argument about a subject. Interviews appear on such programmes as magazine shows, debate shows, news, documentaries, chat shows and reality.

Interviews can be used a part of promotion as celebrities tend to be interviewed around a release date for a product, film or television show. This gives the media text recognition and giving interviews gets the word out to the masses. Promotional interviews typically feature in magazine shows and chat shows.

Interviewers used different types of questions to get a response from their interviewee. Most interviews contain open questions so the interviewees can response with an in-depth answer which can change the direction of the interview. The communication skills differ with what type of interview it is. With promotional interviews, the mood of the talk is very energetic and the location of the talk has bright lighting, which sets the mood. With interviews for debates and news shows the setting can be very minimal with minimal lighting to set a different mood. Interviews for such shows can be very argumentative and the setting of the talk represents this. There are many interview styles that programmes use to excite and maintain the viewers’ attention. TV programmes use different editing techniques and multi-camera set ups to keep the interviews interesting. The editing techniques are cutting to different angles and shots of the interviewer and interviewee throughout the interview. The pace of the editing can change when the discussion gets heated between the interviewer and interviewee.