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If your not a born investigative reporter, quality interview answers can be as scarce
as water in a desert. However, interviews are the heart of any documentary. So by learning
how to get both emotional and descriptive answers from subjects, you can make your documentary
worth watching.
Some interviews can be more nerve wracking for the director than it is for the talent
but it doesn't have to be. With a little preparation and knowledge, it can actually be one of the
most thrilling parts of making a documentary. To help you get prepared we'll show you what
to include when briefing your talent, how to ask quality questions, and good ways to
respond to questions that will get you the sound bites that you need.
The first thing you'll want to do in any interview is brief your talent. The talent is the most
important part of the interview so making sure they know the topic of the conversation
gives you a better chance at getting a relaxed subject and a good interview. Every interview
should be treated like a conversation. So asking your talent how their day's been going,
if they have any questions about the interview, and if they need anything to drink are great
ways to make them feel comfortable and ready to talk. However, during the briefing, make
sure that your talent doesn't start answering the same questions that will be given in the
interview. Rarely is a repeated answer as good as the first one. Once your talent is
in front of the camera it's your job to make them look and speak naturally. Make sure to
tell your talent to speak with you instead of the camera and reassure them that any mistakes
they might make can be taken out in the editing room.
Every interviewer dreams of getting that one emotional and informational response that
gives a documentary its meaning. All of that starts though by asking the right kinds of
questions. Leading questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no are the most common
mistakes that amateur interviewers make. Here's an example:
Unless you plan on having the interviewer's voice as part of the documentary, these answers
will be too short and detached to derive any real meaning. Instead asking open-ended questions
that start with how, why, where, or what will force your subject to be more descriptive
with their response. Here's an example of the same interviewer using open-ended questions:
In order to be sure
you get what you need, it's a good idea to write out a question list. This list should
be written in a logical order that eases your talent into the topic you want them to discuss.
Ask the most benign and simple questions first. Once you've built some rapport with them,
gradually ask more complex question until you come to the heart of what you want them
to say. Here's an example of that method in action.
It's
also good to develop three or four themes for your subject to touch on and write a few
questions down for each one. Just don't get so enamored with your question list that you
don't let yourself delve deeper into a subject's personal moment. Lastly, you'll want to end
the interview by asking your subject if there is anything else they wanted to say or didn't
feel was adequately covered. This will sometimes provide a very powerful or personal response
that can greatly enhance your documentary.
As important as asking the right questions is, listening can be just as important. An
interview should be a two-way conversation so interviewers should feel free to respond
to what a subject is saying. This can keep the energy level of your subject high and
can lead to a more natural sounding interview. Of course not all feedback is verbal. Non-verbal
feedback through eye contact, head nodding, smiles, and hand gestures can help to elicit
emotional responses. Also, make sure that you don't step on the toes of your subject.
Wait for them to be finished speaking before you ask another question. Werner Herzog, a
famous documentarian does this very well in many of his documentaries. Here's an example:
Awkward silences like these encourage your subject to expand on their answer and let
them direct their own answers.
Interviews don't have to be a lot of work. In fact, with adequate preparation and the
knowledge we've given, your documentary interview should be the most fun and relaxed part of
your production.