Interviews sit at the heart of many films organisations commission: corporate profiles, event coverage, testimonials, recruitment films and short documentaries. They look simple, with one person, one chair and a camera. But an interview that sounds hollow or looks flat is hard to rescue in the edit, and the person on camera rarely has time to do it twice. This guide covers the decisions that matter, in the order you will face them.
Choose a room you can control
The best location is quiet, available for longer than you expect, and yours to control while you film. A handsome room beside a busy corridor is worse than a plain room with a door that closes. Visit beforehand, at the time of day you will film, and check the following.
- Air-conditioning. It is the most common source of unwanted noise in Qatar. You stop hearing its steady hum within minutes, but the microphones do not. Ask whether it can be switched off during takes, and plan short breaks to cool the room between them.
- Echo. Hard floors, glass walls and bare rooms make voices sound distant. Rugs, curtains, soft furniture and sound blankets placed out of shot all help.
- Background. It should say something about the person or the organisation without competing for attention: a workspace, a product, a view, a shelf with a few objects. Avoid screens playing content, other companies’ logos, busy patterns and anything confidential on desks or whiteboards.
- Depth. Leave distance between the camera and the subject, and between the subject and the background. That depth is what makes an interview look considered rather than cramped.
- Access. Book the room for set-up, interviews and pack-down, and tell anyone who normally uses it.
Put sound first
Viewers forgive a picture that is slightly soft. They stop watching when they cannot hear clearly, so treat sound as the priority from the moment you choose the room.
- Lapel microphones. A small microphone clipped to the chest gives clear, close sound. Hide the cable under clothing where you can, and keep the microphone clear of jewellery and fabric that rustles. Ask before fitting one, explain where it will go, and offer a crew member of the same gender if the interviewee prefers.
- A boom as backup. A directional microphone held just above the frame records a second, independent track. If the lapel rustles or fails, the interview is still usable.
- Monitoring. Someone should listen on good headphones to every take, not just check levels at the start. Ask everyone in the room, including the interviewee, to switch phones off or to flight mode, since a phone near a microphone can cause interference as well as ringing.
- Room tone. Before or after each interview, record about thirty seconds of the room in silence, with everyone in place. The editor uses it to smooth over cuts.
- Interruptions. If a door slams, a phone rings or the call to prayer begins, stop and wait rather than recording over it. Waiting costs a minute; fixing it later costs far more.
Light the face, not the room
Three lights are the classic starting point. Knowing what each one does helps even when you use fewer.
- Key light. The main source, set to one side of the camera and a little above eye level. It shapes the face.
- Fill light. A softer source on the other side that lifts the shadows the key creates. Less fill gives a serious, documentary feel; more gives the brighter, open look many corporate films want.
- Back light. Placed behind the subject and out of frame, it outlines the hair and shoulders and separates the person from the background.
Window light can make a lovely soft key, but it changes as the sun moves, so answers filmed beside a window over a long session may not match. Soften it with a curtain or a diffusion panel, and check the picture between takes. If you cannot control it, keep the window out of shot, behind the camera rather than behind the person.
Do not rely on overhead office lighting. It casts shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose, and makes people look tired. Switch it off if you can, or overpower it with your own lights. Watch for mixed colours too: daylight from a window and warm lamps in the same frame make skin tones hard to correct.
Frame the shot
A few framing choices decide whether an interview feels natural or stiff.
- Eye line. In most corporate and documentary interviews, the interviewer sits beside the camera and the interviewee talks to them, looking just off the lens. It feels natural and conversational. Speaking straight into the lens suits a direct address, such as a leader speaking to staff, but it takes more practice.
- Camera height. Keep the lens at roughly eye level. Too high and the person looks diminished; too low and they look imposing.
- One camera or two. One camera is simpler and enough for short, well-prepared answers. A second camera at a different angle, usually a closer shot, lets the editor cut between the two and shorten answers without a visible jump.
- Interviewer off camera. Keep the interviewer out of frame, and ask them not to make sounds of agreement while the person speaks. A nod does the same job and keeps the answer clean for editing.
- Looking room. Place the person slightly to one side of the frame, with more space in the direction they are looking.
Prepare the person on camera
Most interviewees are not used to cameras. The more prepared they feel, the more natural they sound.
- Share the questions, not a script. Send the topics or questions a few days ahead so they can think, but ask them not to write out answers or learn lines. Recited answers sound recited.
- Advise on clothing. Plain, mid-tone colours work best. Tight stripes, small checks and fine patterns can shimmer on camera. Avoid visible logos and brand names unless they are your own, and suggest bringing a second option.
- Agree what is off limits. Confirm in advance any subjects that need approval, such as figures, clients or unannounced plans, so the interview does not have to stop.
- Have water ready. Keep it close but out of shot, and offer it between answers.
- Take the shine off. A little translucent powder removes shine from foreheads and noses under the lights. Offer it discreetly, with a mirror and a private moment, and respect personal preferences.
- Start gently. Begin with easy questions, such as their name and role, so they settle before the questions that matter.
Conduct the interview
The interviewer’s job is to get answers that still make sense once the questions are cut out, since in most films the interviewer is never heard.
- Ask open questions. ‘How did the project begin?’ produces a story; ‘Was it difficult?’ produces a yes or a no.
- Ask them to fold the question into the answer. ‘The first thing we changed was the registration process’ works on screen. ‘Yes, that one’ does not.
- Ask one question at a time, then wait. People often add their best line after a pause, so let the silence run before moving on.
- Ask for a shorter version. If an answer is good but long, ask them to say it again in a sentence or two.
- Watch the details. Ask a crew member to look out for a twisted collar, a stray hair or a microphone slipping into view, and fix it between answers.
- End with an open question. ‘Is there anything we have not asked that you would like to say?’ often produces something useful.
Bilingual interviews
If you need the interview in Arabic and English, film each language as a separate take rather than asking the person to switch mid-answer, and ask the questions in the language you want the answer in. Many people are more fluent in one language than the other; one confident version with subtitles is better than two stilted ones. Our guide to Arabic and English subtitles, voice-over and on-screen text covers what happens next.
Cutaways
Cutaways are shots of the person at work, their hands, the place and the details they mention. They cover edits and illustrate what is being said. List them before the day, and film them after the interview, when the person is relaxed.
Consent, releases and a realistic schedule
Everyone who appears should sign a release that sets out how and where the footage will be used, for how long and in which languages. Settle it before the day, not after the camera is packed away, and take legal advice if the use is broad or the subject is sensitive. Our article on photo and video rights and releases explains what to agree.
Allow more time than you think. As a guide, give the crew at least an hour to set up sound and light before the first interview, and plan around an hour per interviewee for fitting microphones, a sound check, the interview itself and cutaways. A short answer in the final film may come from twenty minutes of conversation. If you are filming several people in one day, build in breaks and a buffer, because interviews tend to run long.
If you are planning interviews for a corporate film, event coverage or a campaign, ARZO’s multimedia team can help you choose the room, plan the crew and set a schedule that leaves space for good answers. Request a proposal and tell us who you would like to interview.
