Improve your video interviews
This blog post is for all those corporate video producers out there looking to get the best possible content out of their recorded video interviews
(If you’re here to search for advice about your job interview then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place!)
You’ve no doubt already put heaps of work into arranging the logistics of your shoot and your call sheet is full of all the contact and scheduling information you need to make sure the filming day run smoothly. But how much time have you spent preparing for those all important interviews?
If your narrative depends entirely on your contributors - or interviewees - telling the business story then the success of your finished video will depend on how well you’ve prioritised and planned for how you’re going to draw that content out of your contributor in the best possible way. And let’s not forget, its quite likely that your interviewees are not familiar with delivering answers to camera and will no doubt be feeling quite apprehensive, maybe even anxious about the whole experience.
It’s your job as the interviewer to not only get your contributors to tell the story the way you want it to be told, but to also have them feel relaxed and confident throughout the whole process
I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t a difficult skill to master, and reliably nailing this on location takes time and experience. To help get you started though here are some of the most important things you need to know when you’re interviewing for your own corporate videos.
Think carefully about your interview questions. You need to get yourself really familiar with the finished story you’re trying to tell; where does it begin, what happened in the middle and how does it end? Once you are clear about these details then you can work back from there to write the questions that are going to tease this story out both accurately and as naturally as possible.
Don’t be afraid to deviate from the questions. I realise this sounds counterintuitive to point one, but remember there’s always a chance that your contributor might come at things from a different angle. Perhaps they mention something you weren’t aware of but you feel like it might be an important and significant part of the story. Explore that point while you’ve got the chance, because the last thing you want is to be sat in the editing suite wishing you’d asked more questions.
Start by putting them at ease. Unless you actually are broadcasting live, then they don’t need to worry about being word perfect. You’re going to be editing the best bits together, so tell them that. Reassure them that it’s ok - quite normal in fact - to make mistakes, to get half way through a sentence and forget what they were saying. Let them know that it’s no problem to go back and try again.
Don’t labour it too long though. Sometimes you’re just not going to get it, no matter how much you reassure your interviewee. If they’re really stuck on something the best thing you can do is to move on. What you want to achieve is a nice, natural, almost conversation like flow of questions and answers. The moment your contributor feels like it’s not going well they’re going to get into a flap and you really want to avoid that if you can. So move on without a fuss and just make a note on your question sheet to go back to anything you’ve missed later on in the interview.
Keep that all important story at the back of your mind throughout the interview, and remember to be working out the edit in your head as you’re progressing through each question. By doing this you will pick up on where you might be missing something as you’re moving through the story and can always throw another question in there to try and fill those gaps chronologically rather than leaving it until the end, which can be a little disjointed for your interviewee.
Interviewing for corporate video is an art form
Not only are you responsible for getting your interviewee to tell the story in the way you want it to be told but you also have to ensure they’re comfortable and confident in doing so. It’s not easy to be reassuring, asking questions, listening, reviewing and editing in your head all at the same time, which brings me back to my original point about it taking time and experience to master.
We’ve set up a free supportive WhatsApp group. It’s a safe space to ask questions and share advice between small business and third sectors employees who’re looking for support in creating great video content. You’re welcome to come and join in the conversation anytime.