Are you trying to plan out the filming strategy for your video interview but feel like you are missing a few things? Want to know what makes a clean-cut product? You came to the right place! This blog post discusses how you can create dynamic video interviews by following our five top tips. From boosting natural lighting to adjusting your body language, we highlight small, simple changes that can make the most significant impact.
Video Interview Tips: The Ultimate Guide
#1. Prep Your Content
Not many interviewers can successfully conduct an entire interview off-the-cuff; if you are one of the lucky few who thrives on improv, congratulations and skip to the next section! For the rest of us, here’s what to focus on.
Of course, you want to make the interview as natural as possible between the interviewer and interviewee. Therefore, do your research ahead of time and have several different questions written down in advance. Rehearse them as much as needed, or if it helps, bring cue cards to use discreetly. But, if reading from a card, practice enunciating and avoid sounding monotonous or robotic.
Take it one step further and have your coworkers review the questions to see if they need re-wording or should be omitted altogether. Again, you want to make sure your questions aren’t misinterpreted by the interviewee, hard to understand, or unfit for the interview.
#2. Set the Stage
Behind every successful video interview is a well-planned itinerary and comfortable setting. If the interviewee is even the least bit uncomfortable, viewers will notice instantly. That could cause the wrong kind of attention, whereas you want viewers to listen to the interview content.
Body language is a huge indicator of how a person feels. Therefore, make sure the environment is as comfortable and distraction-free for your interviewee. If the room is too cold, your studio lights are blinding your guest, the couch feels like a slab of concrete, or you asked an uncomfortable question, their body language will give away their uneasiness.
To combat this, find the best location for the interview possible and consider every element to help make sure your guest is happy to be there. Additionally, if you plan to hold the interview outdoors, plan for inclement weather and prepare a back-up location, just in case.
#3. Lights, Camera …
When looking through pictures, any unintentional under- or over-exposure is distracting to the image. The wrong lighting can cause many reactions, from washing out your guest’s skin tone to even causing the finished product to look choppy and low budget. Essentially, lighting is an essential video interview tip to pay special attention to.
Once you hone your film lighting techniques, specifically capitalizing on available natural lighting, you can then focus on the interview angle.
#4. “Can You Hear Me Now?”
Incorporating sound in a video interview goes beyond answering the famous question now coined as a Sprint slogan: “Can you hear me now?” Poor sound quality, or even non-existent quality, is the fastest way to lose your audience’s attention and should be considered another foundational element of a video interview. In fact, YouTube confirmed that the first 15 seconds could make or break your entire video.
Again, you could have the perfect lighting and angle set up, the most incredible set of questions to go through, and the most esteemed guest joining you. But a video interview is useless if viewers can’t hear what’s being discussed.
Therefore, check, re-check, and triple-check that the audio is good to go on all systems to ensure a crisp audio playback. Have extra mics, batteries, and any other emergency equipment needed in case something happens mid-interview.
Push the envelope further by testing what else you and your guest’s mic pick up. Is background noise an issue? Does the audio sound muffled? Resolve any potential problems well before the interview, and you’ll be ready to go.
#5. When in Doubt, A Production Team Will Help You Out
If it’s your first video interview, it can be a little intimidating when securing the necessary video production equipment, completing all the sound checks, and prepping all the content. However, with the help of a professional, expert film production crew, you can sit back and enjoy the show as they handle the rest. From prep to filming and editing the final cut, imagine how your future video interview process can be streamlined.
We understand the significant value of implementing effective interview video components that creates a perfect, finished piece. That’s why at Franklin Media, we devote our services to creating clean, clear, and high-quality video interviews for your business or organization by listening to your goals and desired outcome.
Our expert film and production team is ready to travel to where you are and assist with your video marketing and other filming needs. Contact us today to see how we can help grow your business or practice and receive examples of our work!