Homework: Interview Planning

http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/skills/interviewing

 1. Quiz on Thursday 1st thing. Watch the videos in your groups and prepare to answer 'how would you' questions based on the following advice.

1.     Simple questions

2.     Treating interviewees fairly

3.     Getting the first question right: Stephen Sackur

4.     Getting guests to open up: Victoria Derbyshire and Eddie Mair

5.     Researching an interview: Jon Sopel and Libby Purves

6.     Arts interviews: Mark Lawson

7.     TV interview tips: Jane Corbin, Jon Sopel and Jim Fitzpatrick

You will be exploring this advice in your instructional videos (Mini-assignment 2)

  

2. Having had your Interviews Format and Topic agreed complete your full proposal for your interviews ready to be signed off/agreed by the Commissioning Editor of Factual Programming (Me)

Include:

• Format of your production (doc, news, studio, panel)
• Outline of your interview proposal/question 
• Who your expert will be (name, job/role and contact details)
• What they will be able to contribute/opinion/expert or specialist knowledge & experience
• Locations that will establish the credibility/relevance of the contributor
• A summary of research into the subject matter - stats and facts, previous studies/docs etc
• 10 proposed questions based on your research for your contributor

email this to r.barton@ctksfc.ac.uk

By next week you need to have all the planning completed and uploaded to your blogs: 

• Format (which, what the topic is)
• Research (for each contributor and rationale why this authority), 
• Structured questions (for each interview), with annotation on rationale/purpose
• Contact details & profile for each contributor (who they are, role & background), 
• Telephone Contact (recorded)
• Courtesy Email sending questions in advance
• Acknowledgement of fairness/ethics,  
• Arrangements for locations (recee/permission release) and dates for the shoot (shooting schedule, email ) 
• Equipment list and 'set up' notes

The expectation is they will be calling them (recording the conversations of their phones) and sending the questions to their collaborators in advance during the lesson and writing up your individual report on the organisation of the process. 

The resources we used in class will help you structure and organise your process and questions, and include in your production log/report.

1. http://ctkmedial3extdip.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/structuring-your-questions.html 

2 .http://ctkmedial3extdip.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/process-type-how-to-prepare-for-your.html

Interview techniques: He's only gone and done it again!

Student Report on Interview Techniques

http://rijd-medial3y2.weebly.com/




Interview techniques:The interview techniques differ depending on the subject of the interview. This changes the type of questions needed to be asked, and the style of the interview. The questions can be open, closed, single, multiple, direct, or indirect. Many interviewers will use a variety of these questions, some try and sway the answers to their desired outcome.
The style of the interview is also adjusted depending on the intended feel of the interview, they can be hard news, combative, light-hearted, entertainment, investigative, or promotional. There is an obvious structure to most interviews, they follow this pattern; introduction, developmental questions, confidence building, key questions, soundbites, summary, wind up.
When conducting an interview, it is important to build a rapport with your interviewee, to ease the tension. You can do this by listening to what they have to say and by making sure you keep an open body language, and to not act defensively while interviewing.

Journalistic Contexts:
When reporting, there are many ways of publishing the context. You can publish in print, on television , radio, online, in the news, sport, feature-writers, and editorials.

Purposes of interviews:
There are many reasons for an interviews, such as to research, enhance an audience's understanding, presenting information, interpreting or explaining, and the accountability of emotions, allowing the audience an insight into a situation.








Techniques: The types of questions used are usually closed questions, but as it's a chat show, the questions are specifically vague, so they leave room for Saoirse to carry on talking. This interview is a very light hearted and casual style - Graham Norton gives Saoirse some laid back questions and they go back and forth just creating conversation and comedy, but there's also quite straight forward answers to his questions. At the beginning of the show there is an introduction by Graham Norton, but the main interview comes later. Seemingly because she's already been made comfortable and settled into the casual theme of the show during the other guest's interviews, Norton just jumps straight into the developmental questions, in order to continue the light hearted environment and generate laughs.
Context used: This was a televised interview on BBC One on The Graham Norton Show. The interview included a clip of the movie, as well as a shot of the promotional poster for it.
 Purpose: The purpose of this interview was to promote Ronan's new film 'The Host'. Due to the comedy nature of the programme, the purpose was also to create conversation with Ronan and tell stories etc., to make the audience laugh.



Techniques: The interview is almost entirely comprised of open questions, giving Tarantino room to answer however he wants. The interview appears to have identified as investigative and promotional, but it quickly becomes confrontational when Tarantino becomes defensive and aggressive. There is no introduction in this interview, as Krishnan Guru-Murthy (interviewer) just opens with "Firstly, congratulations on the movie, now..." and then just jumps into the questions. There doesn't seem to be any developmental questions, as he just goes straight into the real hard-hitting questions. Context used: This is a televised interview for Channel 4 News, which includes references to film. The clip of the interview went viral online after it was broadcast. Purposes: The purpose of this interview was to promote Tarantino's new film 'Django Unchained'. As Guru-Murthy says in the interview, it is also to create conversation and voice opinions on some of the topics of the new movie, including slavery, violence etc.




How many types of interviews are there and how do they differ?
You have four types of interviews; celebrity, sports, political, and talking heads. Celebrity interviews tend to be more intimate and personal, asking questions about their personal life - the Graham Norton Show interview with Saoirse Ronan is an example of this, as it is very relaxed and they talk about her personal life as well as the films she's in.
Sports interviews are generally shorter and are conducted soon after an event. Political interviews are confrontational and their aim is to extract information - the Tarantino interview can fall into this category as well as the celebrity catergory,  as the interview becomes confrontational about Tarantino's views on violence, etc. Talking heads are a type of interview in which a specialist is spoken to about a specific topic to provide extra information.

What are the different question types?

The different question types are; open, closed, single, multiple, direct, and indirect. In The Graham Norton Show where he interviews Saoirse Ronan about her part in The Host, he uses mainly open questions to allow her to talk about the film about it has affecter her life.

How are the interview styles chosen?

The interview styles wee chosen depending on the topic of the interview and the style of the show. The Graham Norton interview was light-hearted and entertaining, whereas the Tarantino interview was confrontational and promotional.

How is the structure of the interviews laid out?

There is an obvious structure to interviews, they follow this pattern; introductions, development questions, confidence building, key questions, soundbites, summary then windup. Both of the interviews follow the same structure, except for there was no introduction for Tarantino.

What kind of communication skills are needed when interviewing someone?

When conducting an interview, it is important to build a rapport with your subject to ease the tension, you can do this by listening to what they have to say and by making sure you have an open body language and to not act defensively while interviewing. In the Saoirse Ronan interview, Graham Norton built a rapport by having a fake fight demonstration to link with Saoirse's previous movies.

There are various types of journalistic context, can you talk about them?

There are many ways of publishing the content. You can do it through print, television, radio, online, news, sport, feature-writers and editorials. In the Saoirse Ronan interview, the audience was shown a movie poster and later on, a clip from the film, which helped inform them on the topic of the interview.

The purpose for holding an interview differs for every interview, so could you explain some of those purposes?

There are many purposes for an interview, such as to research, enhance the audience's understanding, presenting information, interpretive or explaining and the accountability of emotions allowing the audience an insight to a situation. The Tarantino interview was conducted to get information from Tarantino about his beliefs on violence, although Tarantino wanted to use is as an advertisement for his new movie 'Django Unchained'.

What is the rule of thirds, and why is it used in interviews?

The rule of thirds is important as it helps to create a more balanced and interesting composition for the audience watching. In both of the interviews, the interviewee is positioned on the right on the right vertical third - occasionally they will be just off the center of the frame.

What equipment would you take to shoot an interview?

You should make sure you at least take the basic equipment; tripod, camera, mic, and lights. It's also useful to scout your location before the shoot, to make sure you have the right equipment for the area as well as the ability to set it up quickly, not to waste your interviewee's time.

Any pointers that you would give to people who want to shoot an interview?

Make sure you're prepared, reap up on the topic you are going to be interviewing about. This will help you to understand the answers being given to you. In the Tarantino interview, Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked questions which Tarantino had previously answered in other interviews, so Tarantino became confrontational and refused to answer the questions.

Process & Type - how to Prepare for your interview

1^st  Research
Research is crucial. The strength of your questions and your capacity to resist being manipulated/overpowered and respected depends on how good your research has been.


2^nd Making contact beforehand
Making contact with the person before the interview should give your interviewee a better understanding of  what is expected of him or her, and in what context the interview will be used. It also means you can assess whether or not someone will make a good interviewee. Once you have shortlisted your questions you should give them a copy to prepare their answers. 


3^rd Preparing the questions
How you prepare your questions will depend on two criteria:


a) Who am I interviewing?
A politician, a colleague, the man in the street, an expert, a celebrity. You will tailor your questions in quite a different way for each.


b) What is it for?
A news bulletin, a current affairs programme, a general interest broadcast. The format and the atmosphere should be adapted for the different types of programme.


4th Preparing your equipment
· Make sure your recorder is working properly (microphone, cable, iphone, batteries, etc) by doing a quick recording and listening back to it.
· If the interview is to take place outdoors, place the iphone inside the collaborators pocket.


There are five different types of interview:


‘Explanation’ interview. Get information from your interviewee about his or her expert subject, or about something he or she is well-positioned to talk about.

‘Portrait’ interview. Bring out the personality of the interviewee on the air.

‘Witness’ interview. Have a witness to an event.

’Declaration’ interview. Ask the reaction of someone involved in the news, or of a politician for their immediate reaction to a story or meeting in which they have taken part.

’Vox Pop’ interview. Survey a slice of the population to give a reflection of public opinion about a news story.

MAIN TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Closed questions: Reply is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Eg. "Are you in favour of free speech?"


Multiple choice questions : The reply is induced.
Eg. "Are you in favour of the death penalty, or of life imprisonment?"




Semi-open questions: Replies are short and precise.
Eg. These questions in general start with ‘How many?’ , ‘Who?’ , ‘When?’ and ‘Where?’




Open questions: Detailed replies, open to explanation and justification, etc.
Eg. "What do you think about free speech?"

Structuring your questions and how to conduct the interview

Using your phones, practice these types of questions & techniques on each other. Upload the examples using the techniques we learned in shooting a single camera interview (no need to edit).

Types of questions & structure

1. Developmental Questions: Start with a question that is more or less innocuous as a sort of ‘warm-up’ and to put your interviewee at ease.

On the other hand you can also throw yourself right in with a difficult one, if you want to knock your interviewee off balance or create an atmosphere of controversy.


Note: You may not use these in the final edit, but the effect on your contributor will be apparent in how they respond to the later questions

2. Key Questions (focused on the purpose of the interview/what you need to be discussed/answered)
Alternate between open and less open questions to re-focus you interviewee on the subject or let him or her a little more freedom. If they are rambling, ask closed questions that demand precise answers. If you want them to open up a bit, ask broader questions to let relax them.

3. Use the "sum up" if your interviewee is trying to dodge answering an important point, re-formulating it as a question "So what you’re saying is…" More often than not, he or she will return to what they were trying to avoid!

Structure your questions, with the most interesting at the start. Then, if you’re running out of time, you will have got in the most important ones.

Avoiding the well-known pitfalls:The interviewee answers your question with a question. Just stay quiet, wait for him or her to answer your question. If he doesn’t, ask the same question again. In rare, extreme cases, remind him the rules of the game: You are the interviewer, it’s your job to ask the questions. He agreed to the interview, and in doing so agreed to answer them. This should be said firmly, but not in an aggressive manner.

The interviewer starts to answer your questions saying "Yes, indeed…but one important question I feel I should address is…" or "that’s and interesting question and it raises another…", and proceeds to ask himself a question he wants to answer. Be vigilant. Keep going back to the issue you want to explore, politely but firmly, until you get a real answer.

3 x Techniques - which is best for your purposes?

1. The non-directive interview: Begin with "Tell me about...", never use a question. This approach leaves the interviewee free to say whatever he or she likes without limiting him or her to the parameters of your own knowledge of the subject. You can then go back over the most important points raised, "sum up" each along the lines of "you were saying...". This method of interviewing is best for bringing out lots information, but it is the most difficult to master.

2. The directed interview: Only use questions, more or less open ones. The interviewer knows about what they are discussing, and sometimes even knows the answer he will get, but needs the interviewee to confirm the information.

3. The semi-directed interview: Alternate the questions between those which guide the interview to where you want to go and those which may invite interesting and enriching elaboration.

http://jinamedia.weebly.com/unit-27--36/understanding-interview-purposes-and-techniques

Week 2.1 Single Camera Interviews Workshop

Objective	To know how to set up and present a single-camera interview
Distinction	Presenter is confident, interview is controlled and fluid Edited to meet segment run time, with links and cut-aways	Complete segment edit for doc
Merit	Presenter follows a structure and conducts a successful interview Edit a complete sequence containing ·        Rule of 3rds ·        Singles ·        Introduction and Wrap Up/Hand Over ·        Noddies/Reaction Shots ·        Clear sound & synch ·        Lighting	Interview edit and rushes
Pass	Know how to set up a single camera interview Film and edit an interview sequence shot on one camera Present an interview	Blocking Diagram Interview rushes

Blocking Diagram


10 Steps to Shooting your First DIY Interview from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

     

Objectives and Strategy

1. a single camcorder to do the work of two.
2. the edited program to look as if it's unfolding in real time, just like a multi-camera studio shoot.
3. provide the editor with the content and the coverage required to cut together a seamless sequence.

Here's a strategy for achieving these goals.
The idea is to shoot the interview from several different camera setups. Typically:

• A neutral angle showing the relationship between subject and reporter.
• An angle on the subject, shooting over the reporter's shoulder (typically called an "OSS," over-the-shoulder shot).
• A closeup  on the subject alone.
• A closeup  on the reporter alone ("a reverse")

In shooting this way, the trick is to avoid losing the flow of the interview by stopping it to change camera setups.

For this reason, the majority of the conversation takes place as shown in Figures 2 and 3, because these setups require no change in the positions of camera, lighting and microphone.

Equipment

You'll have a camcorder on a tripod. (Because interview subjects don't move much, they give away even the best hand-held camera work.)

For high-quality sound, an external microphone is equally essential. A lapel mike (wired or wireless) works well, or you can mount a shotgun mike to a table-top stand and place it close to the speaker and just below the frame line.

Headphones are an absolute must, both for monitoring voice quality and for detecting any interfering background noises.

The simplest may have just one soft key light and maybe a large sheet of white foamcore board for reflected fill. We'll compromise with a two-light setup: a spotlight with spun-glass diffusion clipped to its barn doors and a large, soft fill light either an umbrella style or a softbox type.

Interview Procedures

The neutral angle establishing shot is used to begin, and maybe to end the interview. If the sound quality is good enough, you can start the interview in the establishing shot. Often, however, this wide two-shot acts as a silent background for a title or voiceover introduction to the interview. In the same way, you can use this shot to wrap up the sequence.

It's often a good idea to delay the actual questions and answers until after the two-shot, because shifting the camera, lights and mike for the main interview setup can take long enough to distract the participants and lose the flow of the discussion.

Typically, the interview will start with an over-the-shoulder closeup of the subject. In framing the shot, try to include the side of the reporter's face. A moving cheek will indicate that the reporter is speaking, without revealing what's being said. (The editor can then lay "moving cheek" footage over anything the reporter says.) .

After you have enough footage over the reporter's shoulder, zoom in to the subject's closeup. That way, the closer angle on the subject can enhance the growing drama of the interview. (If you time it right, you can zoom and re-frame during a question so that the editor can replace the zoom with a shot of the reporter.)

Now comes the trick. You set up and shoot the reporter after the main interview is over; in fact, you can allow the subject to leave at this point.

If you've been miking only the subject, the reporter will need to repeat every question.

Roll through the original footage in the camcorder, making notes on each question, and then have the reporter work from these notes. In some cases, you won't need a follow-up question. Instead, the editor can insert a brief shot of the reporter listening while the subject adds to the previous response.

And now the reporter gets to really act. To provide cutaway footage for the editor, you need to record a repertory of reporter reactions for insertion at suitable moments. In addition to simply listening and nodding encouragement, a few other reactions are often useful:

•   Slight puzzlement, as if to say, "Could you explain that further?"
•   Mild surprise, indicating "You don't say," or "No kidding!
•   A smile, signaling a warm response to a humorous remark.

Of course, the subject's statements may suggest other reactions.

Tips for Camcorder Setups

Here are some suggestions for getting the best possible picture and sound quality:

• Keep the camcorder back from the subject. A long camera throw, as it's called, keeps the hardware out of the subject's face and the telephoto lens [as in zoomed in] setting makes for pleasing closeup shots [because it creates shallow focus].
• Light the background by moving the subject. Working with minimal lighting, you'll illuminate the background with spill from the key and fill lights. Watching your monitor carefully, move your subjects toward or away from the walls behind them until the subject lighting makes the backgrounds just slightly darker than the foregrounds.
• Use slightly low camera angles. Generally, people look more impressive when shot from just below eye level.
• Make the best use of camcorder mikes. When forced to record audio with the built-in microphone, move as close to your subject as possible. Since wide-angle lenses tend to produce unflattering closeups, try to stay with wider waist- and chest-level compositions.

Interview Equipment Checklist

__ Tripod

__ External viewscreen or monitor

__ External microphone

__ Headphones

__ Lights

Final point - your background or location should have some visual relevance to what the subject or contributor in your interview. For example, if it is a scientist, they ought to have books or credentials or a lab behind them.

If being shot in a studio, consider how you can key in an effect using chroma/green screen.

Assessment Task: How to Guide
In teams of 3, create a 'How to Guide' collecting images or video of yourselves carrying out these instructions to create either a YouTube video or a Blog Post.

You must each contribute to 1 of the following areas

• Section 1: (Demonstration) Single Camera Interview setup and strategy
• Section 2: (Demonstration) Lighting for location interviews
• Section 3: (Demonstration) Sound for location interview
• Section 4: (Demonstration) Editing interviews

Part 1: Summarise and Bullet Point the instructional videos into Steps and Guidelines:
http://ctkmedial3extdip.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/how-to-film-interviews-practical.html

Part 2: Create a Blocking Diagram for your interview
Blocking Diagram

Part 3: Carry out the interview
Questions are here

http://ctkmedial3extdip.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/assignment-1-task-3-questions-for.html

Take the photos or record the set up as you go

How to film interviews - practical resources

Interviewing someone on camera can be tricky. If you don't ask the right questions in the right way, an interview can quickly become stale, boring or inauthentic. I've compiled a few tips for you, so you can make sure that the interview you are filming is as engaging and professional as possible.
Open Vs. Closed Questions When interviewing someone, getting the best answer is your top priority. While asking the right question is crucial, HOW you ask the question is just as important. Asking open-ended questions is the best way to get the response you are looking for. For instance, asking 'Do you enjoy your work?" will illicit a yes or no answer. But if you ask, "What are you working on at the moment?" will give you a far better response. It allows the subject to really get into the meat of the subject, and will give you much better content for your video.
Ask Them to Repeat the Question When answering the question, have your subject include the question in their answer. If you ask, "What is the best part of your job?" their answer might start with "The best part of y job is...". This simple technique will help out a lot when editing the video, especially if you don't plan on having narration. It will give their answer context so the audience knows exactly what they are talking about.
Prepare your questions Have your questions prepared before the interview. This may seem obvious, but it is a common mistake for interviewers to be overconfident or lazy before the interview and try to 'wing it'. Think about what information you need from your subject and what type of questions will get the responses you want. But don't think there isn't room to improvise. If your subject starts to talk about something interesting, go with it and ask appropriate, natural questions. If you rigidly stick to your prepared questions, the conversation and rapport with your interviewee can suffer.
Don't give out your questions To get the best, most natural answers possible, it's usually best not to give your questions out before the interview. You can give a general idea on what kinds of questions you'll ask, but if the subject tries to prepare their answers, you run the risk of the interview being robotic and stale.
Stop Talking Keep your questions short and to the point. If you ask a long-winded question, the subject may forget the point of the question, or not understand exactly what you are asking. Once you have finished asking the question, stop talking. Unless you are a subject in the interview, don't make any noises such as "yeah" or "ok". You can nod and gesture, but keep it quiet. This will make sure your voice isn't picked up in the audio and will reduce editing time.
Give them the final word At the end of the interview, ask if you have missed anything or if there is a topic they want to talk about. As prepared as you may be, sometimes the best information will be something you hadn't thought of.

Interview Technique examples

Annotate the videos as a group, outlining where the following are used and it's purpose or effect in an interview

Interview techniques: 

1. question types (open, closed, single, multiple, direct, suggestive); 
2. interview styling, eg hard news, combative, light-hearted, entertainment, investigative, promotional; 
3. structuring (introduction, developmental questions, confidence building, key questions, soundbites, summary, wind- up); 
4. communication skills, eg building rapport, active listening, body language; 
5. telephone techniques, eg gathering information, obtaining comments 

Purposes of interviews: 

1. research; 
2. enhancement of audience understanding; including promotion
3. informational, eg presenting information; 
4. interpretive, eg expressing or explaining opinion, justification, accountability; 
5. emotional, eg allowing audience insight to a situation 

0. http://youtu.be/WATd8hqnjZE