WCC COMM 119-Interview Techniques

WCC COMM 119-Interview Techniques

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  CHAPTER 17: INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES C OM M 1 1 9 : B R O A D C A S T P R O D U C T I O N
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  INTERVIEWING • Interviewing isa large part of News/Factual Broadcast Production and there are several things you need to know to bet the most out of your interview, not the least of which is the PURPOSE of the interview – WHY are you talking to this person? If you don’t have a firm grasp on that, you won’t get the interview you need
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  INTERVIEW PURPOSES • FACTUAL:You’re asking your subject for information or to demonstrate something • EXPLANATION: You and your audience already know the facts, but you would like to have your subject explain them or provide elaboration • OPINION AND CONTROVERSY: You may be covering an issue over which there is some kind of debate and you are asking the subject to comment on one side or the other
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  INTERVIEW PURPOSES • WITNESS/EXPERIENTIAL:Your subject may be a witness to or participant in an event and/or have some kind of personal experience which is relevant to your coverage; you might also be looking for some colorful/descriptive insight that may also involve emotion • CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: The main reason you’re talking to this subject is because they’re famous but want to talk about their latest project or issue that’s important to them
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  INTERVIEW PURPOSES •Of course,it’s perfectly possible that the same person could give you different types of interviews or combine those elements but the main thing you need to know as an interviewer is what YOU’RE looking for in the interview
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  INTERVIEW PREPARATION • Preparingyourself for the interview is absolutely key to its success –Have a list of questions you want to talk about and be prepared with follow-up questions – WRITE THEM DOWN! –Know about the subject by doing research – NEVER WING IT! –Prepare the subject and let them know what you want to talk about – DON’T MAKE THEM JUST WING IT!
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS • Wheninterviewing someone, DON’T FORGET TO LISTEN! That may sound odd but in the heat of the moment it’s all too easy for an interviewer to be concerned with everything else that’s going on around them to give the subject their full attention and that will inevitably impact the interview in a negative way
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS • OPENINGQUESTION: –Starting with a general question is a great way to begin the interview and warm up both yourself and your subject • FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS: –Again, if you’re not listening and too focused on your prepared questions, you are likely to miss opportunities to connect with the subject and naturally follow their answers
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS • OPENAND CLOSED QUESTIONS: – Perhaps one of the most important things is to remember to avoid “Closed Questions”; a closed question is one to which an interviewer can only answer “Yes” or “No” – Use “Open Questions” which give the subject somewhere to go with their answer and they can’t just simply say “yes” or “no” – Questions that start with “How”, “Why” and “Can you tell me about…” will get you more open answers than those that start with “Did”, “Do”, and “Are”
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS • CONTROVERSIALQUESTIONS: – If you’re asking a subject to give an opposing view to something, make sure you frame the question in way that makes it clear that you’re not expressing you own personal viewpoint, but the viewpoint of others – “How do you feel…” QUESTIONS: Be careful with those as answers to those types of questions can be almost as closed as “yes” or “no” answer-only questions – instead, ask them to tell you about specific personal consequences or results for them around a situation or question
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS • ANECDOTES: –You almost always want your subjects to be engaging and colorful as your viewer/listener will be much more engaged with them if they can give examples and anecdotes rather than simple and bland comments – Encouraging subjects to give examples and anecdotes frees them up from their expected responses and allows them to be more relaxed and conversational with you as the interviewer
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  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS •ONE QUESTIONAT A TIME: –NEVER ask more than one question at a time so keep your questions short and then follow up if needed –Don’t try to pack all your questions into one super-mega question. Instead of asking a long-winded question, split it up into two parts –If your question is longer than 10 words or so, then it’s likely TOO LONG!
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  INTERVIEW THINGS TOAVOID •AVOID SCRIPTS: –Don’t let your subject read their answers to you – it makes for a boring interview and might as well be a text-only piece • DON’T WEAR DARK GLASSES: –Viewers need to see their (and your) eyes and, if they can’t, they’re missing out on a very important part of non-verbal communication and are likely to disconnect from the story
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  INTERVIEW THINGS TOAVOID • AVOID BRIGHT SUNLIGHT: –Be aware of where you’re shooting; no one wants to watch you or your subject squinting because of the sun and/or glare in their eyes • NO EATING OR DRINKING –While you often see guests drinking something on celebrity talk shows, it’s not a good idea with news productions as it’s simply too casual and the associated sounds can be oft-putting and annoying
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  INTERVIEW THINGS TOAVOID • DON’T INTERRUPT THE SUBJECT: – While you often want the interview to be conversational, not only do you not want to appear rude by interrupting, doing so only makes editing the interview later harder • DON’T “CROSS-TALK”: – You’ll be tempted to interject small comments like “yes” and “I see” and “oh” during the interview just like we do in real life, but in an interview it can be very annoying to a viewer/listener and, again, makes it very difficult to edit later; always remember that the interview is not about you, it’s about your subject
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  INTERVIEW THINGS TOREMEMBER • COMMUNICATE: Make sure your subject knows what’s going on; if you need to set up lights, tell them that’s what’s happening; if you have to do a sound check, let them know. It can be quite nerve-wracking to be interviewed so make sure you’re sensitive to that and keeping your subject comfortable and informed • CHECK PHONES: Make sure cell phones are off and not going to interrupt the taping of the interview • OFFER REASSURANCE: Again, your subject may be nervous about being interviewed so, unless you’re going out live, make sure they know they can relax and not worry if they “mess up” an answer because it’s no problem to do it again
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  INTERVIEW THINGS TOREMEMBER • CHECK RECORDING LEVELS: Make sure your crew and/or yourself is getting the audio and video the way you need it and you’re not distorting your material in any way due to level • RECORD “WILD TRACK”/ROOM TONE: As discussed earlier in the semester, make sure you record some “silence” in the room you’re recording in for later editing purposes • THANKS: Always remember to thank your subject for their time; if it weren’t for them, the segment you just recorded simply wouldn’t have happened
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  INTERVIEWING • Good interviewtechnique is a combination of good research, knowing the types of questions to ask, listening to the answers, and developing a good rapport with your subject – above all else, obey this rule: •#1 Rule: BE PROFESSIONAL, POLITE, AND INTERESTED
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  INTERVIEWING QUIZ &BOARD DISCUSSION • Take the INTERVIEWING Quiz • There is no discussion to accompany this section