Interviews to camera
This section has been called interviews to camera because, in these modern times, the final product could just as easily be published online or on a DVD as on the television.
Getting there
Large media organisations such as the BBC and ITV have many sites where the filming could take place. Equally, you could be filmed on location or through a remote camera. Therefore there are some important ground rules to ensure you go to the right place.
- Get them to put in writing exactly where you are required to go – with a map if possible
- Find out who you should ask for when you arrive
- If offered a car to pick you up (yes it does happen sometimes when dealing with a live programme) accept because they will know where they are going and the responsibility for getting you there is them with the media organisation
- If finding your own way, get there early/in good time, find a coffee shop and go and read a paper to relax and calm yourself before entering the studios/location.
The Green Room
When you arrive at the studios you will almost certainly be taken to the green room or Hospitality Room. Beware – once you enter the studios everything you say is on the record.
If the interview is to be taped then you may find yourself in the green room for some time as the studio is prepared. If you get the chance, ask if you can view the studio so that you can get a feel for the layout. This will help you to calm your nerves.
You may find yourself sharing the green room with others. It is a time when the nerves are probably jangling and it is a time when you could say something to ease the tension – Don’t!
If you are sharing the green room with other people being interviewed for the same package then beware what you say; keep it polite and try to keep to yourself. Hopefully the studio managers will not have been so silly as to put you in the same room as your opponents (most studios have more than one green room!).
Refreshments will be available in the green room. Before the interview keep to water or coffee; avoid fizzy drinks and alcohol. Also avoid eating too much food. You want your tummy to be as calm as possible for the interview and you want your mind to be clear.
A comfort visit is a good idea before you go into the interview, especially if you have been drinking a lot of water.
During your time in the green room the interviewer or producer may visit you to discuss the interview; if they do then check that all the arrangements are as previously discussed. They will probably tell you how you will be introduced, what your first question will be and the layout of the studio (if you haven’t already seen it). If they don’t brief you then ask them these are important last minute questions that will help to settle your nerves.
The other event that might happen whilst you are in the green room is that they may remove you for a few minutes to have some make-up applied. For example, bald heads can get very shiny in an interview so they will apply a small amount of powder to prevent this. Don’t worry about this, what they do is quite normal and will enhance how you look in front of the camera.
The Studio
Most people are fazed by the intensity of the studio. Don’t be, it is to get the best pictures within the limitations of the camera.
There will be bright lights that lead to heat and lots of people bustling around. Wires are lying around everywhere and technicians will be shouting a vivid collection of jargon. This is all normal. Ignore it and concentrate on what you need to do.
- Go to your seat, look around you. Get used to the lights, heat and noise
- A sound engineer will ‘wire’ you with a microphone. Just let them get on with it. You talk to the producer or interviewer if around. They will ask you to say something. This is for sound levels. Don’t raise or lower your voice but talk as you would normally
- Remember; when you are in the studio assume that everything is being taped. So avoid loose comments
- Make sure that you have a glass of water. If not, ask for one. The interview and the lights will make your mouth dry
- Beware your body language. It can give away more than your answers
- Sit well back in the chair, avoid crossed arms and legs, don’t slump, and try to keep your head upright and not tilted.
The Interview
- Always look at the interviewer or person to whom you are speaking
- Don’t look at the camera unless it is a ‘remote’ interview
- Talk normally and clearly. No ‘posh’ accents please
- Listen to the question
- Think about the question. Decide what you want to say and say it
- Always answer the question concisely
- Remember most sound bites are around 15 seconds so you have to get your message across in that time
- Try to get in your ‘key message’ several times during the interview
- If you use notes (only to refer to technical data) then use a large clear typeface
- Smile and say what you want to say
- Avoid jargon and statistics
- Never get angry – nor have a fixed smile on your face, but do try to give a genuine smile when possible – unless, of course, it is a very serious situation when you should avoid appearing flippant at all costs
- Avoid becoming defensive and never be rude to the interviewer. Use the interviewer, never let him/her turn you into the ‘enemy’ but instead if he attacks you then be reasonable and make him/her look like the guilty party
- Never enter into an argument
- Never say anything you don’t want recorded
- Never swear or be rude or crude
- Never ever say ‘no comment’
- Try to avoid Yes/No answers, although rarely and for dramatic effect they can be used to make very clear your viewpoint
- Avoid too much hand movement, there is nothing more distracting on television than seeing an interview where the hands occasionally waft into view and out again in the bottom of the screen; and the more distracted your audience the less they are listening to your key message
- If the interview is being taped, you can ask to start again. But try to avoid doing so, it never really works well the second time
- Get someone to video your performance so that you can make a critical assessment afterwards
- At the end of the interview stay seated until someone removes the microphone and you are able to walk away without causing mayhem!
Other interviews to camera
We have looked at the most common form of interview to cmaera above. But there are many others. Below are some general points with these.
- In the street. Watch the backdrop it may not be favourable to you. Dress appropriately and avoid standing in the rain (‘drowned rats’ don’t look good). Ignore everything else going on around you and just concentrate on the interviewer
- On location. Check what the interview is about before you agree to this. If a bad news story they will try to put you in plush surroundings behind a big desk. If good news story then they will make the background softer and more appealing. You can choose your location ; if they object then that is their problem not yours, do not allow yourself to be filmed with a bad background scene.
On location you will be dealing with one camera, a camera crew and the reporter – these people have a tough time so try and make their life easy and, if filming on your site then give them refreshments and make them feel at home.
- Remote. The interviewer is in the studio and you are on site. They will give you an earpiece to listen to the interviewer as well as the microphone. In this case talk directly to the camera unless the producer asks you to do otherwise. The interviewer will be watching you on a monitor in the studio. Try to keep your facial expressions normal and treat the camera as though it was the face of the interviewer.
Afterwards
Sometimes people will say “That isn’t what I said” – when quite clearly it is them talking. What they mean is that the final package has been edited and as a result the meaning has changed.
Always tape your interview so that you have your own record. If it’s a really important interview for your organisation then always take a press officer and get them to tape the interview. Also tape the interview that was published. Then if you feel that you have been taken out of context you can get a verbatim copy of your interview and compare it with the final product. This may give you enough grounds to make a complaint and get an apology.
Always review your interview. Ask yourself how you did, did you get your key message out clearly, where you fluent or nervous, how well did you handle each question? By reviewing the interview you can learn and improve in readiness for the next time.
If it was a really good interview as for a copy or media clip, get their permission and publish on your website or ‘You Tube’.
There is a big difference between knowing the theory and making it happen. For help in implementing your communications practices email us now.
