The Art Of The Interview

The best on-camera interviews feature honest, insightful comments made by clear-eyed people who seem, quite naturally, to support the story. However, every interview presents a raft of problems which make this difficult.

• Can you edit the interviewee's answers so that the audience knows what they are talking about?
• Is the sound audible?
• Is the interviewee relaxed?
• Can we see the person's eyes?
• Shiny forehead? Backlight too bright on the hair?
• Does the lighting distort the face?
• Is the light attractive on that person's skin?
• Is the background distracting? Significant?
• Is the framing appropriate for the particular answer?
• Does the lighting and shooting help convey the content of the interview?
• How can you shoot a compelling interview?
• What if you have to do it quickly? Or on-the-fly?
• How can you get a lot of data across without being boring?

This concise, effective, hands-on workshop will help you solve these problems and shoot great interviews. It is for documentarians, video journalists and corporate video makers who are working solo or with a crew.

Don Starnes is an award-winning Director and DP with thirty years of experience shooting in amazing places with fascinating people. He has photographed hundreds of interviews for documentaries, commercials, and corporate videos. His documentary work has been featured on National Geographic, Discovery Channel, MTV, VH1, TLC, Speed Channel, Nerdist, and many theatrical and festival screens. He has taught filmmaking workshops at Dreamworks Animation, Academy of Art University, Bay Area Video Coalition, the Film Arts Foundation and elsewhere.

A discount is available for students with ID.