The insider’s guide to nailing video interviews
Why we love watching video interview content 🧡
We enjoy looking at human faces.
And science proves we make significant decisions based on looking at faces.
Which is why we’re captivated by corporate interview videos .
They share a human element that adds authenticity.
Your viewers hear first-hand anecdotes and experiences.
Personal perspectives that make your company more relatable and real.
In this post, you’ll learn how to:
- Choose and reassure your interviewees
- Tell them what to wear and how much of their time you’ll need [averagely, about an hour]
- Where to film your interviews
- The process for filming and editing interviews
- And tips to get the responses you need
How to choose the right interviewees for your videos
Most corporate videos we produce use interviews with team members, customers, or both.
Employees share an insider’s view of the company
Choose a diverse range of interviewees from your organisation.
The CEO’s perspective, while valuable, is different from that of a mid-level manager.
A management perspective is different to an employee from the factory floor.
This diversity gives your viewers a relatable glimpse into your company – and the human side of your business.
Client interviews build credibility and trust
A happy customer is your company’s best marketing tool.
Through their interviews, you highlight your solutions and the excellent service you offer.
Their positive feedback is strong social proof.
And you need that to build trust.
Reassure your interviewees
Think of your corporate interview videos as casual chats.
And use ‘chat’ or ‘conversation’ when asking an employee or customer to be interviewed.
Reassure them they don’t have to memorise anything.
They don’t have to get their answers right the first time.
They’ll forget what they’re saying, stumble over words, pause to gather their thoughts and say ‘um.’
That’s OK.
We explain they don’t have to get it right the first time.
Don’t push for perfection.
Natural is more authentic.
How long will each interview take?
The interview itself will usually take between 20 and 30 minutes.
Allow another 30 minutes for the camera team to set up before the interview.
We also like to film extra background scenes with the interviewee to edit into their interviews.
This ‘b-roll’ filming might take another 30 minutes.
What role does the interviewer play?
The interviewer’s role is to get – and keep -the conversation flowing.
Being on camera is a new experience for most interviewees, so a good interviewer will help them feel at ease.
Set the tone
As the interviewer, you set the tone for the interview.
And it should be warm, friendly, and genuine.
To help the interviewee relax, make small talk before the interview.
Reassure the interviewee there are no ‘wrong’ answers.
As the crew sets up, a casual chat can ease them into the interview.
“Tell me a bit about yourself…”
“Do you have any questions about what we’re doing to set up for the interview?”
“Is there anything you’re worried about?”
Guide the conversation
Where possible, get a little background on the interviewee to engage with them more easily,
Once the camera is rolling, a good interviewer keeps the conversation flowing – engaging in a conversation rather than just asking questions..
Positioned off-camera across from the interviewee, the interviewer will ask each question. [And stay quiet as the respondent replies.]
The interviewer should also stay silent for a few seconds after the answer to avoid talking over the interviewee’s last words.
Follow-up questions delve deeper or get the interviewee back on track.
Interviewers must also prompt the interviewee to explain industry jargon or complex ideas in simpler terms.
Active listening makes the interviewee feel valued
The interviewer should show interest in the interviewee’s responses to reassure the interviewee.
How?
Maintain eye contact and use non-verbal cues like smiling and nodding to show you’re engaged.
Top tips for corporate interview videos
Give clear instructions
Uncertainty can cause discomfort.
So make sure the interviewee knows what to expect.
Explain the process, how long the interview will take, and how the company will use the video.
Open-ended questions spark conversation
Start each question with who, what, when, where or why to avoid yes/no answers.
These open-ended questions give your interviewee the most scope to share their thoughts and answer in their own words.
You could also use ‘tell me’ as a prompt to break up how you ask each question.
Don’t script or pre-plan answers
Scripting what you want someone to say is the fastest way to a stilted conversation.
It pressures your interviewee to memorise and recite – and ‘recite’ is what it will look and sound like.
You’ll get a more natural response if you allow them to find their own words.
[Don’t panic. If we don’t think we’re getting the answer we need to cover a certain point, we’ll ask a similiar question differently.]
Ask only one question at a time
One question at a time should be a no-brainer.
But I’ve often seen interviewers add confusion by asking 2 part questions.
Never do this – ask one question at a time and wait for a complete answer before moving on to the next.
This approach lets the interviewee express their thoughts without feeling overwhelmed.
It also makes the conversation easier to follow for the audience.
Avoid interruptions to let the conversation flow
Let your interviewee’s conversion flow, even if they’re going off-track.
Interrupting will shatter their confidence and break their chain of thought.
If the interviewee strays too far from the topic, steer them back on track with your next question.
Allow for a break
If the interview is long, pause for a break.
It might only be a few minutes to have a drink – but it allows the interviewee to relax and gather their thoughts.
Often the best grabs are delivered when the interviewee believes that the camera is turned off.
Once that pressure is off, a more natural conversation might flow – so we keep the camera rolling.
Where to film your interviews
The location should make sense in the context of the interview.
Are we talking to employees in a manufacturing facility? Let’s chat on the factory floor.
An employee who works on a construction site? That’s our location.
If we’re interviewing a chef, a kitchen or restaurant would be a logical setting.
When interviewing a company CEO, you might choose a corporate office or boardroom.
Think about sound
The location should be quiet enough that the interviewee won’t be interrupted.
Avoid places with too much background noise, like busy streets or crowded cafes.
Car horns, doors slamming shut and unexpected ‘short sharp noises cant be edited out.
If this happens, we ask that question again.
What should the interviewee wear?
Dress to fit the video’s vibe and to align with your brand or role.
More casual workplace? It might be jeans.
On a worksite? Wear your PPE.
Law firm? It might be a suit.
A suit, though, is the exception rather than the rule.
A CEO with sleeves rolled up and sitting on the edge of a desk is a great look that your viewers will relate to.
Avoid distracting patterns and colours
Avoid fine stripes or busy prints – they can create a visual distortion on the camera known as a moiré pattern.
Sticking to solid neutral or mid-range colours is best – avoid red and pure white.
Don’t blend into the background
Think about the background for the interview.
You want to stand out from it, not blend into it.
If the background is light, wear something darker to contrast, and vice versa.
Keep accessories minimal
Too many accessories can be distracting.
Avoid anything that makes noise when you move, like large statement jewellery.
Also read: What should you wear on camera
Our process for filming interviews
How we approach filming an interview — especially our preparation beforehand — improves the process and final result.
Let’s start with filming quality
We film in 4K [ultra-high-definition] for sharper, clearer images.
4K footage also offers greater flexibility in post-production.
We can crop, zoom, and manipulate the footage and keep the visual quality high.
This allows for more creative options in the final edit.
We film interviews with two cameras
Each camera is set up at different angles to give us a range of viewpoints and framings to use in the edit suite.
The first camera is positioned about 10° from centre, and the second camera around 40°.
We usually film from the waist up with camera #1 and punch in closer with camera #2.
This dual-camera setup adds more depth to our interviews and allows us to cut seamlessly between angles.
Shine a light on the scene
The first thing we look for is shadows in eye sockets – a definite no-no.
If we’re outdoors and the day is really bright, we use a translucent screen to shade the interviewee’s face.
This softens the harsh light and removes shadows from the face. [While the background still looks bright.]
For indoors, we usually set up three lights in different positions to get chase the shadows away and get even lighting across the face.
Sound quality
To record sound, our preference is a lapel mic.
This gives us the cleanest sound quality because the microphone is very close to the mouth.
Sometimes the mic will be hidden beneath a garment, but there’s a downside to the hidden mic.
And that’s its sensitivity for picking up garment rustles when the interviewee moves.
So in most situations, we don’t try and hide the mic – after all, this is an interview, so the tiny mic won’t look out of place.
We might use a boom mic if we’re filming more than one person in conversation.
This is held either overhead or underneath to capture all conversations.
The downside?
A boom mic will record more ambient sound.
So the background environment might rule this option out.
Setting up the filming location
When we choose a background, we check there’s nothing visually distracting behind the interviewee.[Like a plant or prop growing out of their head.]
Vertical lines through the head (i.e. a picture frame) are absolutely avoided.
If we’re filming inside, we like to place the interviewee away from the wall behind them to give the frame depth.
A strategically placed bit of greenery to the side fills the frame nicely
The lights and cameras are set up – and the interviewee has the mic attached.
A sound check is made – and we’re ready to hit record.
Allow about 30 minutes of set-up time for each interview location.
Why do we use a clapper at the start of an interview?
🎬 The iconic black-and-white stripes on a clapperboard serve a practical purpose in video production.
🎬 The contrasting pattern is distinguishable in low-lighting conditions. And against all backgrounds.
🎬 When we strike the clapstick, it creates a visual and audible cue.
🎬 This clapper ‘strike’ is a cue to help editors synchronise the video footage from two cameras with the audio track.
How we polish interviews in the edit suite
In the edit suite, we tidy up all the hiccups.
And connect the best grabs from all your starts and stops.
Our editing process starts with cleaning out all the unfinished responses we know we can’t use.
We then compile the best replies in one long string-out so we know what we have to work with.
From this compilation, we’ll make final selections. [Our clients sometimes like to choose the interview grabs themselves.]
There is usually so much great content here that you have to be ruthless in cutting back – but it’s a good problem to have!
Plus, more interview assets to re-purpose later is a win.
Once we have the final interview selections, they’re edited into the planned video structure.
Pauses, mistakes, or any awkward moments are banished.
In this final stage of interview editing, we use both camera angles – and can punch in closer from either camera to add more visual variety as edit.
We can also cut away to a piece of relevant footage (B-roll) to cover a visual join when we delete a piece from the interview.
This background footage adds more colour and interest to the interview story.
Key takeaways
A narration can explain your company’s values or mission – but it’s another thing entirely to hear this passion from the people who live and breathe it.
Whether it’s your CEO discussing your vision for the future, a product manager explaining the features of a new product, or an employee sharing their experiences, interviews foster a deeper connection between your audience and your brand.
Interview content humanises your company.
And that’s why we love it.
Table of Content
1. Why we love watching video interview content
2. How to choose the right interviewees
4. How long will each interview take?
5. What role does the interviewer play?
6. Top tips for interview videos
7. Where to film your interviews
8. What should the interviewee wear?
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