Interviewing Styles on Documentary Production

Documentary Interviewing Styles

Interviews constitute the bulk of shots in a documentary. Cinema verite, archival footage, panning stills, or more creative montage make up the rest. Interviews fall into two general categories: the informal stand-up interview and the more formal sit-down interview. A hybrid of the two is the tour, where you follow the subject around a location. Lectures are not considered interviews, but included a few pointers on shooting those.

Stand-Up Interviews and Sit-Down Interviews

Stand-Up Interviews

Stand-up interviews are the on-the-spot kind one sees in front of the courthouse. They are cheap in the sense that questions are thrown out, and they are unscripted and unplanned. These interviews are good for a quick opinion or sound bite, but you cannot get the depth in these that you would get from a sit-down interview.

A stand-up interview can be anywhere, but is probably best and more meaningful if it is shot in a location that plays a part in a film, like a controversial location or a place the subject has a historical connection to.

Sit-Down Interviews

Sit-down interviews yield more reflective responses not only because the subject knows the questions you will ask, but also because he has made a commitment to be interviewed and more often than not has something substantial to say. In either interview situation, you have to ask yourself as a filmmaker and cinematographer what kind of material you are trying to get and what role the subject plays in the film. The setting for a sit-down interview is almost always removed from the action in a documentary film. It is in a library, a person’s home, or an office. This artificial distance between interview and action can be useful for pacing a film since it creates time for the audience to pause and reflect upon the film’s action and interviews.

A common type of sit-down interview is with the expert or person who has an informed opinion on the subject matter. Expert interviews are for information and should try to be impartial even though what they say might support or dispute a film’s position. Lectures are a good example of where to get expert opinions if you cannot get the expert to commit to an interview. When framing expert interviews, set these as a medium close-up.

Interview Cinematography Suggestions

Choose settings carefully. Scout the interview place in advance at the time of day that the interview will take place. The background should be out of focus and slightly darker than the foreground. Spots of highlights can be good, especially in the eyes.

As a general rule, subjects should not wear white, black, red, or stripes. A white shirt can be blown out and requires careful lighting which might not be possible. Black is bad because there is no lighting and all detail is lost in this area. Stripes can cause moires and other visually distracting artifacts.

Distance between the background and the person speaking should be as great as possible. There should be more depth of field in video. The background should be out of focus if possible.

An alternative to the sit-down interview is to have the subject flip through scrap books, photo albums, or historical news clippings. This often adds beauty to a documentary film and adds punch to what is being said.

Consistency in the look is key. While documentary filmmaking is not as stringent as narrative film, continuity and some level of production value will keep the audience focused. Capturing the essence of a scene depends entirely on where you are in a scene. Understand what’s going on and learn to take advantage of the scene for angle changes (anticipation).

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