Interview Workshop

WITNESS invites you to use, remix and share this curriculum. All materials are under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. 

You can also find more video advocacy training materials at www.witness.org. 

Objective

Familiarize participants with

interviewing strategies throughout

pre-production and production.

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In This Session

– Preparing for an interview– How to record informed consent– Interviewing techniques that will provide the

best answers– Technical concerns to consider while

conducting an interview– The completion of a hands on interviewing /

camera exercise

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Conducting an Interview -Preproduction-

• Conduct pre-interviews.• Develop a list of questions.• Find a suitable location.• Keep your interviewees’ well-being and

safety a priority.

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Conducting an Interview -Production-

• Make sure your interviewee is comfortable and prepare them.

• Quiet the room.• Compose your shot and make sure you’re

happy with it.• Record Consent.

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Recording Informed Consent

• Unless there are security risks, always record full names.

• Introduce yourself and describe the purpose of your project.

• Explain where the interview may be screened and who may see it.

• Ask your interview if they understand and if they give their permission to be recorded.

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Avoid Yes or No Answers

Don’t ask:

Are the living conditions in the refugee camp bad?Ask:

Please describe the living conditions in the refugee camp.

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Open Ended Questions

• Can you tell me about…• Please explain…• Please describe your experience.• How did that make you feel?

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Question in the Answer

Question:“How long have you worked at the center?”

Answer:“I have worked at this center for five years.”

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Keep in Mind

• Allow space between questions and answers.

• Visual response: never talk over your interviewee.

• Repeat a question if necessary.• Always give your interviewee the last

word.

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Technical Concerns

• Shooting outdoors will usually provide better lighting.

• Shooting indoors will usually produce better sound.

• Use a tripod! Wear headphones!• Clip on microphones provide better sound.• Record room tone.

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What is Room Tone?

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Follow this link to listen to an audio example of room tone:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jInQpe1hDIQ

Room Tone is the "silence" recorded at a location or space when no dialogue is spoken. In an edit, Room Tone is intercut with dialogue to smooth out any sound edit points.

What are “Talking Hands”?

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“Talking hands” cutaways are close ups of the interviewees hands as they are gesturing while they speak. Record “talking hands” at the end of an interview while your interviewee is responding to a question that is not important to your video.

Follow this link to view an example of talking hands:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuhMnMBrvD0

Interview Exercise60 minutes

Roles In groups of three each participant should take turns performing the following three roles:

Camera Person: Records the interview

Interviewer: Conducts the interview

Interviewee: Responds to the questions 

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Interview Exercise60 minutes

Each participant will: • Choose a member of their production team to

interview.

• Develop a list of five open ended questions based on their interviewees human rights work.

• Record consent.

• Conduct an interview.

• Record room tone

• Film a “talking hands” cutaway

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Summary

• Spend time during pre-production to find the best people to interview

• Record informed consent before every interview

• Avoid yes or no answers• Always as open ended questions• Make sure the question is in the answer• Keep technical considerations in mind while

recording interviews

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Interview Workshop

WITNESS invites you to use, remix and share this curriculum. All materials are under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. 

You can also find more video advocacy training materials at www.witness.org.