Create Interview Videos
Capture powerful stories from your community. Whether interviewing elders, artists, or everyday people — learn to draw out stories that matter.
Research & Planning
- •🔍 Research your subject — know their story, work, background
- •📝 Write 10-15 questions, but be ready to abandon them
- •🎯 Define your goal — what story are you trying to tell?
- •📞 Pre-interview call — build rapport, explain the process
- •📍 Scout location — check lighting, noise, background
💭 Question Design
Open vs Closed Questions
The Magic Questions
Question Flow
Camera & Framing
- •📐 Frame subject slightly off-center (rule of thirds)
- •👁️ Camera at eye level or slightly above
- •🪑 Leave 'looking room' — space in direction they're facing
- •🖼️ Background matters — meaningful but not distracting
- •📏 Medium close-up is standard — chest/shoulders up to top of head
🎤 Audio Setup
Microphone Placement
Room Tone & Silence
💡 Lighting for Interviews
The Basic Setup
Natural Light Interview
The Art of Listening
- •🤫 Shut up and listen — your job is to draw them out, not talk
- •👀 Maintain eye contact — not at your notes or camera
- •😊 React genuinely — nod, smile, show you're engaged (silently!)
- •⏸️ Embrace silence — wait 3-5 seconds after they finish. More often comes
- •🔄 Follow the story — the best stuff isn't in your question list
🎯 Interview Techniques
The Power of Silence
The Echo Technique
The 'Can You Describe' Technique
Handling Emotion
Stories Worth Capturing
- •👴 ELDERS — Their memories are our history. Record before it's too late
- •🎨 ARTISTS — Musicians, thangka painters, performers preserving culture
- •📚 SCHOLARS — Monks, teachers, historians with knowledge to share
- •🌍 DIASPORA STORIES — How we've built lives around the world
- •🧒 YOUTH — The next generation's perspective on identity and future
🙏 Cultural Considerations
Interviewing Elders
Interviewing Monks/Nuns
Language & Translation
The Editing Process
- •📝 Transcribe everything — makes finding moments SO much easier
- •✂️ Cut ruthlessly — a 1-hour interview might become 8 minutes
- •🎬 B-roll covers cuts — hide edits with relevant footage
- •🔊 Use room tone — fill gaps, smooth audio between clips
- •📊 Structure around story — not chronological, around NARRATIVE
🎨 Editing Techniques
The 'Radio Edit' Method
J-Cuts and L-Cuts
When to Use B-Roll
What to Avoid
- •❌ Reading questions from paper — know them, don't read them
- •❌ Talking too much — this is THEIR story, not yours
- •❌ Cutting them off — let them finish, even if it's long
- •❌ Yes/no questions — open questions get open answers
- •❌ Ignoring what they said — follow interesting tangents
- •❌ Forgetting to get permission — always get release forms