Video Production Tips, On-Camera Interviews

Tips to help you With On Camera Interviews

An on-camera interview is a video recording of a conversation between you and an interviewer. Your responses are captured for later review and editing into a final video production.

Whether you are a seasoned vet or this is your first time these tips are guaranteed to make your on-camera interviews a success. These production interview tips will help whether you are appearing in corporate videos, social media video or an interview for video marketing. After reading this article, you will look good, feel comfortable and speak the way you want to on-camera.

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Clothing.

How should I dress for on-camera interviews?

Dress as you would to fit the subject you are speaking about. Maintaining a professional appearance is crucial to ensure you are taken seriously by your audience. For instance if you are the President of a bank, a suit and tie would be appropriate. If you are the Club Pro at a golf course a golf shirt and slacks would be appropriate. Keep the video shoot in context and dress appropriately for what your target audience would expect.

If the bank President mentioned above was at a charity event loading trucks for a food drive, we would not expect a suit and tie. A logoed golf shirt and blue jeans would be entirely appropriate. When in doubt, ask your video producer for their opinion.

Depending on the video shoot’s requirements you might be on-set for a while. Lights on a set can be hot. So however you need to dress, take your comfort into consideration. “Lighter” fabrics are always a smart choice to help you feel cool and comfortable.

What colors look best on video?

Earth tones! Ok, what are earth tones? Earth tones, in their most basic sense, are colors that are found in nature. Think: rust, marigold, deep navy, brown, deep gray, terracotta, green, black, and classic blue. These colors will make lighting you for the project easier.

Choosing the right colors can enhance your visual appeal and make the lighting setup more effective.

Stay away from white and bright colors like yellow. These colors will reflect light and make lighting you more of a challenge.

If you need to wear a white shirt, have a jacket or sports coat to cover the shirt. Another option for a formal talk (shirt and tie) might be for you to wear a blue shirt instead of a white one. [See photo above, note the blue shirt under his jacket.]

For your interview try to avoid material or fabric that reflects light. For instance, choose cotton over silk or polyester because cotton doesn’t reflect light. Cotton is a better choice and your lighting will look better.

Lastly, avoid fine prints on your shirts and/or tie. They can cause “moire effect” where fine lines look “blotchy” when recorded. It can really be a challenge during editing if your footage has fine lines or patterns.

Pay attention to the details, after all we want your on-camera interview to look great!

Makeup

If you want a makeup person at your recording, please let your production crew know in advance. A good makeup person really does help make your footage look better. But their services also adds $500+ to the budget. Many people feel comfortable doing their own, which is fine if they can.

One concern we get when doing a male interview is baldness. No hiding it, you have hair or you don’t. Many times the heat from the lights makes a room warm and the interviewee starts to perspire.

We’ve had great success “dulling” a bald head with “MAC Matte Creme Matifiante”. Instead of shining it "mattes" the image down, it's a dramatic difference in the shot.

The product comes in a small tube that you apply directly to the person's head. It really does an amazing job “dulling” the reflection of the lights on the person's head. Please let your producer know of any concerns before the scheduled recording so they can bring the correct supplies.

Prepping Yourself for your on-camera interview

In all honesty the best tip you’ll get from this article is in this section. It’s the way you can ensure your interview and comments will be awesome.

Normally the producer will send you the exact questions to be asked in advance. We always do, because it gives our interviewees a chance to review. Additionally, this allows you time to reflect on your key messages. Allow us a bit of latitude though. Often during “small talk” before the production people mention an important concept that we’ll want to add to the interview later.

Consider the interview setting and ensure it is conducive to a professional and distraction-free recording. Turn off your computer and put your phones on silent. This will limit distractions and let you focus on your interview.

More often than not, the interviewee is the hardest critic in the room. The reason we’re interviewing you is because YOU are the expert. We need the information you have to explain a concept to viewers. You’ve experienced the subject we’re asking about and no one knows about it better than you.

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.”

— William S. Burroughs

I can’t tell you how many people we work with who are anxiety ridden by the time the lighting and camera are set. RELAX! We just want your honest comments about the questions we’ve sent in advance. No worries- if you make a mistake we can always “redo” the question. Our goals are all the same, making great content!

I think interviewee “anxiety” comes because people do too much pre-interview preparation. Once they sit in front of the camera people’s nerves take over. They’re seeking the “perfect” answer, when there really isn’t any. We’re just looking for your thoughts on the subject.

The other thing I think really makes it difficult on interviews is that we are looking for SHORT ANSWERS for our content. Our interviewees often think we are looking for a twenty minute answer. Honestly, if the answer can be stated in two or three sentences that’s perfectly fine- please do so!

A short answer works for us better during the edit because we are always fighting to keep videos short. [Click for related posts on video length to maximize viewer watchability].

Any other notes for your on-camera interview?

Where do I look?

At the interview you’ll likely be surrounded by the producer, a camera operator and possibly a sound technician. Normally the interviewer will be slightly off-camera just to the side of the camera lens. The camera operator will frame you pleasantly in the camera frame. Understanding the camera angles can help you position yourself correctly and ensure you are framed well in the shot. This allows for a relaxed interview, where you will look great in the final production. Rarely, you may be asked to look directly into the camera lens if you are asking the viewer to do something or talking directly to them (think news). The producer will go over eye contact with you at the filming.

Can I type out the responses in advance?

Please do not type out the answers to the questions, print and bring to the shoot. You cannot read from them during the interview. We want you to maintain eye contact with the interviewer or sometimes with the camera lens.

We encourage natural responses to ensure the interview feels genuine and engaging.

9 times out of 10, when someone walks in with “papers” the crew knows this is going to be a long and difficult interview. Before you ask… we don’t like your “papers” on your lap because we will hear the paper rattling when inevitably they fall to the floor. Additionally your eye contact will be broken often as you are looking to your scripted answers as a “crutch”. The answer to your next question? No they cannot be taped to a wall or right below the camera lens. No one has that good of vision. Trust me when I say from my 35+ years of experience and hundreds (thousands?) of interviews when I say, “It wont work”.

One “crutch” that can help you if you’re anxiety ridden is a teleprompter. It would have to be arranged with your production crew in advance (we have several) to ensure it will be brought to the shoot. But a teleprompter really only works when the interview calls for you to be looking directly at the camera. Projects where you are looking for a direct response from the viewer.

But before you think a teleprompter is the be all, end all… you need to be able to use it like a newscaster. This is a skill that needs to be practiced. It probably will be easier to speak extemporaneously from the questions being asked.

“Reading this article before the interview eliminated 90% of my fears”

— Bob K., Rio, Wisconsin

Recommended preparation

From our 35+ years of experience with production and editing, it’s best to BRIEFLY look at the questions in advance. You can then become familiar with them. No need to memorize, your producer or videographer will be asking you the questions at the shoot.

Proper preparation helps maintain a smooth interview flow and ensures all key points are covered.

Again, who knows the subject better than you? It’s the reason we’re asking you the questions for this interview.

Please rephrase the question

We’ll ask you questions “off-camera” meaning the viewer will not hear us asking the question in the final project. Just your answer. We’ll need you to recap the question in some form in your answer so that it’s a complete thought.

Providing concise answers helps keep the interview focused and makes the editing process easier.

For instance, if I asked, “How long have you been a police officer?” don’t just say, “10 years”. We would be hoping for something like, “I’ve been an officer since 1997 when I got out of the police academy after four years in the Marines…” It’s an open ended answer -in context- that the viewer can understand if they heard the clip alone.

Keep "evergreen" when possible

Even better in the example above, the person said they have been with the police since “1997” instead of “10 years”. What happens the following year when someone watches the interview? It wont be 10 years, it'll be 11 years. The phrasing made the interview outdated in a year.

We call this "keeping a response evergreen". This technique comes up all the time in corporate videos when someone describes how long the firm has been in business, when they started, or when a product or service was added.

Another good way to achieve the same result is, "I have over thirty years of experience....".

[You’ll note that in the RECOMMENDED PREPARATION SECTION I said, “From our 35+ years of experience with production…”- this is another example of keeping things “evergreen”.

Biggest take away…

RELAX! Everyone's goal is the same... to make you look awesome in the final project. By following the interview tips above you'll be relaxed and we'll produce a much better project.

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Questions or thoughts? Feel free to call to discuss how Acclaim Media can help you produce your video production efficiently and drive results. Acclaim Media is a Naperville video production company serving Chicago and the suburbs.