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How do people feel about speaking with the interviewee in docs?
  • suresure123suresure123

    I am wondering if as I hold my camera for doc interviews I ask questions and interact with the person I'm interviewing. (behind the camera) I think it makes for a more interesting dialogue that just a talking head. What do people think about this? And what do people have any experience doing this?

  • 14 Replies sorted by
  • astrabanastraban

    Are people looking through your lense or above the cam trying to reach eye contact w/ you ? For certain things, relax, on the move (crowdy time or in the street) it can be good and, yeah, it help to create a relaxed interview. But I tend to prefer locked on (well lit, composed, etc.) interviews theses days. I would like to try a tool like this one (there is many models... can even probably DIY) for certain situations. http://eyedirect.tv/

  • astrabanastraban

    Mmh, you were more on the interaction than the image aspect. Yeah, an apparent (even just by his voice) interviewer is sometimes good. It depends. I mostly hate it (and always cut my voice) but some great documentaries were done this way and I loved it. Depends of the situations, the interviewer (his voice, intelligence, charisma, etc.). When it's just a show of trick it's a pain to watch. Just my taste.

  • mrbillmrbill

    Agreed this is quite subjective, but I find the interview only to be much more powerful. Sometimes a great answer only makes sense by including the interviewer's question, but that's the exception rather than the rule, for me anyway

  • peternappeternap

    It really depends on the situation. The question can always be explained in narration but some people have to have the questioning in order for the interview to flow.

  • brianlbrianl

    I vote interviewee only. I don't like that show VICE because I feel the interviewer is full of himself and wants to be part of the story.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @suresure123

    You can do it, and for some events like exhibitions it can be the only option.

    But people are usually very interested in emotions (and want to see face for this!), and if you have long interview where only one is in frame it makes some weird experience.

  • brianlbrianl

    it also depends on what the interviewer looks like. Some people aren't easy on the eyes.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    it also depends on what the interviewer looks like. Some people aren't easy on the eyes.

    I think it does not matter much, until interview has some content.

    We are so far into bueatufil idiots lands now, so some refreshment helps.

  • brianlbrianl

    sex, drugs, violence and beautiful idiots sell. Fat bald guys holding a mic don't.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Fat bald guys holding a mic don't.

    Not always :-) It depends that they say into the mike they hold. If you always show monkeys sex, violence and idiots they, just out of curiosity like to check out other side of things.

  • suresure123suresure123

    I'm not sure everyone understood the question. I don't plan to show myself on cam, which might be strange for a doc as usually if an interviewer is heard then you see them at some point. Its not the best way to explain things but this clip ultimately is what I'm thinking, close up showing the interviews emotions and talking off camera to create interest.

    I know Nick Broomfield and other documentary makers put themselves and their voices into interviews. I wonder if I could do this and if anyone has any opinions good and bad.

    BTW this also solves a mic issue for me, as they just use the onboard miss, close up they do the job, I have a lav I would probably use when its not to distracting to the interviewee. I like the natural feel to get in and close without a big shotgun pointing at the person. I ned to think about eye view of the interviewee I think, where i hold the camera in relationship to my eye level?

  • brianlbrianl

    This just isn't my style so I don't care for it. I like the subjects looking off camera, not straight into it. And I prefer managing the subject in such a way that the interviewer's voice is not heard or can be edited out without the content suffering. Off topic but the extreme close up here doesn't work for me, it's too invasive, worse if projected in a theater.

  • TronTron

    @suresure123 I think the most important aspect of interviewing is to do what you can to make the person comfortable so that what is delivered in the narrative is purely genuine. I try to provide some levity in the beginning and converse in such a way that makes my subject eventually forget that the camera is rolling and realize that this is just about conversation and not about projecting personal image or ego. I'm certainly not a master at the craft but I try to improve my interview interaction on each shoot.

    Two films I really enjoy and I think show some mastery are Bloom's 'Booths & Bodies' and 'Bangin' and Clangin'. ETA - Answering your question, not a real fan of interviewer voice unless it is consistently present in the documentary. Ultimately, I prefer the absent interviewer approach.

  • suresure123suresure123

    @Tron I agree. I once heard a talk by quite a famous documentary female filmmaker, she was mainly interviewing quite important people but I think the principle holds true. She said she didn't even bother recording the first hour or so (you still can) cause official people and I think even average Joes tend to speak out the acceptable party line and its only after they have got that out of their system they start to relax and 'really talk'. I guess I agree in that I want 'real talk' not a perfect 3 point lighting set up, rule of thirds, textbook interview set up, which I could do but honestly bores the hell out of me. And like I said I'm want real natural deeper level interviews so being able to capture that unobtrusively as possible is my goal. I also want to do something a bit different and don't want interviews to even look like interviews.

    I'm in two minds about my own voice interacting though....

    I also think Philip Bloom is pretty good at interviews. I watched a piece about a tower block in South Africa, he played around with less conventional framing, i thought it looked interesting but he was criticised quite a bit for it. Some people want conformity in video production I guess. There is a time and place for formal looking interviews....especially if the interviewee has a formal position....showing desk and office etc might be important.

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