Head & Shoulders Interview - 16:9 Centered or Off to Side?

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nick_m_777

Member
BTW, I have search the forum and the internet and so far haven't found what I was looking for.

I'm wanting to experiment with other framing techniques for sit down interviews and wanted to get everyone's input on how you frame it or have framed it in the past. For this project, the interviewer will be completely edited out and interviewee will be speaking as if to the audience.

Here is a quick example of how I normally have done it...Place interviewer off to side of camera (say to the right of camera from the cameraman's perspective). Then frame shot of interviewee so that he/she is on the left-hand vertical "rule of thirds" line and angle him/her slightly to look at interviewer which also causes them to be slightly facing the "empty" portion of the frame.

On this upcoming project, I am thinking of trying out putting the interviewer just under the lens so the interviewee appears to be looking at the audience (so the audience feels more involved in the scene).

My question is this: when the interviewee is facing the camera and I am using a 16:9 frame, do you center the frame on the interviewee or place them off to one side as before? If I were using a 4:3 frame, the decision would be obvious (center). But I don't know why, I seem to have difficulty bringing myself to center a 16:9 frame on the subject.

Please share how you deal with this situation and any input you may have. Thanks!
 
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I tend to use the rule of thirds to give the subject some room to look into. If they're looking straight at the lens then you'll probably find that putting them too far off centre looks a little weird. Why not get a photo of someone looking directly at the camera and play around with cropping it so that you can get a feel for the different styles of framing?
 
The rule of thirds helps you create dynamic compositions, but that doesn't always tell the story. Watch films like the Royal Tennenbaums and you'll see dead-center framing often. The trick is to still create an appealing image so it doesn't look like you're a noob.

In narrative work, center framing can imply being "constrained" or oppressed by the space. It can also make the character look self-involved.

In an interview, amateur talent will often let their eyes drift from the camera to the host, so you will want to watch the monitor constantly and get multiple takes.
 
Unfortunately my post probably won't give much help...but go with your gut really. See how it looks on set, both the thirds rule and dead center have their moments. I love dead center framing when it's used correctly but personally for what you're describing a slight right thirds sounds about good.
 
I think your message/message of the person being interviewed should dictate your framing. Dead center is called that for a reason. Generally speaking dead center is used when someone is talking directly to the viewer and giving you information, such as in a newscast or speech etc. If the viewer is supposed to be a bystander and a fly on the wall not being directly addressed, I would go with variations of the rule of thirds. Shoot different focal lengths during the interview if possible, such as establishing shot, medium shot, CU, extreme CU etc. You can cut between these shots and give the interview more life. If the person is giving very dramatic or very personal testimony, using an extreme CU would be the most intimate and draw the viewer closer to the character. So to me its all about the message being conveyed...
 
Thanks everyone. Was helpful. As recommended, I will just have to experiment around with it. I feel like these shots will be in that gray area in between the two kinds of perspective the audience can have. The audience will not necessarily be a "fly on the wall" (since the interviewer will never be seen and will be edited out) but yet this will definitely not be a newscast type format. It will be experts telling their particular piece of a story. So I guess the real decision for me right now is regarding whether to go the "fly on a wall" route or the "newscaster" route. Is there any "in between" perspective? Or is that asking for trouble, with the potential of some interviews turning out more to one perspective and the rest turning out more toward the other. Without going into detail on the particulars of the project, I know it is difficult for you to comment on specifics, but if you have any thoughts in general relating to this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!
 
What kind of shot are you planning on doing? Close up (face); medium close (head & shoulders); medium (head to waist); wide (full body)? This may dictate where you want to go. I find close ups on peoples faces better centered when they are talking to the camera. Once you start going to a medium shot, than the rule of thirds is more applicable. Also, if you are having the interviewee looking at the interviewer but trying to get it to look like they are talking at the camera, than you will want to experiment. The closer you are, the less it will look like they are looking at the camera. It's like the difference between looking at someone and looking past them. You see it, even if the person is 10+ feet away from you.
 
Good point. How tight the shots will be will depend on the setting and what looks best, all things considered. But that helps to hear that you have found that close-ups are better centered when the interviewee is looking at the camera.
 
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