Interview: intercutting direct-to-camera and off camera eyelines?

A

Airboxlights

Member
Hi. I',m considering something for an upcoming project. This is for acorporate video, not really doc, but there's no corporate video subsection. The main interview subject has excellent presence and presentation, so I"m thinking of having him speak directly to the camera, but also shooting a second angle that's not straight to the camera. I realize that's "not done", but why not? Has anyone tried that/seen that, different shots from the same interview both to camera and to off-camera? Did it work? Fail? Was it seriously distracting or did it not matter really? Unlikely to directly intercut the two angles, more likely there'd be b-roll between them.
yours
 
I think there are some interview with shane halibut knocking around done like this.

IMO they looked stupid.

The talent can turn to the B cam but that looks a bit, 80's maybe.

Ultimately it is breaking the bubble between viewer and viewed which eye to lens creates.

S
 
I thought I posted this but... anyway. It's very Carson Daly. The down the barrell camera works and then the off eyeline camera looks like a witness or a "process" point of view. Like, ooh, I'm on set with Carson Daly shot. What were you hoping to achieve?
 
I'm currently working on a doc and doing that very thing right now. The second angle is the off eyeline one and to be honest, it's more for backup purposes than to actually be used.

The more I watch interviews with the subject looking into the lens, the more I prefer them to the slightly off lens traditional style.
 
DBP said:
The more I watch interviews with the subject looking into the lens, the more I prefer them to the slightly off lens traditional style.
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I always shoot interviews straight on to the lens when there is no interviewer in the frame. I use a second off eyeline perspective when I am transitioning to b-roll footage, and this I often treat differently ( B&W, or different grading effect ) than the main interview footage so it meshes better with the b-roll.
 
Do the shot, with a different frame, more far or more close and like a profile.... at the end of the interview he could turn in direction for this camera... I will used this in insert and maybe in a split screen in B&W but trust your editor...he will have a chance to made a better story...it's all about storytelling...
 
It might work if the 2nd angle is a bit extreme. Go from straight into the camera to 90 degrees from the camera. Maybe from a low or high angle, maybe with a bit of a tilt.

Or just have the 2nd camera looking straight into the subjects eyes, but with a different focal length lens.
 
I've seen it work and seen it suck. Who cares what anyone usually does, test it at home and see if it creates the feeling/ effect you're looking to create.
 
I can tell you i work on corporate shoots ALL the time where is done. So go for it, and if you dont like it, dont use the second angle. Make your closeups by zooming/cropping the into cam angle in post. You have quite a bit of lattitude before it looks soft.
 
arniepix said:
It might work if the 2nd angle is a bit extreme. Go from straight into the camera to 90 degrees from the camera. Maybe from a low or high angle, maybe with a bit of a tilt.
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I've seen a comercial or interview done just like this in the last few months on broadcast TV (I don't have cable, so it had to be OTA or maybe in a documentary via Netflix). B-camera was off axis just a little short of 90 degrees from A-cam. Maybe 75 degrees or so. IDK. I didn't pay much attention. I only remember it because it snagged my attention enough to make me think: "wow, that's ugly."

Two things there -- it did snag my attention. But in a bad way. If you can make it snag peoples attention, but in a good way, then go for it. Otherwise, are you sure this is what you want? Just askin'.
 
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