Tips on shooting short interview/docu style video

S

stateofmind

Member
I am doing video for a rapper who wants a short bio/interview video. Setting would be in a recording studio and during a radio interview. The style he likes is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVqytesxBxE

Looks simple enough, but I have never really done this style. If anyone is familiar with interviews intercut with b-roll, do you have any tips?
 
PM me and I will do a quick call with you if you would like.

Short answer is when shooting b-roll, hold your shots for 15 seconds each setup and shoot scenes in coverage like you would a narrative film. Shoot each shot wide medium and close and change angle and framing by 30%. this is best done by moving your feet. Don't bother with moving shots (eg dolly/steadycam moves) if you don't have time or gear to do them right. You don't need pans, tilts and zooms (or rack focuses all the time). Just get the good coverage and let action happen in the frame.

Interviews:
Try to block out time before or after the action happens (session or event or whatever) for the interviews. Get the room quiet, have good sound gear and a sound person to capture the interviews. Mic it close if you use a boom (drop it into the shot and raise it up slightly until it is out of the shot. Don't worry about too much fancy lighting, set exposure for what available light in the background of your subject will be and light the interviewee to match. Concentrate on getting a good soft key source. Setup the key off camera the direction the interviewee will look (camera, interviewer, key) have the interviewer sit as close to the lens as possible.

Have the interviewee incorporate some of the question or context into their answer. Focus on a few key points you decide on ahead of time and do multiple takes of the key questions if needed. Have a stand in for lighting, only put the interviewee on the spot when everything is ready and test record is done. Have your interviewer relax the talent and keep good eye contact. Ask them not to look at the lens. Keep interviews short. Most people can only handle 20 min or so, so have your question list short ahead of time.
 
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great info above! don't be afraid to get loads of b-roll...i swear you can never had enough. and it's great to use when cutting out the "umms", "you know's" and pauses.
can't wait to see your finished vid.

here's an EPK i cut for a mexican rapper:

I had super limited b-roll and one camera angle..so just did what i could.
 
saneproductions said:
...shoot scenes in coverage like you would a narrative film. Shoot each shot wide medium and close and change angle and framing by 30%. this is best done by moving your feet.
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on this a little bit. I get the wide, medium, and close -- but I am trying to visualize the angle/framing part.
 
Peckhammer said:
Could you elaborate on this a little bit. I get the wide, medium, and close -- but I am trying to visualize the angle/framing part.
Click to expand...

What I mean is that in cutting later you want to have options to cut the b-roll into mini "scenes" or vignettes.

Example: (hold each shot for 15 seconds on a tripod)
Engineer tracking at recording console-

Wide shot- we see the whole room to establish for the viewer the spacial relationships in the room.
Medium Shot- we see an over the shoulder shot of the engineer with the console in the foreground and the window into the recording booth at center frame
Medium shot- we see the engineer at the console in profile from around 90 degrees to the side, we see the window, but can't see through it
Medium close up- we see the engineer head and shoulders looking up at the artist through the window then down at the console (we don't see the console) we have moved around a little from the last shot so we are up against the wall with the window and the shot of the engineer is less profile.
Close up- fingers on faders, blinking lights, needles moving, engineer's eyes etc.
 
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