Be ready when the "talent" shows up at your location. If you go to make an interview at someones house or place of work, find an area where they feel good. Use as little artificial light as possible - I'd rather see a shadow here and there, than someone squinting and out of their element because of the glare.

Light has always been the biggest challenge to me. I don't like bringing lamps, stands, filters, flags, barn doors and such because it takes forever to get everything right, and by then the talent has lost all spontaneity. Furthermore, a well lit picture looks, well, too staged. I far prefer to find a place where the natural light is pleasant, and things look real as they are. Sometimes a 2' by 2' white piece of foamboard - or other reflector - can give a little extra light to the face. This is better than a lamp because the light from the lamp probably is a slightly different color-tone that the existing light. Then I set up my camera, place the mikes, sit down and start with the questions.

As a medium, video has strong and weak sides to it. If you want to give a lot of information, a book would be better because you can skip back and forth and go as fast or slow as you need to. Videos strength is that it gives you a sense, an experience of something or someone you can't but into words. Before taping anyone or writing a script, think about this: Who is going to watch this, and what do you want them to do/think/feel afterwards ? It's the feeling, not the information that wins over an audience. The information does have to be there, but it's more like a doorway, a test that the sceptical part of our brain demands to see. Once that part is satisfied, we open the door, and now it is the experience, the energy, the feeling of someone or something that makes us say Yes or No at the end.

Another way to look at it is this: A commercial for perfume cannot advertise the scent, so it advertises a lifestyle that goes with the scent. The same way about a beer or credit card - it makes you part of a club, that's full of people you want to be with.

Regarding Scrips and Rehearsed Statements:

Most video-produces start by writing a script and they have good reasons for this, which I don't agree with. It's good to have a plan and know the elements that need to go into the production, but in the roughly 150 productions I have made, only one had a script (it was a Fire/Life Safety Video for 5 Century City towers, and there were a lot of regulations and legal requirements to consider).

How to get a good interview on tape:

When a person speaks to us in real life, most of us do not have our full attention on that person. We think about other things such as what we are going to say next, or what they think of us. If, on the other hand, we watch that person on a screen, we can sit with our feet on the table wearing only a Michellin tire if we wish. We have no attention on ourselves and can fully observe the person speaking. Consequently we see every little eye-twitch, catch every crackle in the voice that speaks "fake" to us. Subconsciously we note when the situation is not real and we don't like it. Good actors are good because they make us forget that it is not real what they do and say.

If the person you are going to interview is not an actor, forget about acting. How do you make your subject be real in front of a camera ?

Trick #1:

Is there someone else doing the interviewing or is you? The typical interview is two persons having a conversation and the camera is a witness to that conversation - but generally ignored. I don't like that because I, as the viewer, feel left out. Also I don't get as much of an impression from a persons' profile as his/her full face. My preferred method is to ask questions from the cameras positon. I put a little distance between me and the subject (about 8 to 10 feet), then it looks like the interviewee is talking directly to the lens. If someone other than me is doing the interviewing, I have that person sit right next to the lens. A note about camera position: If your lens it at eye level it looks comfortable. Higher than eye level and the person looks lost. Lower - and the person looks imposing.

Trick # 2:

Minimize attention on your camera. Set the focus (off auto, or you'll see it "working" constantly), set your audio levels, keep your hands on the controls and start shooting. I like the flip-out screen my GL2 has, because I can keep an eye on the picture from time to time, while concentrating on the person talking to me. Nobody (except real actors) can relate to a lens staring at them, so let the person you are interviewing have you to connect with. You listen, keep eye-contact as much as possible, nod, smile when appropriate. This way the interviewee has someone to relate to. When he/she feels you are interested in what they are saying, they will start to relax, forget about the camera and speak naturally.

The trick is to still zoom in and out, and reframe the picture as the situation warrants. This takes skill and practise. I look back and forth while I zoom and frame. I nod, I let my face show any reaction I can, even if I'm glancing at the screen - to let them know I am still listening. It works. Something else works:

Trick #3:

Ask the person to paraphrase as much as possible. Then you don't get incomplete sentences to edit afterwards. I explain that I prefer not to hear my own voice on the video, so it works better if they can include my question in their answer. Most people actually do well with paraphrasing because it gives them a moment longer to think about their answer.

The same rules apply to interviews that apply in normal conversation.
You must listen.
I heard an interview on television once that went something like this:
- "Doctor Hochswantz, I understand you just returned from Russia? "
- "Yes, I took a ferry through the Behring Strait, which struck an iceberg and began to sink"
- "I see, and how long have you been back in America?"
The reporter was looking at his notes and not listening (obviously).

Trick #4:

It is good to know a little about the person you are interviewing and even have a few questions ready, but in general your job is to be curious and supportive. Listen for little indicators of where the persons interest lies. When they get a little sparkle in their eye, go there. You are looking for passion, so ask questions until you get there. What makes their heart beat, what makes their blood boil, what are they grateful for... You can't always ask directly, but that's what you want to get to.

Don't worry too much in the beginning of getting the information you need for the content of the video. First you need a human being in front of the lens, someone who cares about their life and what they have to say. When you have that, it does not matter so much what they say, they are fun to watch and the viewers want to be in their club.

Think of it this way: You are painting a picture of a whole person, not just recording the words they say. If this person lives in Edwardian furniture, let's see that. Shoot inserts of pictures on the desk, trophies on the wall, cigars in the ashtray and such. You will find it useful later in editing.

At the end of the video it does not matter much what was said or what was shown. This is mostly forgotten. What is remembered is how it was said, and how everything was presented. The best interview is of a person who is comfortable with the situation, is passionate and saying what they mean in the first take.

Everything in the production makes a statement, from hand-held or tripod, good or bad miking, environment, ease, and the cameras movement. Example: If you are in a close-up and the subject becomes animated or excited, zoom out. Give him/her more room for a bigger "energy-field". If on the other hand you are medium wide, and your subject goes into a quiet, reflective or personal mode, come in for a close up. This way the viewer feels that the cameraman was interested in the situation and this is contagious.

Once you have your interviews, logos, promotional material, product shots, and other footage, you are ready for the Magic of Editing.