How to film interviews for social media

Interviews can be excellent sources of content for social media and your advertising campaigns. They are relatively simple, low cost, and if designed correctly, they are an excellent form of communication and storytelling!

The interview can be the backbone of a content marketing project, of any size or budget! When the goal is to provide relevant information to a target audience, often the easiest and most effective way is to interview someone with that information.

When it comes to production, we can even use our cell phone to record the interviews! It is only necessary to take into account some fundamental points, such as the camera plans that we are going to use, so that we can obtain a viable product.

This article focuses essentially on this aspect, however, there are other important points that we will address later, such as the interview guide, among others.

Regarding camera plans, there are some simple considerations that can improve the final result substantially!

Framing can “make or break” your interview; If your framing is poorly done, promoting distractions or outside the context of the interview, your audience will not be able to connect with the message, it is essential to avoid distractions, the focus must be on the subject of the interview.

Here are some general rules to follow in order to get the best interview angles and help ensure the shape of your interview is the best.

#1: “Are You Lookin’ at Me?”

In general, unless your subject is directly addressing your audience such as a journalist or telemarketer, he or she will not look directly at the camera. Instead, the interviewer (the one asking your subject questions) will stand or sit just to the right or left of the camera so that the subject appears to be looking off camera. This often makes the audience feel more comfortable with what the subject is saying than if the subject were looking directly at the camera. For best results, position the interviewer and subject at camera level to avoid the subject appearing to be looking up or down at someone.

#2: “The Rule of Thirds”

Because of the # 1 rule, favor your subject's gaze line (the direction they are looking away from the camera), observing the Rule of Thirds. Consider your camera shot as cut into thirds and place your subject in the third opposite the direction they are looking. For example, if your subject is looking to the right of the camera, position them in the left third of the frame. This gives the shot a sense of balance and removes any empty “dead space” behind the subject.

#3: “What’s Going on Back There?”

When framing your shot, consider the subject's environment. Try not to place them directly in front of a boring white wall, but also try to avoid the opposite: don't place them where there might be major distractions in the background. A small activity that complements the video can be enjoyable, but too much and the audience may become more interested in what is going on behind the subject than in the subject itself.

#4: “How Far is too Far?”

If you're shooting with a single camera, frame your subject with a wide to medium shot, giving them just a little “head room” (the space between their head and the top of the frame) and ending at the bottom. of the plane around the midsection of the subject. This will be wide enough to allow the audience to see the subject's facial expressions and body language, but not so far that they are no longer the focal point of the overall footage.

#5: “How Close is too Close?”

If you have a second camera for your interview, use it to obtain an alternative Close-Up image of the subject, placing the second camera very close to the first and framing the subject from the neckline to the tip of the head. Up close, you don't have to be as careful about leaving space between your subject's head and the top of the frame. Make sure you use the same Rule of Thirds for this shot as you do for the wide shot. If the subject is in the left third of your Close Up, they need to be in the left third of your close up, “Close Up”.

#6: “Two May Be Better Than One”

While most interview-style videos don't feature the interviewer on camera, you can choose to feature both of them in the frame. This type of filming can be very effective. In these cases, Rules # 1 and # 2 do not apply, as they must be framed evenly in the photo and must normally face each other. Don't forget to consider the other Rules and you'll have a great look Two Shot.