Interviews

Duration

Student-focused videos should be between one minute and 90 seconds. Programme or research-focused videos should be between 90 seconds and two and a half minutes.



You can hone the duration in the editing process, but be mindful of how much footage you record to make this next step easier.

Questions

• Before you start recording, put the interviewee at ease and offer the chance to run through the questions with them (if they’ve not seen them already) , so they can start to think about their answers.
• Don’t ask simple yes/no questions.
• Avoid leading questions.
• Ask the interviewee to begin their answer by paraphrasing the question itself. Eg, if the question is “Why did you choose Queen Mary?”, ask the interviewee to frame their answer as “I chose Queen Mary because…” 

Framing the shot

Videos should be taken in landscape mode, rather than portrait.

As with taking images around campus, you can also follow the rule of thirds with videos. All you need to do is enable a 3x3 grid on your camera app.

If possible, use a plain background rather than something busier (and therefore more distracting).

Placing your interviewee further away from (eg) a wall behind them will add depth to your footage.

Remember, your main goal is to keep the focus on the interviewee and have the camera at their level.

If you feel confident, you can play around with angles and place your subject slightly off-centre for some shots.

Audio

Always check your audio levels before you start the interview. You can record a short test to ensure you can hear the subject(s) speaking.

For better sound quality, use a lapel microphone if you have access to one.

Lighting

You need adequate lighting that illuminates the subject, but not too much so that it over exposes the subject.

Sunshine in a cloudless sky is probably too bright, but an overcast sky (with clouds and softer sunlight) is the ideal setting, light-wise.

Film your subject in good lighting if possible. This means you might have to direct the subject closer to a light source.

Do avoid positioning your subjects in a way where the light source is behind their face, as that will cast them in shadow.

Phone settings

• As mentioned above, use the gridlines setting in your camera app as a framing device
• Set the flash to automatic, in case there’s not enough natural light.
• Set the resolution to the highest option available.
• If your camera app has the option to focus manually, use it for sharp and focused images.
• Avoid digital zoom.