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Interview notes

• prepare your questions before your interview
• edit your questions down to 10 questions – not to fatigue the participant, that way they are more likely to accept a second / follow up interview
• don’t overload the questions – keep them short, simple, focussed
• first few questions – warm up questions, easy to answer, provide context
• bulk of questions are a framework for retelling the story in chronological order
• final few questions are about the future / the impact of the event
• always add – is there anything else you would like to talk about?
• avoid giving out questions in advance, but if pressed, offer them the topics the interview will cover
• be warm and make small talk
• give them a glass of water if they are on your turf – take the water if on theirs!
• dont delay, look at the room/lighting/powerpoints – set up quickly
• in a larger crew than one, the person asking the questions establishes rapport
• think about light sources – face windows
• explain that you need full sentences and demonstrate it, especially if they think they know what they mean – give us much detail as they can
• offer an escape – if theres anything you dont want to answer…. however I don’t think there’s anything in these questions that will warrant that
• acknowledge the camera once (only) ‘know you can look at me whilst you answer, or around the room, but don’t look at the lens.’
• be an attentive listener, and use your facial expressions to support and encourage. Avoid making sounds.
• ask follow up questions if something interesting pops up. Ideally as it pops up, before moving on to the next question.
• silence is golden – if you want someone to talk more

technical pointers

• check the mics before you begin and monitor sound with headphones – just wear headphones while you’re interviewing – explain beforehand, and enter the room wearing headphones
• fix audio problems as they occur (pops, handling noise, lack of topic sentences)
• consider eyelines ( the interviewer should sit close to the camera)
• consider framing (rule of thirds, the framing of other interviews)
• consider reframing (moving closer as we move from general to specific – put down in sheet of questions to remind to reframe – get closer as more emotional, deeper questions are asked)
• in order to get the best eyeline, sit right next to the camera
• film action sequences after the initial sitdown interviews – participants are more likely to be more comfortable, and also to be less ‘performative’

sound 

• lapel mics are best used for interviews, as they capture sound close to the subject, minimising background noise
• boom mics are also good, however more fallible when held (contact noise), or when on a mic stand, as they do not move with the subject
• can hide lapel mics from view using moleskin tape, wrapped into a cone which encases the mic and then sticks to the clothes