Our focus this week was on ‘interviews’, as we analysed their significance to a film and how to conduct them successfully. To preface this topic we further explored the connection between film and memory, and the role of documentary in memory transmission. Film and video have become an increasingly common and pervasive form of communication that move ideas, memories and information forward and preserve them indefinitely. Memory is a critical aspect of this, as we require individual’s personal reflections in order to gain insight that helps us learn from the past and improve our future. People’s recollection of their personal experiences and memories make up some of the most important content that film-makers use to substantiate their film and give credibility to certain views or claims. They can also act as a powerful tool for providing evidence or evoking an emotional response from the audience, making them a fundamental component to many documentaries.
We discussed what kind of considerations are required to maximise an interview experience. Research is critical, as it allows the film-maker and interviewer to establish what their subject is passionate about and guide the direction of their questions. That being said it isn’t critical for interviews to strictly follow a certain direction as some of the best content may come out unexpectedly, meaning the interviewer should remain open and adaptable – it is important that interviewers don’t rely too heavily on pre-prepared questions and are able to adjust their responses based on what the subject reveals.
The rest of the class was spent experimenting with the cameras and conducting some impromptu interviews in small groups. Roles including interviewer, interviewee, sound supervisor, camera person and scribe were designated to each member before we began. Once we’d gotten ourselves set up we experimented with various shots and angles to establish what was most visually engaging for an interview format. These included wide shots, tighter shots, starting and finishing shots and entering and exiting the frame.
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