Top video interview tips from Melcrum's Social Media workshop

By Sona Hathi, Assistant Editor, Melcrum

Earlier, I managed to sneak into Melcrum's Social Media workshop, taking place as I blog, in our London office. I timed my entrance well as the group of about 25 communication professionals were just about to hear expert advice on creating video for use inside companies.

Former TV producer and private investigator Debbie Davies shared the following top tips for producing top quality video:

1. Take your time.
2. Give the interviewee an overview of what you're going to ask.
3. Be encouraging.
4. Know your equipment.
5. Tell them where the video will be published.
6. Think about the different ways to do an interview. Will the subject look straight into the camera or at an angle? Do you want questions to be heard or do you want the interviewee to build the question in their answer?
7. Remember to leave gaps in between questions and answers - you'll need them when editing later.
8. Think about lighting, background scenery and noise - even things like air conditioning can be disturbing. Put up a do not disturb sign if necessary.
9. Avoid fancy shots - zooming in and out can be distracting and also waste battery power.
10. Remember to get permission! Look on the internet for downloadable contracts of agreement. As a last minute option, get the interviewee to say on camera "My name is xxx and I am being interviewed by xxx about xxx and am aware that this will be broadcast on xxx," and then keep this as a record.

We're experimenting with video ourselves here at Melcrum and have become big fans of the Flip camera. It's very easy to use, great quality and it fits in your pocket. It's perfect for getting employees to do video diaries like Pfizer did, or informal interviews that are easy to publish on You Tube, like we did in this quick interview below, with Abi Signorelli, Director of Internal Communication at Virgin Media - who was also one of the trainers at the social media workshop today.

Comments

[Karen Martell]

Great tips. I thought I´d add a few things that I´ve found helpful when it comes to video teasers (particularly leading to or during conferences) and short video interviews:

The clip should be short (no more than 3 minutes) and to the point.

People sometimes get nervous on camera so for the benefit of the person being interviewed and most importantly for the benefit of the audience, it helps to establish the objective of the video, the questions that will be asked, and to the core message you hope to communicate to your audience.

Additionally, if the person being interviewed looks directly into the camera (as if they´re speaking to the audience) he or she comes across as more engaging to the audience.

[Dave Gardner]

Having directed dozens and dozens of executive interviews and hundreds of employee interviews and presentations over my 30 years in the business, my two-cents' worth is to recommend against asking most of them to address camera directly. Generally they appear more confident when engaged in a conversation, eye-to-eye with an interviewer who can help them forget the camera. Only those with the best presentation skills can pull off addressing the camera directly.

Dave Gardner
Producer/Director
Visions West