What Makes a Great Interview Video?
Interviews are integral to so many of the projects that we film - corporate, commercial, architectural or otherwise.
For the majority of our films, a good interview piece acts as a foundation for the rest of the footage of each project - without it, there isn’t as much to explain to the viewer what it is that they are watching.
Interviews, for us, bridge the gap between a musical montage of clips and a short film that encapsulates and illustrates a project or idea.
But what makes a great interview video? The trick is to keep the content succinct and engaging, and not arduous to watch or repetitive.
1. Be Concise
This is the number one goal of all interview footage that we film. In order to build a successful and engaging video, we need to get all essential information across to the viewer in a manner that’s time-effective.
Videos don’t need to expand upon every single detail of a project; they just need to convey the key message. For the majority of the projects that we shoot, the final product will be displayed on a webpage alongside other content that helps to illustrate the topic of the video.
So, in most cases, you wont need to outline every last piece of information, but instead touch on the key points so that viewers can then go and find out more for themselves.
2. Be Relatable
You never want to come off as a robot, reading through a teleprompter with cold, lifeless eyes.
You need to be enthusiastic about your content - if you’re trying to build hype for a product then you need to be excited about sharing it with everyone. If you’re talking about a project that you’ve just completed, tell us what aspects of it you were most proud of, or most passionate about.
Showing genuine enthusiasm and being engaged will help you to appear more relatable to your audience and, in turn, increase engagement.
3. Relax!
Take a breather, grab a cup of coffee - whatever you need to feel comfortable and relaxed during your shoot. Anything that you can do to chill out during the shoot will yield better results in the end-product.
It’s just like doing any form of public speaking - being calm and confident is key to coming off as professional and knowledgable.
So have fun with it, and take your time. Remember, you can always do as many takes as you need with a video, so no pressure!
Keep each of these three tips in mind, and you’ll produce a great interview that’s engaging, professional, and easy to watch.
Got any other tips to add? Let us know in the comments below!