In these instructions, a short introduction is given into making video interviews. Introduction is further broken down in four parts, namely composition, sound, interviewing and video editing. When you combine these components, your videos will succeed in reaching your audience. There are also links for further reading, which are recommended. Contrary to the example videos, the language of the videos should be English, so that English subtitles can be added automatically, e.g. via YouTube.
Composition
The main thing when shooting an interview is to consider composition. How you design the image for the interview will tell an educated audience on your take on the interviewed person. You can see e.g. from the example videos how the camera is always on the same level or a little bit lower than the interviewed person. This gives the interview a feel of respect. Another thing to consider is how you position the interviewed person into the image being shot. One good rule is to divide the video image into nine similar proportions (3×3 matrix). Usually, one positions the face of the interviewed person into the cutting point of any two lines forming the matrix.
Further links:
How to shoot video (4 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YLKcv69HQU
Sound
When making an interview it is important to have a good sound so that the person being interviewed can be heard and understood correctly. The sound is affected by many individual things. Most important is the venue of the interview, which should have no background voices or other sound sources, like wind. This way, the message on the interviewed person can be heard without any hindrance. You can select the venue for the interview accordingly, a best place would be indoors, preferably an office space with total silence. Of course, you can add to the interest of your video by selecting a different space, but you should always consider the sound when selecting a venue, especially if you have limited access to professional microphones. In the example videos, we were able to record outdoors because we had a shirt-collar clip-on microphones. This way, the background sound was almost non-existent, but even with this equipment you can here background sounds which sometimes have an adverse effect on the sound quality.
Further links:
Short description of recording sound on a video interview: https://www.mediacollege.com/video/interviews/sound.html
Interviewing
When making an interview, it is not just about asking the correct questions. The person who is interviewing is displaying him- or herself and the groups’ expertise, not only on camera but while the camera is not shooting. One should take care to present themselves correctly and have time to create an atmosphere where the person being interviewed feels safe to bring out their opinions on the subject matter. There are many ways to do this. When we were shooting the example videos, we always took our time before and after each question to have a small discussion on issues not directly involved with the interview, but a small chat which took some of the pressure away from the situation. Remember that besides yourselves also the person interviewed is presenting him- or herself and might feel anxious and nervous about the video interview. It is the job of the interviewer to alleviate these feelings the best he or she can. When successful, this has a positive impact on the resulting interview.
Further links:
Full-on guide to making video interviews: https://www.vidyard.com/blog/interview-videos/
Video editing
When the video has been shot with good sound, everything is ready for the editing of the film. There are three options for editing. First, you can do the editing directly on your mobile phone, if you have shot the video using one. There are different free apps to do this, depending on your operating system (iOS, Android etc.). The video editing using mobile is very straight-forward, although one has fewer options than with laptop software. Second, you can use a laptop software called Corel VideoStudio X10, which is available through University of Helsinki license (contact IT support for the license). This software has limited capabilities, but gets the job done. Third, you can use Da Vinci Resolve, which is a professional tool for video editing, with many capabilities. If you are familiar with video editing, this could be the tool for you. It is available free from their website (see links below). You can also use a fourth option if you have one available.
Further links:
Beginner’s guide, especially interviews: https://commonslibrary.org/beginners-guide-to-making-video-with-your-smartphone/
Da Vinci Resolve: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/