Mastering Interview Filming Techniques

The Method of Interview Filming

Interview filming involves setting up a camera in front of the subject, prompting them to answer questions, share their thoughts, or provide testimony. Since the subject remains stationary, the filming process is quite simple. All you need to focus on are the composition and audio quality.

For us amateur filmmakers, mastering the art of interview filming opens up countless possibilities for creative applications. Here are some examples of how to use this technique.

Applications in Filmmaking

First and foremost, interviews are a staple of documentary filmmaking. They allow not just the presentation of collected information, but also add a layer of realism by including testimony from individuals directly involved in the events. When multiple perspectives are captured, the narrative gains a multidimensional quality.

Interviews can also enhance fictional works, helping to make an imaginary story feel grounded and authentic. One notable example is Nobuhiko Obayashi’s film The Reason, based on the novel by Miyuki Miyabe. The film features 107 actors, all delivering testimony-style performances, where fragments of statements combine to create a cohesive and compelling narrative.

Although The Reason stars professional actors, this method could be adapted effectively even for amateur productions. Especially when working with non-professional actors who may struggle to memorize lines or deliver convincing performances, the interview format offers a clever solution.

By framing scenes as interviews, actors could respond to questions as their characters, eliminating the need for meticulously memorized lines. Even if the delivery is imperfect or the actors stumble over their words, such “imperfections” may enhance the documentary-like authenticity of the narrative.

Expanding Beyond Film: “Personal History Projects”

One particularly exciting application of interview filming is creating a personal history project. A personal history, often written as a book, documents someone’s life story and career. While popular, most people are unaccustomed to writing book-length manuscripts, leading to incomplete drafts or lackluster results.

Interview filming provides a powerful alternative. By preparing a list of key events, anecdotes, and relationships to cover, a subject’s life story can be captured on video. The process is simple: the interviewer asks questions to draw out the subject’s memories, recording a rich tapestry of episodes over a single day or two.

This footage can then be edited into a “video memoir,” providing a polished product within a week—far quicker than a traditional written memoir, which might take months or years to finish. Once the video is completed, the content can even serve as the foundation for a written memoir, transcribed and refined into book format with much greater efficiency.

Transform Your Creativity Through Interviews

Mastering interview filming can unlock the potential to create diverse projects:

• Documentary films
• Fictional narratives
• Video memoirs

With a simple yet powerful technique like this, the possibilities for your storytelling are endless. Why not explore what you can achieve?