Create Great Looking Television Interviews

Conducting a television interview may sound easier than it actually is.  Yes, you need an interview subject, a camera and a microphone.  But if you want your interview to look professional or at least not be distractingly bad, you’ll have to take a few things into account.

• Lighting –  Lighting is perhaps the most crucial element to creating a nice looking interview. If you are shooting indoors, you’ll want to have a couple of sources of light that you can manipulate.  A key light is aimed at the interviewee to make them stand out from the background.  A fill light can add shadow and depth to the interviewee’s face but is not always needed. A back light adds depth and texture to the background.  A poorly lit interview will look drap and murky.  If you are shooting outdoors, be aware of the sun position.  The noon day sun can sometimes be too bright and cause harsh shadows.  An overcast day can be just right for a cleaner look without shadows. A nice white board or silver shiny board can help you manipulate how the sunlight plays on the interviewee’s face.
• Wardrobe – What is your interview subject wearing?  If it is a sitdown interview and you’ll only be shooting from the shirt up, make sure the shirt is a plain shirt. Blue or bright, solid colors work best. Stay away from all black, all white or busy patterns.  They make the camera do funny things.  Let the interviewee know ahead of time if their pants or shoes will be seen so that they can dress accordingly.  A nice outfit with scuffed up shoes can be distracting.
• Make-up – Let your interviewee know if you will be providing make-up and/or hair services.  If not, bring some translucent powder or oil absorbing sheets to keep the shine down.  Use powder on bald heads too.
• Angles – Do not set your interviewee against a flat wall.  It makes the interview look flat and therefore visually boring.  If you only have a flat wall, say a brick wall for example, positional the interviewee at an angle that will allow the wall to veer away from the subject in one direction or another.  Shooting the interviewee from a bird-eye (from above) or worms-eye (from below) can be fun and interesting.
• Backdrops – Interesting backgrounds can say a lot about your interviewee.  You may want to keep it simple for quick, information interviews. But for documentary style interviews, consider placing the interviewee in the surroundings that apply to their storyline.  For example, a basketball player may be placed in a gym or teacher placed in a classroom.  Sitdown interviews in offices or living rooms can get boring.  Try adding some interesting props to the background or foreground.  Lamps, books, computers and flowers or plants are pretty standard and easy to come by.  Trophies, hats, pictures, statues and toys can often help convey the theme of the interview.  I’ve even used the corner of a chair to break-up a plain-looking space.
• Comfort Level – Don’t forget to make your guest as comfortable as possible.  If they guest is uncomfortable, it will show on their face.  A comfy chair is a must-have for long interviews. Make sure to have some water on hand to keep the interviewee hydrated.
• Chairs – In addition to a comfy seat, a stationary seat is recommended.  Seats that roll around or swivel allow your guests to move all over the place within the frame.  Also, if the chair back is too high, it may make your guests to look stiff.  Too soft and the guests may slouch.  That said, stand-up interviewees can help boost the interviewee’s energy. But I never have guests stand for more than 30-minutes.
• Be Prepared – Write down your questions before the interview.

Also remember to have fun. You’ll get more out of your guests and your shoot that way.

Need Props For A Nice Looking Interview? Consider A Real Estate Stager.

From my desk in Annapolis, I recently coordinated an interview in Dallas with a well-known and respected figure at a museum that donated the use of an empty room.  Although I was not directing this shoot, I was responsible for making sure that the interview looked worthy of this guest. An empty room wasn’t going to cut it.  Whatever the solution, it needed to be quick, affordable and nice.

Everything was falling into place.  Our favorite crew members were available. The weather forecast called for a beautiful day.  And, the room we were given was large enough to accommodate a three-camera shoot.  There was just one problem.   The room was an empty echo chamber.  In order to pull off a broadcast quality shoot, we would need a rug (to keep the sound from bouncing all over the place), chairs that were not the squeaky leather kind that make fart noises when the sitter moves in them, and background props that would give some depth and dimension to the backdrops.  Lastly, all of the furniture and props had to go with the deep red color of the walls.

The museum didn’t have what we needed and neither did the sponsoring organization.  I googled theatrical prop houses but didn’t find much that looked helpful.  Somewhere along the way, the thought occurred to me to try a real estate staging company.  I had worked on a home sale series about six months prior and remembered home owners renting furniture to make their homes show better and sell faster. 

I googled real estate stagers in Dallas and found a couple of websites that were easy to follow and featured pictures of some of their work.  I went with Holly Bellomy of Dallas Real Estate Staging. The process was simple.  We spoke on the phone and then I emailed her a list of our needs, a photo of the interview room and a video link of past interviews set ups that we liked.  Within an hour, she emailed me some chair options and by the end of the day we had a contract in place.  For a very reasonable price, she brought chairs, a rug, a coffee table, side table, lamps and other side table accessories.  Holly and a staff member stayed for the duration of the set up period to make sure everything looked just right. 

Interview Set Up

The report from the crew was that the shoot went well; and, that Holly and her team were great to work with.  When I got a chance to view the footage the next day, I was equally pleased.  The host and guest were seated in a warm, elegant environment during their conversation.  If the need arises, I’d work with Holly again.  And if I get the chance to work with other real estate stagers in other cities for set props, I’ll gladly do so.