Elements of a video series – #1 Interviews.
When you approach us to produce a video, we’ll usually go over which elements can make up a marketing video, when you would use them and which will be the most cost effective or offer the highest production value for your end goal.
So we made a video series covering each element to help you through this planning process.
Why use interviews in your videos? (Elements of video series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeOMWxe696s
We start our series off with interviews.
70% of the videos we create for our clients are what we call talking heads videos. These are based around an interview or several interviews, with supporting footage – or what we call B-roll – edited over the top; so you’re not just watching a person talk which could get boring. The interview format can be used for different types of videos; a company overview video, an about you video, a client testimonial, a kick-starter campaign video or even a product video.
2 camera setup of an off-camera interview for dotmailer
What are the benefits of using interviews in your videos?
One of the main benefits of an interview video is that it’s people-based. So the viewer will either get to know you and see your passion for what you do, or hear directly from happy customers how good you are.
Other benefits are that it’s usually cost effective, because you can use your own location and don’t need to hire actors; you can get a lot of information across in a short space of time and it’s a familiar format for your viewers, similar to a TV documentary.
Off-camera vs on-camera interviews
We find you can get the most natural performance when you use the off-camera interview format, where the interviewer is off camera and you only see the person being interviewed – so we mainly use that format.
To achieve this, we make sure the subject gives answers that make sense without hearing the question and we generally coach the subject throughout the interview to make sure they feel comfortable, look like a pro and that we have the right content.
Example of an off-camera interview
Choosing the right interview location
Your interview should look good and have a visual relevance to the subject matter in your video. Whether indoor or outdoor, choosing the right location to shoot your interview can save you a lot of time and really affect how professional your video looks. Here are some tips.
First of all, pick somewhere that is quiet and where you won’t be interrupted. Having lots of people walking around in the background can be problematic so try to stay away from crowded areas. This will avoid constant interruption and save you a lot of time while shooting. Beware of squeaky chairs too!
Whether we’re shooting indoor or outdoor, we look for a large spaces as this creates more depth. We also look for perspective too. Placing our subject by a large table or having a hedge or railing disappear into the background are all pleasing to the eye and make our clients video stand out.
Once we’re in our location, we try moving things around to make it look better. We declutter first and then add some interest into the background if needed, for example a plant or a brightly coloured piece of furniture. Company banners work well too, but think about when they might go out of date, or you may have to re-shoot your video too soon!
Also, think about who your audience is. Do you want to appeal to corporate viewers? If so shoot in an office environment. Do you want to appeal to outdoorsy types? Shoot on a beach or in nature. Are you appealing to the luxury market? Choose a sophisticated background. You get the idea.
Edit to add punch
And we always fine-tune their performance even more in the edit, cutting out any uhms, buts or stumbles – all this results in a really slick interview video that makes you look great.
Editing a talking heads style (interview) video
In the next post and video we will be talking about B-roll.
What now?
If you want to chat through your video project with a real life human, fill in the form on this page and we’ll get in contact with you. Or alternatively give us call on 07766306310 or 07789712314