VT Research - Interviewing a DIY Seller

Tomorrow is our second and final shoot day with our DIY expert Bonnie. She will be talking to us about her story and why she got into creating and selling her own clothes. However, before we went to record this photoshoot I wanted to understand what are the best ways to record an interview like this. I had recorded interviews for university projects before, but they had been a little less prepared for in terms of camera set up time. We would have a good amount of time to set up lighting and cameras before we started, so I wanted to understand how to record a "proper" interview.

Like anything it seems nowadays, a few clicks on YouTube will find you a professional video on how to do something technical! That was the case once again. I feel like my knowledge of shooting factual content like interviews is pretty good as it's my favourite genre of filming styles. However, I always love to learn more and this video taught me a few details I had not focused on as clearly in the past.

At 0:32 the video gave useful information about using the setting to tell the story. I know the director, George W cannot make this shoot so I will have to make my own directorial decisions on the shoot day. I did not mind this - Actually I did enjoy the idea I may get some of my own shots featured so I took the challenge with open arms. Anyway, back to the point... Using the background to set the scene of the interview will be important. From what the group has told me she may have a colourful background to her design area. This would be great to capitalise on as colour is a great way to express yourself and I think if we can capture Bonnie with her backgrounds it would give a great sense to who she is.

The style of the interview is different to ones I have previously filmed, which will be a challenge at first. In all but one of the interviews I have shot so far, there are two people on screen during the interview. In this interview, Bonnie will be answering the questions that are asked from behind the camera. We think either George.N or Conor will ask the questions. These questions will not be used on tape but are more of a hint to Bonnie as to what to speak about. Knowing this, I think that we will set up the shot with Bonnie right of the frame and an object on the left of the frame. (could be a sewing machine or some wool... Something that makes it look like she makes clothes) I will, of course, consult the editor and what he would want to work with within the edit.

Conor had booked out two cameras for this shoot which was great as it would give us the opportunity to get as many coverage shots as possible. However, this does make it harder to set up the cameras as you want the cameras to match as you don't want the editor to waste time in the edit colour correcting. When we get to the location tomorrow we will set aside some extra time to make sure that the cameras look exactly the same on screen. I am sure this will not be an issue as we will have two cameras which are exactly the same but we will want to make sure as it will save time later on in the project.

Coverage is a big issue that was stressed throughout the previous factual units in university and I feel I always did a good job in making sure I lots of it.

"It is one of the director’s tasks to create a shot list, and thus define how the coverage will be. Before principal photography starts, the director should know where the camera will be and what or who it will shoot. A movie with poor coverage always feels awkward, for it usually impedes the editor from accomplishing the much praised invisible editing." (elements of cinema, 2017)

Thanks to two cameras we will have that opportunity this time by but making sure we shoot the right thing is also important. We know that Bonnie will talk to the camera first and then do a demonstration on how she makes the items that she sells. For the cutaways as a whole, I want to make sure I get extreme close-ups of things like the sewing machine needle and the ball of string as well as possible items like clips and even the basic materials. As I mentioned we have two cameras so getting all of these shots will not be a problem but I assume we will have one camera set up looking at Bonnie while another camera gets all the cutaway shots. If this is the case I will take control of the camera that gets the cutaways as I have the best idea of what will be needed, that is through my research and also as I am the camera operator. I will make sure to understand what the editor wants as well as he may see a great shot that may work in editing. We will work together to form a director in the absence of our actual director.

Even though the sound is not my dedicated role I will work with Alex H who is also the sound man to understand what will be best for the situation.

"Bad audio can ruin even the best video. Consumers of online video recognize subpar sound almost instantly. Like a typo in an article, loud background noise and fuzzy voices suggest inexperience and distract from your message.

The area you shoot in can make a huge difference! The saying "fix it in post" doesn't really apply to audio. It's extremely tough to remove ambient noise from a recording after the fact. Save yourself the aggravation and capture the best possible sounding audio during production.
When you're setting up for your shoot:

• Pick a space without loud ambient noises.
• Steer clear of air conditioning units, generators, traffic noise, and anything else that creates a hum.
• Try to find a shoot location that allows you to control ambient noise.
• If you're shooting in your office, make sure you warn the folks in the background that you may need to "pull a Spielberg" and ask them firmly to be quiet!
• Deaden room reverberation by taping blankets to the walls. You could also invest in acoustic panels that help remove room reverberation." (wista, 2016)

There are a few possible options for the interview. One being the clip mic, one being a shotgun mic on top of the camera and one being a boom pole. Assuming the area is relatively quiet we would probably not use the clip mic as it has an on-screen presence and sometimes makes it look too serious. I think the best option would be the boom pole as unlike the photoshoot VT, we need great audio for this one.

To conclude, I think our biggest issue tomorrow is collecting enough coverage of all the going on in the scene. There will be a PTC which we will shoot on both cameras, I'm thinking on slighting off centre as a wide and another a close up of her face from a 60-degree angle which would have Bonnie looking to the left of the frame. This would be great for cutaways as the close-up especially would be good for its depth of field.

As for the cutaways in the DIY segment, I think we should have one camera always focusing on getting close-ups of what she is doing. This may be hard to do in one take so we may have to take a second try at some just to make sure we get the right shot. I know she will understand as she seems like a really nice person from all I have been told. Cutaways in this DIY segment would focus on the goings on but we may want shots like the foot pedal as well if it may fit. The static camera would get a wide shot of all that is going on as that would be useful if I am mid-move when she does something important. Overall, I am looking forward to getting this final VT Shot. I think we know what we are doing and even without a director we should be fine getting all the shots needed for this to be a great segment.

Bibliography

B and H, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FElRjwAeiRw
accessed ON 26th March 2018



elements of cinema, 2017
http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/coverage.html
accessed ON 26th March 2018

Wista, 2016
https://wistia.com/library/choosing-a-microphone
accessed ON 26th March 2018