Interviews and podcasts
The interview is probably the format you'll film most: corporate videos, documentaries, video podcasts, testimonials. With two cameras, good audio and a bit of organization, you can get a professional result.
Looking at the camera or off camera?
- Off camera: the interviewee looks at the interviewer, who sits next to the lens. This is the documentary format: it feels like a conversation we're watching.
- To camera: they speak directly to the viewer. More direct and intimate, but harder for someone who isn't used to it. There are devices (interview teleprompters) that project the interviewer's face over the lens.
Sit right up against the camera, with your face at lens height. The closer you are to the axis, the more “face-on” the interviewee will look. If you move away, they'll appear in profile.
Two-camera setup
- Camera A: medium shot or medium close-up, from the front or at three-quarters.
- Camera B: close-up from a different angle (at least 30° apart) or a wider side shot.
The second camera isn't a luxury: it lets you cut without it showing. If you remove a sentence, instead of a visible jump you switch to the other camera.
Shoot in 4K and edit in Full HD: you can alternate between the original shot and a tighter crop. This is sometimes called a “digital second camera”.
Settings that must match between cameras
- Fps and shutter.
- White balance (in kelvin, never on auto).
- Color profile, if possible.
- Equivalent exposure.
Video podcasts
A video podcast usually has one camera per person plus a wide shot. Keys:
- Dynamic microphones close to the mouth: they reject the room, and having the mic in shot is part of the look.
- One audio track per person on a multitrack recorder or interface.
- Shots with room to spare: participants move, gesture and lean back.
- Long takes: check that your cameras won't shut down from overheating or hit a recording limit, and bring external power.
Syncing audio and video
- Record reference sound on every camera.
- At the start, a sharp clap in front of all the cameras (or a clapperboard).
- In the editor, select the clips and use automatic sync by audio waveform.
- Create a multicam clip: as it plays, you'll be able to switch cameras live.
In very long recordings (more than 30–40 minutes), the audio from a recorder and the video from a camera can slowly drift a few frames apart. Check sync at the beginning and the end; if it drifts, cut and re-sync section by section.
Directing the interviewee
- Ask them to answer by including the question: “Where were you born?” → “I was born in Chicago.” That way you can remove your voice.
- Don't talk over them or say “uh-huh”: nod silently.
- Leave a few seconds of silence after each answer: sometimes the best part comes then.
- Start with easy questions so they can relax.
- Shoot B-roll: hands, the surroundings, objects they talk about. You'll use it to cover cuts.
- Decide the eyeline: to camera or to the interviewer.
- Two cameras, or 4K with a crop, to cut invisibly.
- The same settings on every camera.
- Separate audio, a clap and waveform syncing.
Your turn: a three-question interview
Interview someone with two devices (a camera and a phone, or two phones) and a separate audio recording.
- A medium shot from the front and a side close-up.
- A clap at the start.
- Sync in the editor and cut one minute alternating cameras.