Giving an interview. Plan: Advises for an interview Prepare for a Documentary Interview

5 Tips For Conducting a Successful Documentary Interview

You’ve prepped for the interview and have your list of questions. Here are some other things to keep in mind to make sure you get the most out of your interview:
1. Make your subject feel comfortable. Many subjects go into their interview nervous, especially when in front of a camera crew. Most people have never had to speak in front of video cameras before. Reassure them that there are no mistakes, and that there’s plenty of time.
2. Establish clear expectations. Set up clear expectations for how the interview will proceed: whether to look at you or at the camera, how in-depth their answers should be, and how to elaborate beyond a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Throughout your conversation, affirm that they are doing a great job.
3. Don’t interrupt. If someone seems to be getting off track in their storytelling, try not to interrupt them mid-sentence. Instead, use your body language to actively listen, and subtly steer the conversation. For instance, you can nod when you want someone to continue with their train of thought, or you can break eye contact and look down if you wants someone to wrap up their story.
4. Have the subject repeat your question. Having the interviewee repeat your question in their answer. This will help provide context for their response and will make your storytelling clearer. For instance, if your question is “when was the first time you went to a film festival” have your subject begin their answer by saying “The first time I went to a film festival…”
5. Take breaks. Interviews can be exhausting not only for the subject, but for the interviewer, the crew, and the video producers. Make sure you budget enough time to take breaks when necessary.
Make sure to keep some of these critical interview tips in mind:
Don’t delay! Type up feedback straight after the interview.
Plan any feedback you’ll be giving. Be honest, but kind.
Keep it professional and related to the role.
Set realistic expectations from the moment you call.
Try to avoid being confrontational.
Be helpful. Make your feedback actionable and be concise.
Don’t be vague. Share specific examples.
Make suggestions about what they could do differently in future.
Offer feedback on any or all parts of the hiring process – not just the interviews.
Give positive feedback and praise to build their confidence..
Give feedback on a wide variety of things.
Be consistent. A structured interview process helps with consistency.
Provide structure. Basing things on a framework makes it easier to give accurate, consistent feedback to all candidates.
Don’t forget that you can get candidate feedback, too! This can help improve your whole recruitment process – if you’re up for it.