DIL: Making a video using interviews of people

I have been thinking further about the midwifery video I am going to make as part of the Digital Literacy Research project that I am participating in. As I said in a previous post, I have settled on making a video using interviews to explain about professional portfolios and how midwives can use them in practice. Hopefully, the quality will be good enough to use the video as a teaching resource.

A digital framework
I have really enjoyed this YouTube video called: Blogging - The staff experience.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PIiizu4yVg

Taking Bronwyn's advice, here are a couple of guidelines that I have developed from watching the video above and others.

• Keep it short. I have given myself a time of under 10 minutes for my video which will fit YouTube's criteria and hopefully not bore people to death.
• Keep it simple. Too many flashy effects can distract from the message of the video.
• If filming people, make sure the lighting is good. Same applies with sound.
• Tell a story.
  

Tips for videoing interviews
Here is a review of some of the tips and guidelines about interviewing that I have found.

Technical tips
From the US Veterans History Project comes this advice:

• Use very good quality recording equipment, both video and audio.
• Use a microphone that is external from the video camera, positioning it about 9 inches from the interviewee.
  
• Test the equipment before you start recording.
• Make sure there is no external noise that will interfere with the recording, such as a telephone ringing.
  

The Online Journalism Review advises:

• Use a tripod, so that handshake does not affect the quality of the film
• Use a light source that comes behind the camera. If you shoot with light behind your subject, the person will appear as a silhouette
• Do not use the zoom feature unless you really need to. This is because it doesn't look very good when showing on the Internet and it slows up the download speed.

Interviewing people
Robin Liss says:

• Keep the interviewee to the side of the shot
• Film the person's head and upper chest
• Get the interviewee to maintain eye contact with you, rather than the camera
  
• Get the interviewee to talk to you in a natural conversation

Advice from The Media College includes:

• Encourage the interviewee to relax
• Have a plan and stick to it
• Don't worry if the person makes a mistake, especially if the interview is going to be edited

Lorraine Grula believes it is important to:

• Have the questions prepared before the interview so the participants are comfortable with what they want to say, and the interviewer does not forget what she is trying to find out.
• Keep the audience in mind when making the video. Make sure things are explained in a language that the general public will understand, not just midwives.
  
• When devising questions remember to ask who, what, when, where, why and how.

The final words goes to Thomas Clifford:

• Ask open ended questions
• Keep the questions short
• Think about the answers you want which will help you devise the questions that will create the answers.
  

Have you made a video interviewing people, or you yourself been interviewed on camera? What other tips for interviewing people on camera can you think of?

Image: 'Speaking out' chrisschuepp
www.flickr.com/photos/11883362@N00/2279740170