Documentary Interview Tip

One of my documentary story consulting clients is about to begin production.  She lined up several interviews, and then she asked me if there was any particular order she should follow for posing questions. Chronological, perhaps?

While that’s not a bad idea, I advised her that her guiding principle in organizing her questions should be creating a mood of trust. Starting with softball questions is advisable.

Another way to build trust is to begin with questions about background information. These questions may even be exposition that you already know and that you will use in narration, not in an interview soundbite. The point is that a few of these questions will warm up your interviewee. (If they’re not already warmed up under the hot lights.)

Remember that what you’re after in your interviews are three important things.

First, you want the storytelling information, that is, the relating of important plot points.

Second, you want emotion, not facts. This can include controversial opinions.

Third, you want to elicit important story building blocks such as the “Protagonist’s Statement of Desire”. (I won’t go into that here.)

If you are interviewing an expert, know in advance what they will say.   And if that expert is going to be a counter voice in your film, make sure to get that counter opinion on camera.

One of the best ways to do that is to state other people’s judgments, and ask your expert to respond.

For example, in an investigative documentary, you might state to an EPA official, “Some people say that the EPA is a joke. They point to the handling of XYZ and how it should’ve been done this way. What would you say to these people?”

I hope that these tips will help you elicit the kind of sound bites you’ll need to structure a riveting documentary film.

For more information on how to structure your documentary, please check out my online E-course, “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary” at https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/