Four Interview Tips and New Story Circle
Recently I had a rather unpleasant interviewing experience. My interviewee was nervous, and his way of coping was to object to nearly every question I posed.
Worse, I had allowed the subject of my film, Barbara Marx Hubbard, to sit in on the interview. She observed his antagonism and my frustrated attempts to engage him.
Before I reveal the lesson in this story, as well as four tips for interviewing documentary subjects, first an important announcement!
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Like an effective second act climax, my interview saga got worse before it got better. A week later, I had an opportunity to conduct 45 interviews with thought leaders at a conference. Barbara was speaking at the conference. Reflecting on the interview she had witnessed, she had some advice for me. “Your style is too dry,” she said, “you’ve got to engage them!”
I swallowed my pride, took her advice and incorporated these four interview tips, which I’ve taught for years and really should have known better!
First, memorize your questions and then throw your paper away. This requires discipline, but the resulting conversational flow will be enjoyable and produce animated, engaging responses. In my case, my interviewees raved about their interview experiences, and lucky for me, Barbara heard the positive buzz.
Second, if you are interviewing for a character-driven film, ask about story events in chronological order. Advancing through time will help you memorize your questions as well as your interviewee’s recall. Don’t forget to elicit the all-important inciting incident (catalyst event) as well the Protagonist’s Statement of Desire. The latter is a line that you’ll use in editing to orient the viewer to your protagonist’s quest.
For example, in my film, I’ve asked, “Explain specifically what Barbara’s goal was.” And my interviewees often say something like, “She wanted to create an event that would bring together 100 million people to celebrate the birth of a new world.”
Third, to help calm your interviewee’s nerves, explain to him before the interview, and soon after he’s under the bright lights, where to look (generally at you, not the camera).
Explain also that if he gets off track, you will gently interrupt and redirect him. That way neither of you will feel uncomfortable when he does go off on a tangent.
Finally, hold off on having your interviewee sign a release form until after the interview. That’s right. Wait. Legal forms make people nervous. And…go one generous step further. Allow your interviewee one last chance to strike anything they said that they don’t want in the film. This sage advice comes from PBS producer Jon Else.
Tell them they can write on the release form anything they said that they don’t want included. Explain that this is their last chance. After they sign, you are free to use their consented words. Chances are they’ll be in a great mood and will not strike anything.
And unless you are an investigative Michael Moore-type interviewing a Charlton Heston-type, this simple courtesy goes a long ways in building trust, which can help during distribution.
If you found these tips helpful, check out our New Doc Inner Circle 7.0 at
