Tips for Interview Questions

I recently sent out an e-mail asking for suggestions for an exciting new program I’m working on, which I’ll be announcing very soon, to help filmmakers structure engaging documentaries. I’m getting some great responses! If you have ideas for topics you would like to see covered in this unique structural guide, and in particular, problems you are facing in crafting your film, please let me know.

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the strategies I’ll be sharing in the new program. Often filmmakers end up in the edit room without the right material they need to structure a film. As I recently advised one of my story consulting clients (who fortunately has not yet begun production), asking the right questions during interviews will elicit the correctly formatted soundbites you need to construct a riveting film.

Here are three specific tips for asking the right questions. These tips will save you the awkward pre-interview instructions of telling your subject that they need to answer in full sentences, by repeating back your question. Don’t do that. I’ve found it only confuses people and makes them feel self-conscious.

And you generally don’t get the answer you needed anyway.

You may have run into this problem when you are editing. When people give answers that consist of one word or one phrase, it can be very difficult to construct a coherent thought, particularly if you’re not using narration that can “write to” the answer.

So how do you avoid one-word answers?

The key is to avoiding this situation to frame your question with certain opening phrases that will force your subject to give full sentence responses.

For example, if I asked you what color your car is, and you reply “blue”, that’s not a very helpful soundbite to use in the edit room. But if I asked you to “Describe the color and make of the car in your driveway?” you’re more likely to say something to the effect of, “It’s light gray Honda Prius.”

I credit my colleague, PBS filmmaker Jon Else, with these interview tips. Try framing your questions with one of the following opening phrases:

• “Describe such and such…”
• “Explain such and such…”
• “Tell me about such and such…”

Use one of these opening phrases and watch your interview come alive with full-bodied answers that will stand on their own in your script.

For more strategies and guidance for structuring a compelling documentary, please stay tuned for my announcement, or check out my website at https://newdocediting.com/ to learn about my exciting new program. I’ll be revealing it next week.