Production - Do you know how to conduct an interview?

Though each interviewer will have their own style, line of questions etc, there are some basic rules that you should follow when conducting an interview:

1. Introduce yourself, then the interviewee, then the topic of the interview.

❌ Figure: Bad Example - The Interviewer did not introduce him or herself, nor did he/she explain who the interviewee is. Also, the topic is a little too broad, it will be extremely rare to find a video that covers every single aspect of a major subject like that

✅ Figure: Good Example - correct order, sufficient detail, and straight to the point

1. Tell the interviewee not to speak until they are introduced.
2. When the interviewee is speaking, remain quiet. This is about the audience receiving the information, not you.
3. When the interviewee is finished speaking, simply move straight to the next question (either follow-up or planned) but do not comment or react to what they said, it distracts the audience from their own reaction and comes across as self-centered. If you read the transcript of an interview in a magazine, you will notice that in professional interviews you won't be reading the words "huh that's really interesting" or "ah ok" as this does nothing for the reader, they came to learn from the interviewee.
4. Saying something unusual to catch the audience's attention at the beginning can sometimes heighten the value of an interview, but choose carefully. You want to say something that conveys good communication and honesty, both with the interviewee and the audience, even if it is slightly distancing. A good way to do this can be to disclose your bias upfront.

❌ Figure: Bad Example - Don't say something downright offensive with no point to it

✅ Figure: Good Example - This builds trust with the audience, creates a challenge for the interviewee, and creates an interesting sense of contract between the 2 of you

1. If you are conducting a webcam interview, look at the camera as much as possible and have your notes close to the camera on your screen.
2. Overprepare, don't under prepare. Having a set of questions figured out before-hand can have a large impact on the value of your video, as it slows the pacing to have the people on screen figuring the interview out as they go. It can also be distracting to see the interviewer constantly checking their notes. Keep in mind follow-up questions can stack up and end up making your video last too long, so use them sparingly.
3. If you are going to use screencap cutaways at all, figure out beforehand which ones you plan on using and have them ready to go at a moment's notice, the audience does not want to watch you logging in and waiting for load times, etc. They also do not want to see you figuring out a piece of software as you go, this is a major no-no.

❌ Figure: Bad Example - This is painful to watch and comes across as very unprofessional. It is also difficult to edit out in post-production

✅ Figure: Good Example - No messing around and keeps the pace up

1. Ask the interviewee to include your question in the start of their answer. This reinforces the question for the audience, gives a strong start to the interviewee’s response, and also makes it possible to create incredibly useful smaller video segments.

❌ Figure: Bad Example - Interviewee’s statement is very general and could be referring to anything

✅ Figure: Good Example - establishes an immediate context for the interviewee’s response, and is a powerful statement when heard without the interviewer’s question