Interview production

Research the contributor, their role and the story, not just the product.

Confirm pronunciation, title, company styling, accessibility needs and sensitive topics.

Identify the essential answer, likely proof points and questions that can unlock specificity.

Identify the essential answer, likely proof points and questions that can unlock specificity.

Schedule enough time for rapport, mic placement and resets without making the contributor feel processed.

Contributor can sit or stand naturally, maintain eye line and speak without interruption.

Primary and backup dialogue capture; room noise controlled at source.

Environment supports the person or story without reading as a set of random props.

Achieved through placement, light and lens choice, not shallow focus at the expense of reliability.

Chair, eyeline, hands, wardrobe, glass levels and background activity remain controllable.

Visible people, screens, documents and branding have permission or are excluded.

Place the interviewer close enough to the lens that the eyeline feels engaged; the precise angle should serve the intended tone and approved brand treatment.

Allow looking room and protect crops for required versions. Do not center mechanically if the graphic system needs negative space.

Keep the eyes reliably sharp. Do not choose an aperture that turns normal movement into unusable footage.

Avoid background lines intersecting the head, bright objects pulling focus, or branded elements that appear accidental.

If using two cameras, ensure the angle change is meaningfully different and does not cross the line or create a false eyeline.

Light the face for expression and eye contact before beautifying the room.

Shape rather than flatten: control spill and use negative fill when the environment needs separation.

Respect skin tone; judge with calibrated monitoring and exposure tools, not the camera LCD alone.

Glasses are a geometry problem. Adjust source height, angle, subject or eyeline before accepting distracting reflections.

Match the emotional world of the story. “Premium” does not always mean dark, contrasty or heavily backlit.

Primary microphone is placed for signal quality, not invisibility alone.

A second independent dialogue path is recorded where feasible.

Headphones are worn during every answer, not only the sound check.

Room tone and any useful wild lines are captured.

Clothing noise, jewelry, table vibration, RF interference and phone noise are resolved at source.

Begin with easy factual questions so the contributor finds their voice.

Ask one clear question at a time. Let silence do some work.

Follow interesting language: “What did that look like in practice?” “Can you give an example?”

Request a complete thought only when editorial context requires it; do not coach false enthusiasm.

Separate the story from the wording. Seek several authentic paths to the same essential idea.

End by asking what was missed and what the contributor would want the audience to remember.

Locates the audience and provides editorial breathing room.

Wide, medium, close, hands, result and reaction support coherent construction.

Shows agency and intelligence rather than generic typing.

Turns abstract claims into specific visual proof.

Protects meaning edits and creates rhythm.

Enables repair, graphics, sound continuity and versioning.