Week 10: Interview Setup & B-roll Integration (Documentary Portrait Part 2)

Interview Essentials

"Visual Evidence" by Barry Hampe (PDF).

Devil's Playground 28.40

Hampe: The Interview Is Not the Evidence

Hampe's central point is that a documentary persuades through what the camera shows: people doing things, places, objects, behavior. An interview is evidence only of what someone says. Talk can explain, connect, and add feeling, but it can't replace seeing. A profile built mostly on talking heads asks the audience to take someone's word for it.

• Emphasize the visual: The interview (A-roll) should explain or deepen what the B-roll shows, not describe what we never see.
• Behavior over claims: If your subject says "I'm a perfectionist," find the moment where they redo something three times. That moment is your evidence.
• Plan for evidence: Every key statement in your interview should have a matching shot in your shot list.

Framing the Interview

• Space: depth behind subject, quiet background. Pull the subject away from walls. A background that relates to their work (tools, studio, garden) adds context for free.
• Camera: eye-level medium close-up (MCU); place the subject on one third and leave look-room on the open side.
• Eyeline: the subject looks at you, not the lens. Sit just beside the camera at their eye height so the eyeline lands close to the lens.
• Shot size changes: shift between MCU and close-up between questions (not during an answer). This gives you cut points in the edit.
• Lighting: practical key/fill light with low sun or ambient window light. Face the subject toward the window, not away from it.
• Audio: record in a quiet space. If you can't, use a second mic or phone placed close to the subject. Listen with headphones while recording.

Preparing for the Interview

• Pre-interview: talk with your subject before you film. Learn their routines, history, and what they care about. Note the stories they tell well, so you can ask for them again on camera.
• Write questions from the prepared shot list: what will we see them do? Write questions that get them talking about those actions.
• Open-ended questions: ask "how," "why," and "tell me about," not yes/no questions.
• Anecdote prompts: "Tell me about a time when..." or "What happened the first time you...?" Stories cut better than opinions.
• Full-sentence answers: your voice won't be in the final cut, so ask the subject to include the question in their answer ("I started woodworking when...").
• Listen and follow up: layer follow-ups on what they actually said. Don't just move down your list.
• Allow silence: don't rush to fill pauses. The best answers often come right after an uncomfortable silence. Nod your head to show you are listening, don't say "uh huh."
• Interview while they work: ask questions during the action footage too. Spontaneous answers in context often beat the sit-down.

Interview framing

Interview and Visual Evidence

Arts: The Recession-Proof Artist | The New York Times

Covering an Event/Action:

• Cover what you can of an event and always look for opportunities for continuity cuts.
• Move around the subject(s) and vary your camera framing: tight (CU), medium, and wide (establishing).
• For covering processes—like somebody making something—think of five shot variations for each sequence.
• Experiment with moving-camera techniques.
• Hold each shot for at least 10 seconds to provide options in the edit.

Interview B-roll flow

5-Shot Sequence (a foundational guide for documentary coverage):

1. A close-up on the hands – showing WHAT is happening
2. A close-up on the face – WHO is doing it
3. A wide shot – WHERE it’s happening
4. An over-the-shoulder shot (OTS) – linking the previous three concepts
5. An unusual or side/low shot – providing story-specific context

Moving the Camera - B-Roll

Static Camera (locked-off):
– staging and blocking talent
– dynamic framing and editing

Moving Camera:
– handheld, panning, tracking, etc.
– the long take
– planned vs. spontaneous (handheld)

Pan / Tilt:
– motivate the move, avoid randomness
– hold start frame (10 sec), movement, end frame (10 sec)
– plan and rehearse with tripod head or monopod swivel

Dolly / Tracking:
– use skateboards, cars, bicycles, or wheelchairs
– attach a GoPro or phone to a moving vehicle

Handheld (with monopod):
– try swish pans and wide-angle tracking
– adjust focus dynamically
– move from the center (Tai Chi-like motion)

Steadicams:
– tools like iPhone Smoothee or Flowmotion
– DIY options: hang a weight for balance

In-Class Assignment · "Being a WSUV Student" (60-Second Spot)

In groups of 3–4, you'll produce a 60-second documentary spot about being a WSUV student. You'll shoot 2–3 short interviews (at least one indoors and one outdoors), gather B-roll of students and campus, and cut it together. Total time: 75 minutes, including the edit.

Crew Roles (rotate for each interview)

• Interviewer: asks questions, listens, follows up. Sits beside the camera at the subject's eye level.
• Camera: frames, focuses, checks exposure, changes shot size between questions.
• Sound: places the second phone/mic close to the subject, monitors with headphones, flags noise.
• Subject: answers in full sentences, including the question in the answer.

Everyone should be the subject once and work camera at least once.

Timeline

1. Plan (10 min): Pick 2–3 interview locations (at least one indoor, one outdoor). Agree on 3–4 questions. Write a quick B-roll shot list that matches what you expect people to talk about.
2. Interviews (25 min): About 8 minutes per setup. Frame an MCU with look-room, check background and light, record 10 seconds of room tone, then ask your questions. Change to a close-up between questions.
3. B-roll (15 min): Shoot students and campus. Use the 5-shot sequence for at least one action (hands, face, wide, OTS, unusual angle). Hold every shot 10 seconds. Try at least one motivated camera move.
4. Edit (20 min): Build the interview track first (A-roll), then lay B-roll over it. Cut to 60 seconds.
5. Export & share (5 min): Export and post your link.

Sample Questions

• Why did you choose WSUV?
• Walk me through a typical day on campus.
• Tell me about a moment here that surprised you.
• Where on campus do you spend the most time, and why?
• What would you tell someone thinking about coming here?

B-Roll Ideas (Visual Evidence)

• Students doing things: walking to class, studying, working in a lab or studio, talking, eating, using equipment.
• Campus: establishing wides of buildings, paths, trees and seasonal detail, signage, interiors.
• Details: hands on keyboards, coffee cups, backpacks, doors opening, feet on stairs.
• Match the talk: if someone mentions the library, film the library. Every key statement should have a shot that shows it.