One plus one

Interviews are bread and butter work to directors, and are often conducted live. Once you can do simple interviews with few cameras it is easy to tackle larger set-ups.

Interview styles

First work out what style of interview you want. If we place the interviewer and the interviewee directly across a table from each other, it appears to be confrontational. If we place them near each other with a coffee table between them it becomes a much softer environment.

Two-eyed shots

I know it sounds completely self-explanatory, but some people still don’t get it. A two-eyed shot is where we can see both of the eyes of a person. I cannot over-stress the importance of seeing the eyes. If we speak to someone we look directly into their eyes. If they won’t look at us when they’re speaking, we think they’re shifty.

If you shoot someone from the side on (a profile shot), we can’t see what their eyes are saying. We can see their nose. All of it. Anyone with a less than perfect hooter will not thank you for shooting them from the side.

Cross shooting

The obvious way to get two-eyed shots is to cross shoot. So, in the diagram opposite, Camera 1 gets the guest, Camera 3 picks up the interviewer and Camera 2 can float around from side to side.

Camera positioning

While if might seem obvious to lay out the cameras from left to right, 1 to 3, there is something to be said for reversing this order. If you look at the monitor stack, you would get a more natural view of the interview by reversing the cameras.

Camera shots

You can easily shoot a professional-looking one plus one interview programme with two cameras. It’s less work with three, but if you can do it with two you’ll find it easier to cope with larger groups.

The two main shots you will use are from the sides, MCU or MS, depending on the programme style. Additionally these cameras can offer 2-shots, or OTS. If you have a third camera in the middle it can move to one of the sides to offer a 2-shot at the same time as the single from a side camera, or it can offer a wider geography shot from nearer the middle.