Interview preparation
The
TV or radio interview may be prepared completely, with a finished
script for the interviewer and interviewee. It
may be oriented around an outline, where a general line of questioning
and answering is prepared, but the exact words used are improvised. Or it may be completely unprepared or ad lib.
Most
interview scripts are written in outline
form. First the producer, interviewer and writer prepare a broad outline of
the purpose and form of questioning. Following intensive and extensive
research, they prepare appropriate questions. To be ready to ask meaningful questions in a logical order, the interviewer
must have an idea of the possible answers to the major questions already
developed. For this purpose, a preliminary conference or pre-interview may be held.
The interviewee is briefed, sometimes lightly, sometimes fully, on the
questions to be asked. The interviewee indicates the general line of anwering.
Then the writer develops follow-up and probe questions and arranges them in the
most logical and dramatic order. The rundown
or routine sheet lists the actual questions to be asked, the probable
answers, and follow-up questions based on those answers. Sometimes the
interviewee is not available for pre-interview hence the writer must guess at
the probable answers. Sometimes the interviewee must be told to come a short while before the program is aired so
that the interview is discussed with him.
The
success to an interview is preparation. The writer/researcher must dig deeply,
and the interviewer should be equally
familiar with the interviewee’s background, attitudes and feelings.
Interview shoots are very unforgiving. This is a situation
in which you must get everything right first time and make the job flow
smoothly and comfortably for everyone involved. Interviews will quickly fall
apart if things start going wrong or taking a long time. Therefore competent
operators should be able to organise and shoot interviews in their sleep. It is
a skill which must be second nature, so you should be well practiced in this
art before you attempt a "mission-critical" interview.
Preparing for an interview involves:
- Contacting and making arrangements with the guest(s)
- Choosing a location
- Preparing equipment
- Traveling to the location and setting up
- Final briefing and technical checks
If you are to ask sensible
questions, you must know something about the subject. That is not to say that you need to be an expert
yourself, but a few minutes of research is important beforehand. However, you
may well get pushed into an interview without any chance to prepare whatsoever. In that case, use your
interviewee as a research resource. Let us say you are about to interview a
union representative who is calling for a strike. You know little more than his name, his employer’s name, and the
union he represents. If you ask for an outright briefing before the interview,
he may respect your honesty or he may feel contempt for your lack of knowledge, however unavoidable it may
have been. So start the recording and ask a wide-ranging question: ‘Why do you
think that a strike is now inevitable?’ It is difficult to answer that question without giving a clue to
the last offer from the employer! Now that you
know the last pay offer was an extra 4%, you can go on to ask what would
be acceptable and so on. The interview has begun
.
Location
You may carry out an interview almost
anywhere. Most are recorded, but even live interviews can be conducted in many places outside the
traditional studio. When you go out on location, make the most of opportunities
which may exist to include location sound when these are relevant. Some well-meaning interviewees will
offer you a ‘quiet room’. They are rarely of
any use unless they are a purpose-built studio. In particular, many
rooms in offices and factories can be
full of gloss-painted walls and hard metal objects. The resulting recording will sound as if it was made in a swimming
bath, full of harsh echo.
Format
In
all interviews-prepared, extemporaneous, ad lib- the writer prepares at least
the opening and closing continuity, introductory material about the
interviewee, and for each section of the program, lead-ins and lead-outs for
commercial breaks. And of course, there are questions to be asked and if
possible, probable answers. Each interview program has its own organization, and the writer must
write for that particular format. Some interview shows open with an
introduction of the program, note of the topic or approach, and then introduce
the guest. Others open cold, with the interview already underway, to get and
hold the audience’s attention and then bring in the standard introductory material.
Watch the
Language
Of course everyone should use
words acceptable for broadcasting. But there is another kind of language - the language of the body. The
interviewee may inadvertently reveal a lot about his mental state by his posture. Folded arms
may be a sign of defensiveness; wringing
hands, crossed legs and tapping fingers may reveal various states of
tension. Tapping fingers, by the way, must be stopped with a courteous request.
Otherwise the recording will
probably be spoilt by a most
peculiar thumping sound. Be careful also about the way you hold the microphone.
Do not move your fingers too much
or this will be picked up and
also remove rings which might scratch against the outer casing of the microphone. It is also easy to shove
the microphone under someone’s nose which is highly distracting. Try to tuck it
neatly under the interviewee’s chin.
Structure
The
beginning of the interview should clearly establish who the interviewee is.
Beyond the name, if the person has a specific profession, title, or
accomplishment that warrants the interview, identify what it is immediately, to
establish the interviewee’s credibility or reputation for the interview.
Early
on make clear the reason for the interview. What is the purpose? What should
the audience be looking for throughout the interview and especially at the end?
Don’t start with hard, controversial questions.
That will only put the interviewee on the defensive and could lead to evasion
or stonewalling. Begin the interview with background questions that establish
the interviewee’s expertise and position and set him/her at ease. You can begin
with questions of human interest nature, so that the audience gets to know
something about the guest’s personality before the interview is too far along.
Avoid
questions that don’t go anywhere. They may have some entertainment value, but
they tend to slow the entire interview and keep both the interviewer and
interviewee from getting into the
interview’s purpose.
Remember
its an interview, not a monologue by either the interviewer or interviewee.
Seek depth in the interview. It is not enough to
discuss who, what, where, when and how; you want to find out why. For example,
if you were interviewing a former
president about a scandal in
Department X of his
administration, you need to ask not only “How did the X keep the scandal for
long ? but also “ Why didn’t state house act on the scandal?
Be
careful of boring or distracting repetition in the questions and in the
possible answers. As with any good show, build
to a climax - the most dramatic
or confrontational questions.
Hilliard
(2008). In all interviews, regardless of
the format or orientation, some basic structural standards, if not rules,
apply:
(i)
Establish
the purpose of the interview.
(ii)
Establish
the type of interview approach to be used.
(iii)
Establish
who the interviewee is.
(iv)
Establish
the interviewee’s background in relation to the particular interview or news
story.
(v)
Establish
the setting: the subject’s home, a studio, an
event such as a new movie openining or an award ceremony, a political
meeting, a divorce court, etc.
(vi)
Create
a rising action; increase interest after you have got the audience’s attention
through effective questions and follow-up.
(vii)
Summarize
at the end
