Media Productions: "The Spotlight Story"

Premise: We have been learning how to script, shoot video and use our new Vegas Movie Studio editing software. We have been creating News Magazines for awhile now and our execution, especially on Interviews, has been poor.  One of the keys to a successful News Magazine is good interviewing. This assignment will give students a chance to practice and hone their on-camera interviewing skills.

Ten Rules for a Great Interview: Follow These Rules in filming your interview!

Rule #1: Decide who you will interview that will be interesting and entertaining.
Rule #2: Decide what you want to discuss with your subject. Create a large list of interview questions that cannot be answered with “Yes” or “No”.
Rule #3: Set up an establishing shot, with introductory statements to prepare your viewers for what they are going to see.
Rule #4: Set up your equipment BEFORE the interview, if at all possible. If not, be ready to set up as quickly as you can, so that you don’t lose your subject.
Rule #5: Use the Rule of Thirds when it comes to shooting you and your subject. Subject should be in the left or right half of the screen in front of a pertinent background.
Rule #6: Make some casual conversation first (maybe explain your interview, your project, the class, etc.) so that your subject is at ease with you, then start your interview.
Rule #7: Create the Best Sound Possible. Experiment with recording levels and your camera.  Use the sound recorder!   Good sound = Good interview.
Rule #8: Interviewee should be looking at YOU, not at the camera.
Rule #9: Follow the flow of the interview, let the subject take you to interesting places. Redirect as needed.
Rule #10: Shoot lots of footage. You can always CUT footage in post-production, but you can never ADD any.

Preparation for Your Interview:  A good interview does not just happen when a camera is put in front of someone who is answering questions.  A good interview is the result of research into your subject, extensive planning with regards to set, lighting and sound, well-thought out questions that lead the interviewee into interesting answers, quick thinking to direct the interviewee back to the flow of a conversation and precise editing. 

For this assignment, you are required to interview someone outside of the school and school environment.  This can be someone from your family, a community member, a sports figure, etc.  You will be responsible for setting up the interview, researching your interview questions, setting up establishing shots, completing the interview and the edits. 

Researching your Interview:  You need to go into your interview with an understanding of the background of your subject, areas of interest or expertise

Editing: Once you have filmed your interview, import your footage into Vegas and edit the clips together to create your final interview. This may be more difficult than you realize, try to have each speaker on camera when they are speaking. Use whichever soundtrack has the best quality. Put in simple transitions, plus a title and closing credits.

Other Types of Interview Styles: In some cases, interviews are shot with just one camera. Usually in these instances, the Interviewer uses their audio track or voiceovers to explain the questions being asked. It is also seen that the interview questions are sometimes given in TEXT format.

These styles tend to work best with multiple interviewees or when the interview is part of a bigger story. Due to the static nature of these techniques, these are best avoided for extended interviews, as the viewer will quickly get very bored only watching a single shot.

Submitting Your Practice Interview: Turn in your final practice interview film to the Video Drive Dropbox. This will account for 1/4 of the grade on this project!

Your Final Product Interview:

Follow the 10 Rules to Creating an Great Interview!

Consider the following list of possible interview subjects. You must choose one of these or have Mr. B. approve of an alternate interviewee ahead of time. You are encouraged to do interviews with interesting people off campus, but you must get approval ahead of time and be diligent in your preparations.

Possible Interview Subjects here at HHS
Mr. Ward: Regarding his Retirement. Mr. Stanford: Regarding the Football Season
Mr. Yaussi: Regarding his new job. Ms. Axelson: Regarding Spring FFA Activities
Mr. Burmeister: Regarding Basketball Team or FBLA. Ms. Hanshew: Regarding Broadway Revue
Ms. Hensley: Regarding Spring Drama Productions. Mr. Seany: Regarding Wrestling Season
Ms. Lintner: Regarding Yearbook. Ms. Napiwocki: Regarding her new job at HHS.
Ms. Street: Regarding teaching music at HHS. Mr. Naughton: Regarding his job at HMS.
Mr. Laurie: Regarding the Literary Magazine. Mrs. Otto: Regarding Prom
Ms. McDonnell: Regarding HHS Activities. Mr. Ring: Regarding CSAPs or other District issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of the Final Interview process is to ARRANGE a time and place for your interview. Also, please supply the person you are interviewing with a copy of the questions that you will be asking them (at least 5).

Once your interview is all set up, shoot your footage. Edit your footage. Turn in your final product.

Some rules for the Final Interview:

1. Your interview should be AT LEAST 3 minutes in length!
2. Use AT LEAST two cameras in the filming of your footage (if you decide to do a single camera interview, get approval from Mr. B. first. One question he will ask is "How will you keep the viewer's interest?")
3. Make sure you have an establishing shot starting your interview, with introductory voiceover commentary to prepare the viewer for what they will see.

GRADING:

I will be grading this as follows:

  • 25 Points for completing your Superhero Question Sheet.
  • 25 points for your written interview questions for your Final Interview.
  • 50 points for your practice interview, filmed as required and properly edited.
  • 50 points for proper filming technique, Title Screen, establishing shots, closing credits, introduction on your Final Interview.
  • 50 points for the quality of your Final Interview and how entertaining or informative your interview is.