In this new world of social distancing, producers must get creative in the ways in which we’re able to continue to create content. One way is to film interviews remotely, using zoom/skype/facetime to direct the subjects and then edit that content in engaging ways. It’s user-generated content on steroids. Here’s some tips for how to capture interviews remotely and produce high quality, useable material.
Use a Smartphone to Record
Use Zoom/Skype/FaceTime to direct the interview only, and have the subject self-record using their smartphone or iPad or tablet. There’s two reasons to avoid using something like Zoom to record the content. One is that the quality will usually be much lower than using a smartphone. An iPhone 11 can record in 4k on the selfie camera, at 135Mb/sec, which is much better than what Zoom’s meeting recording option can offer. Lower-end cameras may only be able to capture HD, but the data rate will still likely be higher than recording in Zoom or other software. It’s key to make sure the subject goes into their camera settings and selects the highest video quality available. The second reason to record with a smartphone is that you sidestep any potential internet issues. If you record with Zoom, and there’s internet troubles on either end, you’ll end up with pixelation, frame dropping or freezing. This is avoided entirely by recording on a smartphone. Make sure the subject also checks for available space on their smartphone prior to recording. Depending on the exact phone, you’ll want to have about 2Gb of free space per 10 minutes of footage, or 12Gb per hour.
Scout Home Locations for Framing and Sound
Make sure the subject pre-selects a good location to record the interview. Ideally it’s somewhere with an uncluttered background, an option for natural light and low background noise. Soft window light is usually the best light, so ask your subject to find a spot where the window can light their face. This means the window is in front of them (they’d be looking at it directly or slightly off to one side) and not behind them. Then they should turn off all overhead and other interior lighting fixtures. This prevents a mix of color temperatures, which ends up looking especially unflattering on smartphone footage. Lastly, have the subject place the smartphone at eye level, so this may mean using some books, a box or if they have it, a tripod or phone holder. You want to avoid the camera being placed too low or too high, and don’t want it to be handheld. Usually the subject can use their laptop for the Zoom call, and then position their smartphone somewhere nearby. You’ll want to make sure the subject is using the selfie camera on their device, as they’ll be able to easily frame their shot and ensure that the camera is recording during the interview. Direct them about the “rule of thirds” – eyes should land on the first third of the frame.
Obtaining the Media
If all goes well, you’ll have a nicely framed and lit interview that sounds good, recorded at the highest quality that the subject’s device can offer. The easiest way to get the footage is to send a file request via dropbox. The subject can open the link from their email and upload the original media directly from their device. If you don’t have dropbox, you’ll want to ensure the subject is sending you the original file, and not a compressed version. Sending via email, text, iMessage or similar will almost certainly result in a severely compressed, low quality file.
Bonus Tips if Time and Budget Allow
If your timeline and budget allow, you can further increase the quality of the remote recording by shipping equipment to your subject. This can include sending a better quality camera (a mirrorless SLR would offer the best easy bump in quality) that a family member could monitor, a microphone that plugs into a smartphone, or a tripod/lighting rig. All of these options can add complexity, but with a little prep time and help, you can guide your subject and get a much better quality recording.
Edit Creatively
Think about how to uniformly and creatively assemble the footage as you would with normal video. Use existing footage, archival footage, photos from the subjects, and kinetic/animated text to package the videos in ways that will engage your audience. The interview footage is going to have a direct-to-camera confessional type of feel OR make it clear that it’s a user-captured interview by visually representing the zoom set-up and framing through a separate recording that you use to cut between. It’s ok, and perhaps important, to acknowledge how the footage is being captured and that you are capturing it during the challenging times we are all living in. And don’t forget to do some sound mixing and color correction. Footage captured on a smartphone can really benefit from some noise and reverb reduction and a simple color balance, contrast reduction and boost in saturation.
