Interviewing Notes

Interviewing Notes

FORMAL INTERVIEW:

1.  Show up early, set-up and put mic on chair
2.   Run Mic Up shirt
3.   Reporter should distract and make a connection
4.   Photographer is listening in headphones
5.   Frame up shot:  Eyes on Third, Talking Space/Nose Room, Cam Eye Level,
6.   Photographer gives signal:  Clears Throat... to signal he/she is ready for the interview to start
7.  1st Question is always  State your name and spell it...
8.  Open Ended Questions
9.  Last Question is always "Is there anything else you want to say"
10. Shoot Cut Aways of Hands or Reporter


Copy and paste the following questions and answer them on your blog:

Run and Gun Interviews:

1.  What is a "Run and Gun" interview? When can we use a "Run and Gun" interview?
different from a formal interview, is not planned. usually one or two questions

2.  What is the first thing you should do BEFORE starting off for the interview?
check camera equipment, and introduce self/ask permission

3.  Why do you think we should ask for permission?
legal aspects, may not want to be interviewed

4.  Why should we always ask the interviewee to state and spell their names?
so it is recorded and spelt correctly


5.  Where should we place the microphone?
 place mic chest level (hang loose)

6.  Should we hand the mic to the interviewee?
never

7.  The photographer is responsible for the sound levels.  What are two things the photog should be aware of?
background noise, sound meter (high/low)

8.  COMPOSITION:  How we should frame our interview shot:
a.  Eyes on _third__________
b.  2 Eyes One _ear_________
c.  Camera should be Even than subject
 d.  Talking space or _nose_______ Room


BACKGROUNDS:
9. Avoid shooting in front of  _window, distracting signs___________.

10.  Why should we keep signs out of the background?
it can become a distraction
11.  If we were doing an interview about the high cost of parking at EVHS where would a good place to interview be?
in front of the the entrance or in the parking lot

12.  What is a demonstration interview and what are the benefits?
demonstration allows interviewer to feel comfortable and do something while interviewing

Interviewing

First Step- record interviewer saying first and last name, spell it out.
Last Step- ask interviewer if there is anything else they would like to add, like a missed question.

• when interviewing, keep silent and avoid verbal responses, will disrupt soundbite. 
• dont be afraid to have some silence
•  start with a conversation, so interviewer feels more comfortable

Friday Assignment

Story Title: Disappearing jobs: Video store closes shop
Total run time: 2:58
1) Close Up of the sign of the place
2) Wide shot of the whole place
3) Medium shot of store owner stacking videos
4) Wide and Low shot of outside the place
5) Medium shot of customer
6) Close up of a film
7) Medium shot of customers searching
8) Low to ground shot of dog in store
9) Shot of the inside of store but the outside raining too
10) Eyes on third
11) Medium shot of him walking out of store
12) Closing shot of the street

In my most honest opinion i thought this story was plain and boring. I think this is mostly based on my interest in the focus statement, but the story never caught my attention. when I watched the story again i decided to watch with out the sound. when i did this i noticed a sign or wide shot of a building before introducing a new interviewer. i liked this because it set the scene and gave you an idea of who was speaking. This also made for some creative shots. for instance the very first shot of the story is a low shot of the Well Fargo sign, then a speaker/soundbite started and you could assume he was from Wells Fargo.

Sound Bites:

“During the summer months we ice most of our drinks. A lot of our customers still need there caffeine fix so if they usually get a latte they will come in and get an ice latte instead.”

B-roll- Tight shot  

“I probably come in here two to three times a week, usually. Maybe max three times a week.”

“Well typically I like a hot cup of coffee, but in the summer it’s just really nice to come in and get a cool drink.”

B-roll- medium shot to tight shot 

“I’ve got the ice Mud Puddle right here, one of their classics. It’s got vanilla, and mocha, A little bit of chocolate mixed in there, and mix it all up with some ice and it’s a good, good drink. A little bit of cream and it tops it all off.” 

B-roll- tight shot/linking shot of coffee 

“We read a lot of medical books and herb books and they said drinking coffee can actually cool you down than drinking cold sodas and stuff. It has something to do to reduce the heat of the body, and it seems to do okay.”

B-roll- medium shot 

 

Stand ups:

“Everybody knows to come down town to the Mud House for a great cup of coffee, but no one wants coffee when it’s 105 degrees.” 

Broll- medium shot 

“For coffee shops like the Mud House there is one way to beat the heat, and that’s to offer refreshing, cold drinks.”

B-roll- medium shot 

“Another great thing about the Mud House is that once you get your drink and sit down, there’s a lot of great artwork.”

B-roll- medium shot

The Components of a Broadcast Story

The Components of a Broadcast Story

This is how a story is put together.

1st We come up with a Topic:
2nd We decide on a Focus Statement:
3rd:  We Conduct Interviews to get Sound Bites to use in the interview:
4th We Shoot B-Roll to complement the sound bites
5th  We Shoot our stand-up
6th:  We Edit our story together adding Voice Overs as Seques between interviews.


For the Cross Country story we watch in class, describe these 6 steps. 

1st: cross country team
2ed: cross country team runs football far
3rd: first sound bite- "our cross country team holds tradition very dear to us"
4th: overhead shot of running down the highway, shot from a helicopter
       low level depth shot of school - first scene
       sequence of boy running the football
5th:  linking shot of trading off of the football turning into a standup
        scene e takes place in the middle
6th: sequence of boy running the football with voice over

Watch: Break In  Video

Answer the following questions on your blog:
1.  What is the lead in this story?  Does it intrigue you to keep watching?
yes, gives you an idea that something unusual happened, with the help of voice overs:
"its hard to imagine something like this could happen in a quiet neighborhood - "love the neighborhood" ... "
2.  What are the 5W's of this story:  Who, What, Where, When, Why
where: neighborhood
Who: Heather
What: robbing
When: During the morning while she was away dropping her children at school
Why:
3.   Give an example of the reporters Voice over or seque (Write it down word for word)
In the beginning during the lead "its hard to imagine something like this could happen in a quiet neighborhood - "love the neighborhood" ... "
4.  When do we see the reporter's stand-up?  Beginning, Middle, or End?
Middle, the reporter takes us to another spot where there was another break in
5.  What is the purpose of this reporter's stand-up?
To explain more incidence like this one.
reporter takes us to another spot


Purposes of Standup's
-Moves story forward
-takes audience to the scene
-reporter becomes B-roll
-use props
-be creative and surprise us

Make It Memorable by Bob Dotson (Pages 3-41)

Handout Make It Memorable by Bob Dotson

ASSIGNMENT FOR FRIDAY:
Regarding the book by Bob Dotson, Make It Memorable: Please read the introduction and Section One (pages 3-41). Then, answer the following questions and be sure to exceed the requested word counts:
o What do you notice about the way he writes? Use specific examples, please. (75 words)
o What did you learn from reading pages 9 to 27? (75 words)
o With the scripts: What do suppose is described in each column? Why would it be split like that? What else is interesting about the scripts? (50 words)
o On Page 34 (and to the end of the section), Dotson writes about a long-form feature. Find one of these (a story at least 4 minutes long) on a TV news magazine such as Rock Center, 20/20 or 60 Minutes. Then, give and explain examples of how the storyteller uses the five bulleted traits Dotson gives on Page 34. (200 words)

What do you notice about the way he writes?

What I have noticed about the way Bob Dotson writes was how unique of a perspective he pursues in his writing. Bob Dotson gives many examples for what he is trying to teach to the reader. His examples are different because they are reports and interviews. One good thing about his way of using these examples is it keeps the reader interested with his stories. A second good thing about these examples was his ability to make the reader look for the examples, keeping everything amusing and interactive.

What did you learn from reading pages 9 to 27?

When I was reading Bob Dotsen's book Make It Memorable I learned a entire new perspective on broadcasting a story. On the pages 1-27 a lot of information came up on what essentials are needed to make a news story memorable in the short little time it has to be reported. I learned unique ways to gain the perfect sound bites, the Rule of Threes, filling in the science, and the Non-Question/Question.  

With the scripts: What do suppose is described in each column? Why would it be split like that? What else is interesting about the scripts?

I thought the scripts and the interviews where unique to add to the book. The scripts are written out in columns, and include short headings followed by what interviewers and reporters script. It seems to me the scripts are split into two sides, one column stating where/when/setting taking place like the b-roll, and the other Colum with the sound bites and stand-ups

give and explain examples of how the storyteller uses the five bulleted traits Dotson gives on Page 34:

Changing Identity - Natural sound & WALLDO

We will begin by watching a High School broadcast story titled Changing Identity

Answer the following questions on a blog post about the story:

1. Identify and explain as many WALLDO shots as you can.
-when they are interview noahs parents, the scene is shot at an angle.
-when he plays the piano, it gives a tight shot at an angle
-a low shot takes place when his walking down his deck staircase/playing with his dog
-they show a view of the backyard in a depth shot with a chimer in front of view
-depth shot also takes place when toaster pops up
-and also show a linking shot from the sky to him sitting on his deck

2. What is Natural Sound?
- whats happening in the background, the natural sound in the enviroment/setting/scene to give a better feel for whats happening in the storie.

3. Identify several examples of Natural Sound in this story?
-when noah is playing with his dog, they alow the background noise of the dogs barking
- when hes making jelly toast, you can hear the pop of the toaster

4. How does Natural Sound enhance the story?
- gives more creativity to a storie
- makes your attention drawn better by enhancing whats going on in the scean.

WALLDO

WALLDO camera fillming techniques

Wide Shot- stop, and get the wide shot of the scene.
Sets the scene.

Angled Shot- shot at an angle to give more depth .
makes the eyes of the viewer move across the screne.
straight shots can be awkward .

Low Shot- dont be afraid to get down low to show a new angle.
portrays a different perspective than people see everyday.
makes interview or focus intimidating or taller, powerfull effect.

Linking Shot- connects two scenes to tell a story.
ushually a pan, scene moving left to right.

Depth Shot- shoting with depth dementraites a 3D
Use forground framing
have object or frame in scene closer to camera, but focus is behind

Opposite- film an action of scene but also the reaction
film from oppisite point of view
gives viewer something you normaly dont see