Shooting My First Video Interview
The Mistakes I Made
Written on the 3rd of December, 2022
One day, my friend Falah AlHajraf called me and asked if I could help him by filming an interview. It was going to be showcased at a conference, which sounded exciting! I told him it would be my first time doing something like this and mentioned that I didn't have any audio equipment, so the quality might not be top-notch. But Falah was enthusiastic and encouraged me to go ahead and shoot the interview anyway. I appreciated his confidence in me!
I invited him to my place, picked a cozy spot, and started filming. It was my first time shooting an interview, so it was an excellent learning opportunity. I noticed a few things I could improve on next time!
I found myself relying solely on the built-in microphone of my camera, which was positioned quite a distance from my friend. As a result, the mic struggled to capture his voice clearly, drowning it out in a sea of ambient sounds. When I attempted to enhance his voice during editing, the background noise surged like an unwelcome tide, overshadowing his speech even more. It hit me then just how crucial a good audio setup is; you can sometimes salvage a poorly shot video, but clarity is everything when it comes to audio. An external microphone would have been a game-changer.
My second mistake was positioning my subject too close to the background, which cast an unappealing shadow. It pulled attention away from the primary focus of the shot. It would have made such a difference if I'd moved my subject further back!
To create a more engaging and dynamic video interview, I would have skillfully captured multiple angles of the subject. This approach would not only elevate the video's visual appeal but also facilitate captivating transitions that seamlessly weave the narrative together, captivating the audience's attention and drawing them deeper into the conversation.
The Gear I Used
