Video interviews are increasingly gaining popularity in both talent acquisition and recruiting processes in major companies today. This is helping companies save time and resources when recruiting and hiring. It’s also a great opportunity for businessmen to connect with the best talents. Ideally, as a businessman, you don’t have to leave your business activities to undertake a recruitment process. All you need are video interviews sent to your mail or cloud account to be scrutinized at a later date.
It’s not only convenient for employers, but to potential employees as well. Now, to the interviewee, it’s imperative to ensure that the contents in the interviews are worth every minute, but more so, the quality of your video can make or break success. And let’s face it, no one will be willing to watch a low-quality video interview to the end, and this could only mean one thing… you’re not hired! As long as you’re confident and well prepared for the interview, the rest lies in how you shoot your video. Below are six killer tips on how to shoot a great interview.
1. Preparation and Research
Of course, the first thing you want to do is prepare yourself fully before the day of the interview. You also want to ensure you’ve done your research before the D-day. This way, you’ll have control of the direction you’ll want your interview to go. And you can’t fail to admit, the key to shooting a great interview lies in picking great video recording equipment. This means ensuring you have your cameras prepped up early and lighting on standby. You’ll also want to factor in the aspect of disc storage. It’s imperative to have enough memory on your camera. Now, for those looking for a high quality camera, you’ll need to take your research a notch higher. However, online reviews can be a huge savior when it comes to this. The guys at looxcie.com say that to ensure you make the best pick, some of the most important features to look for in a good camera include Image Stabilization, Auto Focus, and Performance Low Light Performance. Before the interview, ensure that you have the best equipment ready.
2. Scout for the Best Location
Now, depending on the nature of the interview, whether professional or casual, a great location can make the difference between an amateur production and a profession one. This means physically trying out your camera in different locations and angles for that perfect interview. One thing to also note is that the location you chose will have an impact on the lighting effects. In addition to this, you also want to consider ambient noises from the surroundings. So when choosing your location, ensure that there are sources of electricity close by to help you in case you need additional lighting. It’s also important to anticipate changes in weather patterns. This way, you’ll not be surprised come the shooting day.
3. Find a great background
The ideal background should not distract the audience. If possible, it needs to have the same theme as the subject in the interview. For instance, it’s a business-based interview, the interviewee could stand in front of something that relates or represents their business. Avoid backgrounds that are bright such as windows or situations where you gave traffic in the background.
4. Be Professional about It
The last thing you want in an interview is to come out as an amateur. Early preparation and research are key to having a successful job interview and it will help a great deal in improving your video shooting skills. The major factors that can kill audience attention span include sound and lighting effects and unfortunately, most video interviews suffer from both. In an interview setting, you need a dedicated crew member monitoring the onset audio because, in such a setting, it’s more about what people can hear than what they can see.
5. Define the Eyeline Angle
When shooting an interview, there are two eye line angles. One involves the interviewee looking straight at the camera and the other involves the subject looking at the interviewer. You don’t want the interviewee to keep changing their eye line throughout the interview. This can be very distracting not only to you, but to the subject as well. So before shooting the interview, ensure to communicate it and let the interviewee decide on what they prefer. Products such as Eyedirect are a great addition in an interview where the interviewee decides to look at the camera. These gadgets will help the interviewee to keep natural eye contact with the camera at all times regardless of their moods. While being recorded, this gadget will help the interviewee to look at the interviewer’s face without realizing that they are actually looking at the camera’s lens. It’s also a great addition in your shooting itinerary as it helps to make the interview and conversation appear natural and seamless.
6. Shoot More Than You Need
When shooting an interview, you are allowed to shoot more than you need. You never know, you could as well catch candid moments that can be useful in the final edit. We all like a bit of fun, and this can be a great addition to an interview shooting.
Interview shooting is one of the most challenging aspects of film-making, but if you follow the above tips, it’s going to be an activity worth your every effort. The good news is that you don’t have to be a professional to be good at shooting an interview. Investing in the right equipment and taking note of your lighting and audio is the first step top perfecting your skills.
