Otholt's Guide To Interview Style (2005 - 2010)
I shoot 50-60 interviews a year for corporate, documenary, and commercial television.
The biggest impact on the perceived production value of an interview is the location. Some locations are very easy to shoot a perfect interview, and others, well, require extensive work. For example, covering windows not in the shot may need half the grip truck of equipment and an extra 45 minutes of prep time, parking the van at a hotel loading dock located in the next tower may add two hours to carry equipment up and down elevators and through back hallways, and walls that reflect sound may need an extra 30 minutes to be carpeted to get usable audio.
Big Budget Primetime Television Style
Easy: The Empire room at The Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. 45 minutes, two lights, grip, and one table lamp.
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CEO Frank J. Bellizzi, Hydro-DX |
CEO Martin Lee, Preventative Inc. |
CEO Michael J. Billig, Experien Group, Llc. |
Big Budget Primetime Television Style
Difficult: Room 2007 at The Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, 3 hours, and half my grip truck.
(Pictures are from a low quality screen capture)
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CEO Raymond W. Cohen, Symphony Medical, Inc. |
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Low Budget, Primetime Television Style
Difficult: An small room at the Embassy Suites hotel in Las Vegas. Half my grip truck.
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2006 ATA Masters Interviews, Las Vegas, Nevada |
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Cinematic Style (Redrock Encore Cinema Lens Adapter)
Here is a variety of interviews shot using with the Panasonic HVX-200 HD camera and the Redrock Encore Cinema Lens Adapter. The primary benefit of the Redrock adapter is making it easier to throw the background behind the subject out-of-focus. In addition, Cinema lenses have a nice subtle glowing hallation for objects that are overexposed.
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Nikon 28mm/f2.0 AIS |
Nikon 35mm/f1.4 AIS |
Nikon 85mm/f1.4 AIS |
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Nikon 105mm/f1.8 AIS |
Nikon 85mm/f1.4 AIS |
Nikon 85mm/f1.4 AIS |
"What Can You Do Quickly?"
Quick And Dirty: An office lobby and a plant. Only 25 minutes of actual setup time (not including the 45 minutes dealing with the stupid elevator).
Note: Cinema style out-of-focus background created with the Redrock M2 Cinema lens adapter and an 85mm f/1.4 Nikon film lens.
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CEO Renney E. Senn, CrossFlo Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA |
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Colorful Style
Something a little different, something a little more fun.
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2005 ATA Masters Interviews, Las Vegas, Nevada |
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Run-and-Gun Style
A small room, less time, less equipment.
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ATA Chief Master Robert Allemier |
ATA Chief Master William Clark |