How to Choose a Good Location for a Video Interview
Location, location, location, it’s the number one rule in buying real estate. There’s a reason it’s said three times — no other factor most affects the value of a property or your video shoot.
A good location is just as important in video production and for similar reasons. Here’s an example of what we look for when shooting interviews.
Sound
Most people don’t want to live too close to an airport because of the noise. The same is true in video production. When scouting, we look for spaces far from noisemakers, like an airport, construction site, or high traffic areas within a building. Even small sounds like elevator dings can ruin the audio track. And waiting for a plane to clear or a jackhammer to stop, means wasted time on set and overtime costs.
Interruptions not only stall your video production, but also kill the mood. It’s hard for the interviewee to concentrate when you have to cut every five minutes. Our goal at Production Craft is to make the subject comfortable on camera, which yields the best interaction and communication.
Size
The room needs to fit the job. A larger space provides options for camera angles and depth behind the subject. Most interviews require at least two cameras, so we need to accommodate the video cameras, lights, monitor, etc., and get a good background from each angle.
Accessibility
To get our video production gear on set, we need easy access by way of loading dock, large doorways, and elevators. Hiking heavy cases upstairs will tire out the crew before they start shooting.
Power
Unless we are portable and using battery power, like on a trade show floor or outside, we need access to electrical outlets. At Production Craft we use LED lights versus old school tungsten lights, and can get by with less power. But for an interview, a dedicated 20 amp circuit would be the minimum requirement for lights and technical gear.
Appearance
The setting is so important as it helps convey the story. Think about a physician in a hospital, the farmer in the field, CEO in an office, or a librarian in the library!
Amenities
Windows in a room can provide a nice background and natural light, but can also complicate production. Too much light in the background will require stronger light for the subject or window coverings to get a proper exposure. A rainy or snowy day can affect the look of production and might require an alternate background. All things we like to know about and plan for in advance so our video crews come prepared.
It’s helpful if furniture is movable, so we can make space for our equipment and have access to the best camera angles. Too much furniture in the room, like a large fixed conference table, is limiting.
Cost
It’s also important that the space fits the client’s budget. For coporate video inteviews, we have shot in studios, hotel meeting rooms, the interviewee’s home and even our client’s lobby. Prior to production, our team does extensive research to make sure these spaces are also in line with the critera above.
At Production Craft, we scout locations in advance whenever possible. This allows us to plan for the appropriate gear and crew, eliminate problems before they occur, be more productive and save valuable time on the video production day. All leading to the best quality interview.
Production Craft is a video production company based in Chicago, serving markets worldwide.
We are proud to be a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by the State of Illinois Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC).
