DVworkshops.com
Greetings from Los Angeles
I wanted to reach out to you and share some pics from a recent teaching trip to China... and re-visit basic "Interview Techniques".

New Workshops are scheduled for March 7-8, and March 9 here in Los Angeles. Hope to see you or one of your colleagues there.

Aron Ranen Lead Instructor Dvworkshops.com

DVworkshops in China

The People's Republic of China recently flew Instructor Aron Ranen to the Communication University of Zhejiang.

He spoke on a Broadcast panel and worked with students at the University which is near Shanghai.
(Click on pics to enlarge)
Ranen poses next to Party Secretary of Communication University of Zhejiang
Panel of International Broadcasters
International Broadcasting Conference
Entrance to conference
Working with Graduate Students
Students copying DVworkshops PIVOT 1-2-3 Training video
4 Interview Tips
1
Repeat last 3 words

My favorite interview technique is simply repeating the last three words someone says ...verbatim.

For example:

Answer: "I love water skiing because it's so fun" .

My next would be:

Question: " It's so fun? ".

This is effective in helping you create authentic material. The subject leads into new areas of information for your viewer.

It's also great if you forgot your next question, and need a moment to recover.

More examples in below video video
2
Ask Open ended questions
Do not ask questions that can be easily answered by a "Yes" or "No".

Most editors will cut out the interviewer's question, using only the answer. If you ask questions that are answered by "yes" or "no"...it does not provide good full soundbites.

Example: (BAD Question) "Do you like to surf?"

Answer. "Yes"

Example: (GOOD Question) " Can you Describe how you feel when surfing?"

Answer. "Surfing allows me to be at peace with myself, it's the only time I can achieve that".

These are often referred to as "Open ended questions".

I also use a lot of contrast and compare questions...."Can you share how this experience with the product was different then the other?
3
Emotional Scuba Dive

Emotional material is a key element of storytelling .
Interviews can produce very compelling soundbites that can cause your viewers to "Feel".

As the interview is progressing.. .listen for emotional keywords or behavior.

Once I hear or feel these... I begin to emotional scuba dive.
I put on my goggles and snorkel, and start to dive deeper, asking the subject to reflect even further on these feelings...as I emotional " Scuba dive deeper and deeper....
4
The Last Question to always ask
"Is there anything I haven't asked that you'd like to share with me?"

Often times people are shy, or feel it is impolite to bring up a subject if thy are not asked about it. This question opens up a whole new word of opportunities for your subject to reveal.

I also record 60 seconds of "Room Tone" , after the interview. This audio is just of the room with no one talking. It can be used in editing to add pauses etc.

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