What is an Interview?
Interviews are everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you work in film and narrative, documentary work, reality Shows, commercials, or even passion projects. At some point in your career you will record or take part in the process of recording interviews.
Interviews are an important part of any story. If you ask me, they are more important than your visuals. Why? Because video has to be edited together to make a story, whereas a voice does that with one track. No matter what is playing in tandem with it; even if it is darkness it can be powerful. It can even be only the emotional force present in your storytelling. It will drive home your story and help your viewers to connect with your talent in ways that you have never imaged. Because of this, interviews need to be given a special reverence in order to capture these moments.
Filmmaking is a very creative process, and as “basic” as an interview can feel, it needs to be given the creative control to make the space special. Recording dialogue may not feel as creative to most, but it is even more than creative. It is magical when done right. It is not just about recording a track. The goal is to record a pristine track with minimal distractions that can drive your story and engage the listener while using the location to your advantage to drive the story.
I like to break down the sound track of a production into 3 Important Sections. Dialogue, Sound Effects, and Music.
The dialogue is the part of the sound track we are responsible for and is (in my opinion) the most important aspect of the sound process, be it Production OR Post. If it is done wrong, it can ruin a project. Everything else compliments our tracks to tell the story.
Sound Effects, although not involved generally in the interview process, can be used to embellish key moments in your production. They can be used to create tension and energy that exist, but need a little help. They can be real and actionable, like a car crash, or subliminal, like introducing wild animals with the engine of a car to help make it sound more ferocious.
Music brings emotion. When coupled with an amazing performance and emotional dialogue, it will cripple even the hardest of humans. We strive to bring this emotion out in our projects. It is like the glue that holds everything together.
I cannot wait for you to be moved by the music and dialogue of your own project.
