Video Interview: How to Ace a Talking Head Interview
The digital world offers us limitless ways to reach our audience, using a plethora of tools for our marketing strategies. One of these tools, which has become very popular within organizations, is video marketing. It has been integrated into the corporate scene for many years now, and there are many different types of videos you can incorporate into your media campaign.
A large percentage of corporate video productions includes talking head interviews. Whether it be a video presentation or a testimonial video, at some point in your career, you might have to go on camera to talk about your product, idea, or group you represent. If that scares you, calm down, we’ve got you covered! You too can be a talking head in a video!
Today, we’re going to share a few tips on how to prepare for the interview, how to cooperate with the production team, answer questions, and the general benefits of incorporating it into your brand’s communications. Let’s go!
At Strawberry Heights Films, we have a talented creative team experienced in all kinds of video production; from big-budget brand films to simple explainer videos, and from commercials to documentaries, the talking head video is an integral part of many of the corporate video productions we create.
What is a Talking Head Video?
You probably must have seen one of those close-ups (just head-and-shoulders), interview-style videos where the person talking, often a subject-matter expert, guides the story of a product, service, or event. Yes, that’s an example of a talking head video, however, at Strawberry Heights Films, due to the short attention span of the viewers, we prefer to keep people engaged by elevating this type of video using Broll and motion titles. Here’s one we produced in the past.
A talking head is a term used to describe an interview-style video shot of a person talking to an audience, either looking directly at the camera or slightly off to one side. As an extension of the video marketing strategy that seeks to make a brand feel more authentic, it has become an increasingly popular video form not only on the corporate scene but also on several social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and the likes.
However, talking head video goes beyond just setting up a camera and speaker as many people imagine. The result is often a self-indulgent, run-on video of nothing but moving lips and blinking eyes. Boring, and ineffective.
Types of Talking Head Video Interview
Here’s a quick overview of the types of talking head interview videos you can create;
Thought leadership Video
This is probably the most common type of talking head interview. Want to prove your expertise to your target audience so that they trust you and choose you before your competitors? Get on with Thought leadership videos. It basically features industry experts or C-level professionals sharing industry insights, answers, and opinions on certain topics that are relevant to the industry.
Thought leadership interview videos are great content, not only promote your brand but also builds brand authority, especially. Besides that, this type of video interview can be used to answer real questions your target audience may have, inspire your employees, and stakeholders, and share your innovations with the world.
Customer Testimonial Video
What could be better than a customer who simply explains the service you offer? Having one of your clients featured in a video interview is a great way to strengthen the bond you have forged with them, consolidate your brand reputation, and provide answers to your prospective customers. Shooting is a unique moment during which you can forge new bonds and create common memories.
This is also an opportunity to show him the importance you attach to your collaboration. Finally, the interview is also an excellent opportunity for your client to promote his company and therefore to communicate in turn about his services. A win-win operation. So, do you want to communicate your success with viral content? Here’s your shot.
Employee Interview
Employee interview is another popular type of talking head video that's extremely valuable and timeless. A typical example is the famous “meet the team” video, featuring employees in a particular team or department talking about their role and efforts towards a project.
Whether you want to show off your cool company culture to potential talents and other stakeholders, create a sense of community among employees and across teams, or generally share insights and updates about the latest projects — shooting a talking head interview of your employees could promote brand comms and marketing, internally and externally.
Tips to Ace Your Talking Head Interview
Curate an interview script
Once we understand your intended story idea, the next step is to curate the interview script. A video is only as good as its message, which means that it’s crucial that you know how to write a script before starting the production of any content, in order to obtain the best final result. That's where we come in.
Usually, the storytelling for the script follows a structure; Exposition, Rising action, Climax, and Resolution. A well-written and engaging script is the basis for a video interview that explains everything in the right way without boring the audience.
Select the right location
Finding the right spot to do your talking head interview is as important as the content of the interview itself.
The location has to be somehow relevant to the subject and theme of the video. It can be an office or a mountain top, but it has to make sense of why you’re there in the first place.
Then you need to make sure that you have control over your selected location.
Obviously, you have to be sure that you are allowed to film at said location. If necessary, have your permits handy.
You have secured a quiet area, where you can conduct your interview uninterrupted. Sound is very important and needs to be consistent throughout the interview. Avoid noisy areas, unless it is absolutely crucial to the point you are trying to make. Even then, find a way to separate yourself from the noisiest area.
If the interview is longer than 15-20 minutes, then you must consider ways to control the lighting situation. For example, if you are filming a talking head interview in the great outdoors, and it takes you, let’s say, an hour to finish, you’ll probably encounter problems during the edit. Why? Because the weather can change a lot in one hour. The sun will be at a different position so cutting your interview might seem like you are jumping backward and forward in time. Or clouds might have covered half of your interview and it looks like your talking head is hopping through different seasons.
The most ideal space for a talking head interview is a space where the production team can control everything, from lighting to sound. That is a studio, or at least a big enough indoor location, where we can fit our camera equipment and lights, and where we can have enough separation of our talking head from its background. Tight spaces are avoided, because they usually look cramped and uninteresting, and that’s not a message you want to convey to your audience.
Two cameras are way better
The easiest approach to create dynamic and engaging talking head interview videos with different angles is by using a two-cam setup. This setup allows us the creativity to add that conversational effect and also alternate between wide shots and close-up angles when editing. You don’t have to worry too much about messing up your answers, or about the many filler sounds we use between our words—the aaa’s and ummm’s. With the 2-cam setup, we can edit the answer; cut in between takes seamlessly, and mix up a few takes or answers together to get the right message across, but with moderation. We should still try our best during the interview though, to avoid having to fix many mistakes in post-production.
The clothes matter too
We could say, “wear what you feel most comfortable and confident in”. Which is how it should be, of course. But there’s clearly more to your outfit than just how you feel. A proper wardrobe fit is critical for your interview shoot as viewers decide whether they like you and trust you almost instantly, and what you wear greatly influences that perception. So, by all means, wear something comfy and smart but also pay attention to colors and patterns. Bright whites and small, tight patterns are known to cause problems with the video being recorded in the camera. Consult with your production team prior to the shoot, to make sure that your chosen clothes will make you look good on camera.
How to Answer Your Interview Question?
At Strawberry Heights Films, we always begin by creating a compiled list of possible questions that would give rise to exciting answers. These can range from extremely basic, clear-cut questions to more intricate and technical ones, depending on what the topic of discussion is. Remember; well-crafted questions will lead to substantive, relevant answers.
It’s worth noting here that while we may develop and go over the script together, our aim isn’t to produce an interview that sounds rigid or rehearsed. We aim for authentic answers. So, speak naturally, keep your answers as simple as possible, and always work the question into your answer because viewers may not have caught the question asked. For example, when asked “What is your favorite color?”, the right answer would be “My favorite color is blue”. Answering just “blue” is wrong.
Wrapping Up
And finally, some quick additional do’s and don’ts tips to keep in mind.
Do’s:
Give full answers to the questions f.e. What's your name? “ My name is Name Surname” rather than just saying “ Name Surname”.
Be confident and show off your personality, it will help a viewer to connect/relate with you more (maybe it's quirky glasses, or an infectious laugh, don’t be afraid to show it)
Practice makes perfect. If you are given the questions beforehand, prepare the answers and practice at home. Camera adds a lot of pressure, and even if you are the best public speaker, the camera might still stress you.
Feel free to be expressive with your hands, it will add some dynamic aspect to your talking head interview.
Always consult with your production team if you have any questions or concerns regarding the interview.
It's always a good idea to bring a few options of clothes on set.
Leave some space after answers (don’t ask “how did I do” or look around the room for confirmation straight after answering your question). Stand still for a few seconds and take a breath. This makes the edit look much more natural.
Don’ts
Avoid wearing patterns like thin stripes or checks as they tend to vibrate on camera and create a weird optical effect.
Bright white tops might also cause trouble for the camera, as they reflect a lot of the light directed at the talking head, resulting in looking much brighter than anything else in the frame. Don’t let your clothes steal your shine!
Depending on the type of interview, don’t look at the camera or only look at the camera but not around. This should be discussed and decided before you begin the interview.
A “Yes” or “No” is not an appropriate answer in the video interview because a lot of times viewers won’t know what question you were asked. It’s important to give a full and simple answer. On the other end, don’t try to “garnish” your answers with unnecessary details. Stick to the point, and try to be concise and informative.
Don’t be afraid of makeup! Makeup powder is your best friend because the skin produces natural oils that reflect light and it gives a shiny skin effect on camera. The powder helps to tame that effect, and men and women alike use it frequently when speaking in front of the camera. If makeup is not an option for your talking head video shoot, then at least consider using a blotting paper. These little square paper sheets have the ability to absorb the shiny oils from your face. Just press them against your skin for a few seconds and your face will be fresh and matte looking, and ready for your best interview!
And that’s a wrap! If you need a team to work on your project, do get in touch, and let’s make magic together!