Establishing Trust and Rapport
Interviewing subjects for documentaries can be daunting – especially when they're figures you admire or experts in their field. To ensure a fruitful exchange, it's crucial to establish trust and rapport early on. Being authentic and showing genuine interest in your subject can go a long way.
Werner Herzog has this great anecdote about interviewing astronauts – certainly an intimidating group of people! He had no idea what he was going to talk to them about but he knew that one of them grew up on a farm, and Herzog knows how to milk a cow (of course he does) so that's what he opened with.
"You sir – you can milk cows!"
You can imagine how instantly endeared towards Herzog that astronaut became. So sharing some kind of life experience is the fastest way to gain trust and then from that foundation you can ask almost anything. Don't be afraid to talk about yourself; be open if you want your subject to be open.
Creating a Natural Conversation
Imagine you gave a thoughtful answer to someone's question and their response was to look down at their list of pre-written questions and simply ask the next one. You'd feel like they didn't care about your answer. This is NOT the way to have a genuine conversation.
Documentary interviews are more than just question-and-answer sessions; to me, they should be an engaging conversation. Treat the interview as a chance to have a great conversation, akin to chatting with a friend. Be genuinely curious, listen closely, ask follow up questions or offer your own experience.
Conversations aren't one sided and documentary interviews shouldn't be either.
Navigating the Interview Flow
There isn't an exact formula to having a conversation but understanding conversational dynamics can be helpful to conducting a successful documentary interview. In very broad terms, there are three ways you can respond to someone:
Respond laterally by making a connection or finding an association with something equivalent
Go deeper on that subject, often by asking how it affects the speaker
Make a joke or make light of the topic
Responding laterally, delving deeper into topics, or injecting humor are effective ways to keep the discussion lively and engaging. However, striking a balance between probing for deeper insights and maintaining a comfortable atmosphere is essential to prevent the conversation from feeling rehearsed or strained.
Don't Just Ask Why Questions
For documentary interviews, going deep is usually what we want; we want to know how a person really feels. But always hitting that line of questioning can be tense and it's mentally and emotionally exhausting. At some point your subject will feel like they've run out of answers. Imagine a little kid constantly asking you "but why?" – eventually the answer is: "I don't know!"
As the interview progresses, it's common to encounter moments of tension or exhaustion. Recognising cues that signal a lull in the conversation and alleviating any discomfort with humour or light-hearted comments can help keep the interaction flowing smoothly. By acknowledging the ebb and flow of the conversation, you can ensure a more enriching interview experience for both yourself and your subjects.