Conducting Interviews of Camera Shy People

Video Transcript

From time to time you'll encounter people who are very shy in front of the camera even if they're loud when they're out on the street, or with their friends, once the camera's rolling they clam up. This is a common thing and there are ways to help people get past it. The first thing you can do is have someone not face the camera when they're giving the interview. What I often do is sit right next to the camera when I'm conducting an interview and tell the subject, "Just look at me as we talk and ignore the camera". I maintain constant eye contact with my subject so that their eyes don't dart towards the camera. Another thing that you can do is remind the person that, because the footage will be edited that they're free to make mistakes, that they can re-say things that they need to, and that everything will be cut down anyway. That takes the pressure off when someone doesn't feel like they have to get everything right the first time they say it. Of course it's important to be patient, to listen, let someone finish what they're saying, nod, smile encouragingly. Make sure that the person feels comfortable and doesn't feel rushed. And even if you're disappointed with the response that you get, don't show it. You want the person to feel that you're confident in what they're saying so that they'll exude the same confidence as they speak. If you use these methods by the end, even someone who's normally a little uncomfortable in front of the camera will warm up enough that you'll have a quality interview.

Watch these related videos

• 
  Setting Up a Google Account

  playlist Views: 1,125

• 
  Unmanned Camera Placement for a Video Interview

  playlist Views: 290

• 
  How to Stop Camera Shyness in Video Resumes

  playlist Views: 724

• 
  Accessing Gmail with Outlook: Part 1

  playlist Views: 1,672

• 
  Selling Things on eBay

  playlist Views: 2,611

• 
  Verifying your MySpace Account

  playlist Views: 3,851

Community Members who...

• Favorited this Video
• Rated This Video

Top Tags