Need ideas for "distance interview" editing at DVinfo.net

Ervin Farkas · July 31st, 2009, 07:51 AM

I am editing an interview where the two parties have been recorded separately - only the cameraman was able to travel to the subject, so he asks the questions, then the subject answers. We then recorded the "real" questions in the studio.

I thought about editing in news style: full screen with the girls asking the question, a few seconds of split screen toward the end of the question (girl on left, subject on right) until the subject says her first few words, then going full screen to the subject.

Are there any other options? Please give me more ideas.

Thank you,

Shaun Roemich · August 1st, 2009, 08:03 PM

You could do it as a faux "live hit" and record the "interviewer" asking the "interviewee" questions while viewing a video display from the field recordings IF you can get your timing right. ie. playback the interview through a TV and have the interviewer talking "to" the tv, capture both in an "over the shoulder" shot and then cut to full screen answers and cut away to reaction shots of your "host/interviewer"

Greg Paulson · August 9th, 2009, 10:20 PM

It's simple to shoot & edit this stuff, because your host is the weak link of the 'authentic' feel of the story, but since you go full screen on the guest and host at various times, getting them to sync up is quite easy.

Then have an editing system handy in the studio to check how things line up, if they feel right... anything that comes off phony, you can re-shoot right there.

The key is to have a similar lighting style and image 'feel' between shots. The framing needs to match, audio needs to be the same. And of course don't mix HD with SD, downsampled HD->SD looks too good compared to a SD source. You don't want to give the viewer a hint that they are watching two distinct productions.

A problem will be if the Guest isn't looking right into the camera, but rather off to the side as they answer the camera person. That would feel so unnatural for the viewer, it would be unwatchable.

When you watch real 2-ways, you can tell if the guest has a return video feed in the teleprompter because they look more at ease, and can respond more openly by seeing the body language of the host. Those with only IFB look around the room when a question is asked of them, and the conversations seems a bit stiff.

Ervin Farkas · August 10th, 2009, 12:29 PM

Thank you gentlemen,

unfortunately none of the above will work as both sides have already been shot and the two people are now about 10,000 kilometers apart - I have no access to either one of them (they are in New York and Eastern Europe... I'm down south here in Atlanta).

I will have to work with whatever I already have; everything was shot with the same camera so there should be no problem with matching the shots, although the difference in lighting will give me some headache.

I'll keep you posted.

Greg Paulson · August 10th, 2009, 01:25 PM

I'm not saying to need to make it look like they are in the same room. That won't work. You just want to ensure that the 'host' is in a studio setting with studio lighting. The host always has better lighting than the remote guest. Example, you would never have a host standing on the side of the highway interviewing some guy in a studio setup, unless there's serious motivation for the host to be where they are, and it's a true 2-way.

Don't try and fake they are in the same room having a face to face, it's nearly impossible to pull off.

Sometimes the differences between shots can be an advantage.

July 31st, 2009, 07:51 AM	#1
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Need ideas for "distance interview" editing I am editing an interview where the two parties have been recorded separately - only the cameraman was able to travel to the subject, so he asks the questions, then the subject answers. We then recorded the "real" questions in the studio. I thought about editing in news style: full screen with the girls asking the question, a few seconds of split screen toward the end of the question (girl on left, subject on right) until the subject says her first few words, then going full screen to the subject. Are there any other options? Please give me more ideas. Thank you, __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

August 1st, 2009, 08:03 PM	#2
Shaun Roemich Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (formerly Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada Posts: 4,088	You could do it as a faux "live hit" and record the "interviewer" asking the "interviewee" questions while viewing a video display from the field recordings IF you can get your timing right. ie. playback the interview through a TV and have the interviewer talking "to" the tv, capture both in an "over the shoulder" shot and then cut to full screen answers and cut away to reaction shots of your "host/interviewer" __________________ Shaun C. Roemich Road Dog Media - Vancouver, BC - Videographer - Webcaster www.roaddogmedia.ca Blog: http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/

August 10th, 2009, 12:29 PM	#4
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Thank you gentlemen, unfortunately none of the above will work as both sides have already been shot and the two people are now about 10,000 kilometers apart - I have no access to either one of them (they are in New York and Eastern Europe... I'm down south here in Atlanta). I will have to work with whatever I already have; everything was shot with the same camera so there should be no problem with matching the shots, although the difference in lighting will give me some headache. I'll keep you posted. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

August 9th, 2009, 10:20 PM	#3
Greg Paulson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada Posts: 43	It's simple to shoot & edit this stuff, because your host is the weak link of the 'authentic' feel of the story, but since you go full screen on the guest and host at various times, getting them to sync up is quite easy. Then have an editing system handy in the studio to check how things line up, if they feel right... anything that comes off phony, you can re-shoot right there. The key is to have a similar lighting style and image 'feel' between shots. The framing needs to match, audio needs to be the same. And of course don't mix HD with SD, downsampled HD->SD looks too good compared to a SD source. You don't want to give the viewer a hint that they are watching two distinct productions. A problem will be if the Guest isn't looking right into the camera, but rather off to the side as they answer the camera person. That would feel so unnatural for the viewer, it would be unwatchable. When you watch real 2-ways, you can tell if the guest has a return video feed in the teleprompter because they look more at ease, and can respond more openly by seeing the body language of the host. Those with only IFB look around the room when a question is asked of them, and the conversations seems a bit stiff.

August 10th, 2009, 01:25 PM	#5
Greg Paulson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada Posts: 43	I'm not saying to need to make it look like they are in the same room. That won't work. You just want to ensure that the 'host' is in a studio setting with studio lighting. The host always has better lighting than the remote guest. Example, you would never have a host standing on the side of the highway interviewing some guy in a studio setup, unless there's serious motivation for the host to be where they are, and it's a true 2-way. Don't try and fake they are in the same room having a face to face, it's nearly impossible to pull off. Sometimes the differences between shots can be an advantage.