Guest Interviews- How do you do it
 

I have a shoot comming up where the Bride & Groom Would like to have guest
interviews done. How do you usually handle this option.

1. Set up a location off to the side with a nice backdrop , lighting & Mic.
and invite guest to drop over to the area during the course of the evening
if they wish to pass along Best wishes, words of wisdom Ect,ect

or

2. Do you prefer to do the circulate around the room during the reception
Requesting comments and good will wishes to the bride & groom from
Guests, bascially the bombing the tables approach.

Do you try and script the interviews at all , or just free flow from the Guests comments ?

I like the #1 option myself , but I know others use the # 2 method
I am just interested how others deal with this option when they have it requested.

I use option #1. First I get the DJ to periodically announce to the guests that messages from family and friends are being filmed in the room just outside of the reception hall. Hopefully one is available.
Then when I get the guests in the room, (with wireless mic and camera on tripod), I ask them to share little "secrets" about the bride or groom or any anecdotal stories...I persuade them to stay away form well wishes if possible,but that is usually unavoidable. In the end, it turns out to be quite funny and the B&G loves 'em. Sometimes they will ask to have certain comments removed.

My experience with #1 is you get NOTHING... #2 if done right works excellent, see my other posts about recruiting a wedding party or family member who is outgoing to "emcee", hand them the wireless mic, and do it "Jaywalking" style - you'll get great material!

That's my 1.35 (.02 adjusted to reflect the current price of gas...)

Brilliant!
 

Brilliant idea. I was fortunate enough to do a wedding for a friend where another mutual friend was a news Anchor & Reporter so he was smooth like butter behind the mic. I gave him a preposterous "breaking news story" about somethign wrong with the wedding hall, and we went around gathering "first hand" reports of the groomsmen, Bridesmaids (and Groom & Bride). Great footage. It really helps when you get someone that knows how to work a camera (and mic).

I go table-to-table with an Azden wireless mic soliciting comments. Once I've got someone holding the mic I have them pass it around the table. You get lots of material to work with.

I could see how option #1 could work - but people are sometimes intimated by lights and cameras etc .... And also getting them to leave the reception area where the party is at could be challenging as well. I can see the advantages though of doing the 'well wishes' etc ... in a more controlled environment.

I agree with Dave ... something that has worked well for me is the 'roving interview' style. Talk the the bride and groom sometime before the wedding and find out if they have a relative who is good at that sort of thing - i.e. funny cousin #3 - then team up with that relative to interview people. That way you break down the camera barrier because they're just talking to someone they already know.

I don't generally script things but maybe have some questions in mind to get things going. Open ended questions work well, sometimes with something funny or quirky to get the ball rolling.

Cheers,

Matthew.

Yep - finding a good "emcee" lets you concentrate on the camera work, and it actually helps make the whole "I'm on camera" fear disappear - they are just talking with a friend or family member. You can suggest a few questions, but usually it takes care of itself.

You need to set you "rig" up a little different, since if you're working the reception, it'll probably be dark and noisy... and lots of people moving around. Set a pattern of tables, start with the "important" ones if possible.

A wireless mic ("stick" type preferred, not a lav...), a pair of headphones to monitor audio (remember to switch mics if you are doing "double duty" on reception action), and an on camera light with a good diffuser and mounted on a bracket up and away from the cam work wonders.

I'm surprised these are still done. At least out here they've become near extinct.

And... HOORAY FOR THAT! :D

I do both to mix it up, round the tables and calling people out to a hall or outside depending on conditions but I've learned not to rely on people to just show up or the DJ for announcements. I solicit and maybe ask the Guest to send me one of thier friends. By doing the interviews away from the music you can mix the interviews in with a dance number getting in 3-4 interviews to break up the monotony of just staying on people dancing. And yes, when a client sees the responses I get and how it's worked into the video, they want it for thiers as well.

I agree with you from the videographer's point of view, because it's somewhat uncomfortable work. However, we have "interviews" on our own wedding DVD and it's one of my favorite parts. These days I offer "interviews" as an add-on option, so the couples that want it pay for it, and I don't mind doing it.

I understand Travis, but I can't remotely count how many times being solo on a gig & either missing something important or near missing, from being out in a lobby area where I've set up for this. For me, I never liked the table method... doesn't look good, plus there's usually distracting background audio. Having to abort an interview & quickly running back to the recep area for whatever reason was never something I liked to stress over. I'd always tell a DJ or band what I'm doing at the time & to let me know if something is about to occur, but obviously we all know that doesn't always work.

With at least a 2 cam shoot, there's no stress with this. But still... I think they have been done to death, are dated, and many guests dread when they see us approaching with mic in hand, and also goes against any of us advertising how "unobtrusive" we are... but that's just me :)

Again, I hear you, but there ARE couples out there that really want this, which is why I decided to make it a paying option. If I do interviews I do them during the dinner break so I won't miss anything important. Of course, I also have 2 cameras at a reception (my assistant has the other one).

I hear you too... but then people wanna eat! :D

Isn't this fun? :)

Yeah but .... okay, I give up ..... d;-)

Well At this shoot Method # 1 died very a quick death, and initially #2 wasn't going much better with just me ,but then with some minor arm twisting from the second shooter (My wife, people seem less reluctant to put off the opposite Sex ;) ) things started to get going slowly, once some people saw some others doing it quite a few jumped on the band wagon so to speak. We also did a quick round of the smokers outside Later that night that will make good closing credit PIP's I think. but getting the ball rolling sure was an exercise, now I remember Why I never liked doing this, but for this Bride & groom this was someting that they very much wanted and that's what we ended up telling a lot of the guests to get there co-operation once we got rolling.

#1 DOA, no surprise there, I'd NEVER bother with it - the emcee trick helps so much with #2, I suggest it up front - people are looking at "camutus of borg" asking them stuff, and it doesn't work...

But a member of the wedding party or the "audience" handing them a mic, saying "are you having a great time?", "isn't this a great event/party/day" - they already say YES by reflex... old marketing trick, after that, it's SMOOOTH! You may get a few "runaways", you can actually almost make a gag out of those, chase them a bit and add the ol' "COPS" theme... you will get some useless stuff, but that's what the EDITOR is for anyway <wink>!

Try it next time you find yourself stuck with the request, it's worked perfectly every time I've tried it!

I think the trick is to not be uncomfortable doing it. It's like how animals can sense fear. If the guests sense that you are uncomfortable with it, then it makes them uncomfortable. Now, that said, I've never been comfortable with it, so maybe the idea to have a guest help with the interviews would work a lot better. If you have a real outgoing personality then you can probably pull this off on your own really well.

I've only done this once - a few weeks ago at a 40th wedding anniversary. I got most people to comment - briefly.

But a couple of things I found. I wanted the people to speak straight into the camera so that they were speaking to the couple. When I started off I was standing normal height behind the camera - which was at head height for those sitting, and on a monopod. I found people would look at me, even though I had told them to speak to the camera, and would speak about the couple rather than to the couple. I couldn't fix the second issue but I could fix the first - more or less. I found I needed to kneel behind the camera so my head was obscured for them behind the camera. That way if they tried to look at me they ended up looking at the camera. Once I cottoned on to this it improved.

Another thing I found as a resut of not monitoring the audio. I had a Rode VM on an extension cord and tiny tripod -which I sat on the table in front of people. The mic was too close and clipped. Its usable but I know now - I think.

I'd love to see that.

As for the orginal thread, interviews are some of the hardest things to do, depending on how the reception is going. We've been using a steadicam mostly at receptions, so I'm hard to miss roaming around, so my wife will talk and I film. That's working out ok, but I do like the idea of having someone from the wedding party doing the emceeing.

I'm real outgoing, but when I'm monitoring audio, the other possible events at the reception, and the video, I can use a little help!

Plus, from the interview-ee perspective, I'm behind the camera (most likely on the steady stick or other prop by that stage of the day...), and the light (well diffused, but can't really get on without it in a dark reception hall), and so whether I like it or not, I'm probably not as accessable as an "emcee" with a wireless mic in hand (my arms are too short... don't forget to think that through!). This is a place where even a cheap wireless with a stick mic is the best option.

The interviews are the one stretch of footage that is usually pretty hilarious - it's unrehearsed, it's "live", and it's "you were there", warts and all. I have more fun editing that part than anything else! Unlike the ceremony which is usually cookie cutter and formal, this is casual stuff, doesn't have to have the same production level, and done right it's a great add in.

I can certainly understand the challenge, having had to improvise on the fly when "method #1" was a total bomb!! Got lucky with the emcee trick, haven't looked back, and hasn't failed yet!

I now try to get the emcee picked in advance if possible, but it's usually easy to "spot the ham" in real time if need be.

The 1st time we did guest interview, we tried to do option #1, but we quickly found out that most of the guest not use to this kind of interview. They are more comfortable with option #2.

I guess option #1 would have a better result if the guest is fully aware and prepared for the interview before they come to the wedding.

yesterday i set up a cam on a tripod across from a couch/loveseat around the exit area. i had the dj announce to make sure everyone sends the B&G a message to be included on the official wedding dvd. he literally cleared the dance floor! i would guess 90% or so of the people still there said something on tape. if it was a couple and one was reluctant, i had no problem convincing the reluctant one to just sit next to their date and they didn't have to say anything. most of the reluctant ones ended up speaking too! i didn't monitor the audio or the video much. i framed it up, used auto levels on the audio and disabled the tally light on the front of the cam. i would roll from the time they started to sit down until they stood up. (got some funny stuff! ) with most i checked the sound briefly in my headphones after they started talking. my cam has audio levels viewable from a side display so i didn't make anyone nervous by being the stranger listing to their personal message. i basically just said "its ready when you are, i'll edit the gaps" and stepped aside and focused my attention elsewhere.

comfort is key! the guests clearly jumped at the option to say a few words on THEIR terms. they could talk to the B&G without others around them listening to every word, had time to work up courage to get in front of the camera, younger guests (friends of the b&g, early 20's to 30ish) got a kick out of the "real world confessional" feel. being put on the spot by a stranger with a big scary camera & microphone can be extremly awkward, stressful & even painful experience for both you and the guests. i regret not running a cam like this the entire reception! tons of painless, exceptional, personal footage!

I only do it if requested by the couple. When I do, it is always method #1. One of the negative stereotypes that we hear about videographers is of the guy with the big camera and light shoving a microphone in the face of the guests while they are eating dinner.

So what I do is set up a camera outside of the main reception room, and have the DJ make an announcement. Results vary. Sometimes we have had quite a few people turn up, sometimes not.

Interviews are like photo montages. I will do them, but would rather not.

I don't like to set up lights/ bg/ etc. Things tend to feel too formal and intimidating for people. Keeping things handheld and candid (for us) is the best. We'll usually just mount a nice shotgun on the camera and find a nice lit area and we're good to go.

Our method:

1. Scope the place for anyone that seems outgoing, upbeat. Hit them up first. They are the best ones on camera and usually the ones that make the edit more fun and festive.

2. Of course...ask first. "I'm filming video messages for the bride and groom. Anyone willing to say something short to them on camera?" And while you're doing this always have the camera pointed down and away...especially when you're not filming. If you have a partner doing interviews, have them walk to people to ask...and as a cameraperson, keep your distance. If it's cool, flag the cameraman in. This takes some pressure off of whoever you're interviewing. Also, doing interviews in groups vs. one at a time will often put people at ease. If they say no that's your cue to say, "no problem, thank you" and move on.

3. Don't take what you're doing too seriously and actually listen, be personable, and give some sort of sign that they are doing well on camera. People being interviewed feel more at ease with someone who gives them some sort of positive feedback as they speak. Nod your head, smile, give a high five when their done, something that gives them something more than a stoic cameraman just doing his job. It also helps others who are watching you from a distance feel less intimidated by you.

4. We've found the best time to do interviews is before and after the reception.