Interview with Ruth Wilkinson
My first interview was with Ruth Wilkinson, she is currently a student at Bradford College; studying Creative Media Production & Technology Level 3.
The questions I asked were nothing too hard hitting, nothing serious. Questions to get Ruth’s brain thinking.
I asked her questions relevant to her course as seen below.
- What is your name?
- What course are you currently studying?
- What are you doing in your course?
- How has your course benefited you?
- What is something you found disappointing from your course?
- What do you find stressful from your course?
What Equipment was used?
The camera I used while filming the interview was the Canon 200d DSLR camera with the 18 – 55mm, f3.5 – 5.6 STM kit lens and the Canon 50mm f1.8 STM lens. I used the 50mm f1.8 STM lens primarily for B-roll shots. The Microphone used for audio capture was the Rode video mic NTG on camera shot-gun microphone, connected to the Canon 200d via trrs and tts cable.
How was the set up?
General Setup -Set up was rather simple, I made sure to test the microphone, making sure to test the audio levels before the actual filming began as to not have any surprise unfixable peaks when editing. However something that did take me by surprise was that I forgot the tripod, I tried staying as still as possible however the viewer can still tell that the image isn’t stable, the video interview that I filmed after I made sure to double check that I had the tripod.
Set up took no longer than 4 minutes. However what took the most time was both trying to find an available room and a room that could fit both the guest and myself into the room we had for the video interview.
I did plan on filming in c18 but due to complications with scheduling the room was not available for filming the video interview. Due to the complications with scheduling there was a class when I needed to film. I know now, for next time to inform everyone that has plans using whatever room I need for video production.
Lighting – For lighting I utilised the natural lighting of the room we used for the video interview. Luckily for me there was already a great amount of sunlight to help light up the room, illuminating the subject wonderfully. At points the lighting did tend to change, as excepted this was due to my reliance upon the natural lighting and the inconsistent cloudy skies however that wasn’t always the case. I also made sure to rely more upon the actual lighting of the room. Using that as the main source of lighting.
I did try to add some back lighting by utilizing my phones flash and placing it behind the subject, however that didn’t work out in practice as there was no space to place my phone.
Confidence while editing and what could improve?
While editing I felt confident using the implemented techniques. Using editing techniques like J and L cuts, overlaying b-roll between transitions and using audio from a new segment to fill any dead space. I also felt confident adding text and adding some light colour grading to help keep the lighting consistent.
To keep the first interview as steady as possible I added a stabilisation effect as I forgot to book out a tripod. However to keep all the audio as clean and as audible as possible I added both a voice isolation and voice boost effect. Due to the rooms not being treated.
What I could have improved on?
For the first interview I didn’t book out a tripod as I forgot to book it out, however for the following two interviews I did use my own tripod. For any further video production I will always make sure to either book out a tripod or bring my own.
What I could have improved on, is spending less on editing and focusing more on the practical side of film production. I only managed to get one B-roll shot for each of the interviews as my interviewees were very busy, leaving me with limited time to film the interview. I should have booked them for the video interviews further in advance to minimise complications while filming and maximize my time and focus.