Video Interviews are Fun!

Most corporate video productions depend on good interviews. And the video producer can elicit what we like to call the “perfect sound bite.”

Where to Collect Corporate Interviews

Many companies take advantage of conventions and seminars where large groups of employees, sales representatives, or committee members gather. Consequently, a producer can collect video testimonials or interviews all under one roof.  So this can translate into great monetary savings.

Imagine how expensive it would be to send a crew out to the location of each person.  But when everyone is in the same place at the same time, one crew will do!

Cisco Systems, as an Example

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We worked with Cisco Systems when they convened in San Diego.  We interviewed many Cisco-certified engineers.   These are some of the smartest people in the world.  But yet many were shy or skeptical of being on camera.

Our job was to set them at ease, and basically just converse with them about their personal experience in becoming certified.  Most people enjoy talking about themselves after some cajoling. Thus it was true for the engineers.  And we certainly enjoyed meeting them and learning their stories, so this turned out to be quite a nice gig.

We had people scheduled to be interviewed approximately every 15 minutes.  When you have a demanding schedule like that, then the list of questions is necessarily short.  If you want to conduct more comprehensive interviews, for instance to support a documentary or legacy video, then the length of interviewing time will be longer, and there will be a longer list of questions to ask.

If you do decide to conduct video interviews on the floor of a convention, try to find an area that’s tucked away from the sounds of the crowds.  We like to use both a boom pole on a C-stand overhead, and a lav microphone on the interviewee, so that the editor can choose the channel with the best quality of sound.

Vintage Interview

One of the first interviews we conducted was with Physician and Activist Robert Livingston who interviewed Amory Lovins, a Scientist, about Nuclear Energy. You can see this vintage video in its entirety here.

If you would like to produce an interview-driven video, give the video production team at Crystal Pyramid Productions a call now, at (619) 644-3000.


Patty Mooney is a VP, Video Producer, Sound Technician, Teleprompter Operator and Video Editor at award-winning San Diego Video Production Company, Crystal Pyramid Productions. Enjoy more blog posts at Diary of a San Diego Video Crew.