Interview Setup Tips: How to Film a Professional Interview
A Great Interview Video Starts Before You Hit Record
Our aim is to produce high-quality interview videos that not only look great but also genuinely excite our clients. After filming over 100 interviews across a range of industries, we’ve learned a thing or two here at Rigid Motion Films. A powerful interview isn’t just about fancy equipment or camera work, it’s about being intentional at every step of the process.
A testimonial or interview video is only as strong as the foundation it rests on. The magic happens when there is enough collaboration to make the process flow and the people feel comfortable enough to speak authentically, giving the final product that touch of emotion that brings it over the edge.
Here are our tips and tricks to make an interview video that will make your clients excited to work with you again.
The People Matter Just as Much as the Setup
First and foremost, we strongly recommend focusing on the people, not just the setup and fancy gear. Not everyone is a camera-ready actor, and encountering nerves in an interview is entirely normal. It’s our job to create a space where people feel safe and comfortable enough to speak from the heart.
Not sure how to make someone comfortable on camera? Here’s what helps:
Reassure them that the interview will be edited. Perfection is not the goal.
Explain that it’s simply a conversation, not a performance. “Pretend the camera isn’t here, and let’s just chat.”
Break the tension. Sometimes we go as far as asking people to make weird faces or noises to shake off the nerves. We even join in too, laughter is always the best way to make someone open up and relax.
It’s common for people to warm up to answering questions towards the end. Once they’ve warmed up, we’ll go back and revisit the key questions to get the best responses if time allows.
Ask them personal questions to get them out of their head. Hobbies, passions, favorite places, anything that gets them speaking from the heart and with confidence.
There’s nothing better than getting someone to exude their 100% authentic selves in front of the camera. Create a comfortable environment that allows someone to feel confident and relaxed. That’s when you get the best out of them.
Sound Tips for Interview Videos
You can have the most cinematic visuals and the best dialogue, but if your sound is not clear, none of it will matter. Sound is the backbone of any good interview video. Without it, the message will fall flat and the professionalism will disappear.
Before we start filming, we take the time to communicate with our clients to ensure we have:
Full access to the location
The ability to pause background work or noise
Control over other elements that would cause a disturbance while recording (I.e. doors opening and closing, phones going off, etc.)
Mic placement is important when getting the crispest sound you can. We always test and monitor our audio throughout the shoot to make sure every word is clean and clear.
Video Interview Background Ideas: Balancing the Frame
The interview is focused on the person, but that doesn’t mean the background doesn’t matter. Framing is all about creating a visually pleasing line of sight for the viewer so that it neither distracts or takes away from the interview. It is important to not overproduce or underproduce the background with set design.
Some things to avoid:
Plain white walls
Empty spaces
Overexposed windows
Backgrounds that feel cold or cynical
Instead, do this:
Warm lighting with natural shadows
Objects that reflect the subject such as relevant books or tools
You can’t go wrong with a plant or a lamp
Something small that makes a big difference in the final product is having multiple backgrounds prepared when there are multiple subjects. Change it up! Not only does it create a boring narrative, but it also shows a lack of preparedness and attention to detail. Do something different for every person being interviewed. It can be as simple as moving to a different corner of the room, changing angles, or swapping decor.
Video Interview Lighting Tips That Can Make Or Break Your Interview
Lighting is that element that brings the interview to life. Here’s how we elevate our videos, even with a simple setup:
Use a soft key light on one side of the subject’s face
Add negative fill (shadow) on the opposite side for contrast
Include a hair light to separate the subject from the background
Add a kick or fill light if you want a bright, commercial feel
Light the background just enough to add depth, not distraction
Even with one light source like a window, you can create a convincing look that adds depth to the visual element of the interview.
One-Camera Interview Setup
This one's for our fellow videographers and film nerds…
We often get the question: “How do you film an interview with just one camera?”
Our answer: shoot in 4K (3840 x 2160 minimum) in order to create “two angles” so that you can punch into the frame post-production. Set up a wider frame with good headroom and space around your subject to give you a wide and a tight angle. This is often the only solution we found that works when delivering the final product in HD (1920 x 1080). It’s a great technique to give the editor flexibility, creating more dynamics in the video that keep it interesting and professional.
Quick Trick: No 4K camera? No problem. Cover cuts with b-roll to keep everything feeling seamless.
How to Prepare for a Testimonial Shoot: Co-Creation is Key
Our clients know their market and company objectives better than we do. That’s why we always invite them into the pre-production process, especially when it comes to crafting questions. We then take those insights and shape them into interview prompts that feel natural and purposeful. Our goal is to help it flow, and to get the most out of the people answering them.
To Use (and not to use) a Teleprompter
Don’t get us wrong, teleprompters have their time and place of being awesome tools during interviews and testimonials. They’re great if you’re delivering a long, scripted message, reciting data, or creating internal training videos.
But for most testimonial-style interviews, we recommend ditching it. The product ends up feeling stiff and rehearsed, taking away from the authenticity and natural flow that most of our clients are trying to capture. We recommend you trust the process… and trust Rigid Motion Films to guide the shoot and package it up in post-production to get you that high-quality final product.
Work With Us
At Rigid Motion Films, we believe the best content comes from people being themselves. This is made possible by our collaboration with our clients to ensure that every step of the process is organized, well-communicated, and professional. The goal is for our clients to feel like they’ve been through a positive experience after working with us, and be excited to share that final product.
Ready to film a testimonial that’s polished, personal, and cinematic? Contact us and let’s talk about the story you want to tell.
