How to Prepare for a Corporate Video 2 Person Interview Setup
Two person interviews can be incredibly impactful at the corporate level, but only if they’re filmed properly which means planning is absolutely essential. Preparing for a corporate video 2 person interview setup is really all about how you will frame each of your interview subjects both individually and together in order to capture the best shots.
While a single person interview can have several nuances that must be followed in order to achieve a successful shoot, many of those nuances become specific challenges when that single person interview turns into a two person setup. At Beverly Boy Productions, we enjoy the added dynamic of the corporate video 2 person interview, but the setup is something that requires a bit more in depth understanding than the average DIY video creator might have.
To help those who might have less than professional understanding of how to prepare for a corporate video 2 person interview setup, we’ve outlined some of the most important considerations in framing, lighting, and editing to get you off on the right start.
Framing a Corporate Video 2 Person Interview
The first major consideration you’ll need to make when preparing your corporate video 2 person interview setup is how you intend to frame your subjects. Ideally, you will have at least 2 cameras for filming your 2 person interview and in best case scenario, you would want 3 cameras. The reason being, with 2 cameras, you can easily shoot each subject individually, but you will struggle to capture a shot with both subjects together if you do.
Likewise, you could set your 2 cameras so that you catch both subjects with Camera A, and then you use camera B to shift shots from subject to subject based on who is speaking individually. Again, you might miss out on some close-up shots of a speaker in the event that both subjects speak at the same time, but at least you’ll have your combined shots.
With a 3 camera setup, you have the ability to frame each subject individually, as well as the ability to frame your two subjects together so that you have the maximum versatility of your shots.
Ideally, with your cameras, you will film your subjects with a wide-shot so that you can capture them both from the waist up as well as close-up with your other cameras. However, this also requires multiple camera operators which is often a luxury that DIY creators will not have.
Lighting a Corporate Video 2 Person Interview
When it comes to lighting your interview, a lot of the configuration of the lighting will depend on your camera and framing configuration. Lighting two people generally requires that you treat both subjects in your interview as one. This way, you can cover the entire shot area with the same visible lighting for maximum effect.
However, you might find some challenges in this approach to lighting your corporate video 2 person interview setup if your two interview subjects are not close enough together. If lighting the two subjects broadly as one isn’t ideal, consider using light on each individual personally but make sure that you don’t overdo the amount of light that you use such that it spills over onto your other subject.
Practical lighting for a setup light this is generally focused on keeping the lighting very broad rather than trying to focus on individual features so much.
Setting Audio for a Corporate Video 2 Person Interview
Getting your interview setup prepared so that you can capture the audio clearly is definitely going to be the greatest challenge a beginner faces. Ideally, each subject should have their own lapel mic or other audio capture source to ensure the audio that you get from each speaker is as clean and clear as absolutely possible.
But what do you do when you don’t have the equipment to capture individual audio from each speaker? You could place a boom in between the two, such that it captured both speakers clearly, but this won’t be ideal if your subjects are not real close together.
If you can’t seem to find a way to run the audio separate, your best bet is to request that each of your subjects speak individually and do not speak over one another.
Editing the Corporate Video 2 Person Interview
When all of the work comes together and the footage is ready for editing, the number of challenges that are presented will really depend on how well you did with the shots and framing, audio and lighting. If you did great, then the editing will probably go quite well, but if you struggled along the way, the editor is going to face many challenges as he tries to adapt footage to achieve the ideal colors and tones, audio, and visuals.
The greatest challenge in editing will be with the audio, just as it was with the shoot. Therefore it’s best to over prepare for audio capture when you’re planning a corporate video 2 person interview, this way everything else just comes together!
Need some help filming and editing a corporate video 2 person interview? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call!