5 Creative Video Interview Styles that the Pros Use

A rise in the use of video across the internet for everything from generating trust among consumers to drawing interest from audiences that are unaware of a business’s offering has given equal rise to the styles of video interviews that are used across the world wide web. Several different video interview styles exist and can be used in different ways to provide the desired effect for your website, blog, social media platform or for a case study. These are some of the more creative video interview styles that you might find used by professionals during the course of producing customer testimonials, case studies, or a variety of other video formats to be incorporated into a business’s marketing mix.

1. One-Way Video Interviews

Often referred to as an asynchronous video interview, the one-way interview has the potential to be one of the most creative video interview styles but all of the creativity is left up to the interviewee. In this type of interview, the interviewer sends a series of interview questions to the interviewee so that he or she can answer the questions via a recorded interview video and then share that video with the interviewer. It’s called a one-way or asynchronous interview video because there really is only one participant in the interview at a time.

One way video interviews can be incredibly creative if the interviewee decides to get creative with their response and with the way that they deliver their response. Candidates of a one-way interview may choose to include a lot of creative responses to the interview questions, they can create incredibly powerful video clips to accommodate their response, and they can even have fun with the process or they can choose a less creative approach and merely answer the questions in front of a camera and call it a day. The choice is really up to the interviewee.

2. Two-Way Video Interview

The next of the most creative video interview styles is the two-way video interview. Naturally, this has much greater potential to be more creative than a one-way video interview, but again the creativity level is really up to the interviewer and the interviewee at this point. Two-way interviews can be live, in which they resemble a video chat between two parties, or they can be pre-recorded. Either way, the two-way video interview style has a greater ability to draw the attention of an audience as steps are taken to create powerful interactions between the interviewer and the interviewee on camera.

3. Off-Camera Interviews

Creative video interview styles that involve the interviewer sitting close to the camera, but not in-front of the camera, are called “off-camera interviews,” and generally involve the interviewee or subject making eye contact with the camera for the majority of the interview. This style of interview makes the viewer feel as if the subject is talking to the audience directly as the conversation unfolds.

In these types of interviews, the interviewer is never actually revealed to the audience. Instead, the audience feels as if it’s almost like they’re the one doing the interview or holding the conversation with the subject. 

4. Direct Address Interviews

Less frequently used is the direct address interview style in which the interviewee will make eye contact with the audience because the interview is filmed using equipment that places the subject at the very center of the camera frame. Often times, this is one of the more creative video interview styles that requires specialized equipment, including usually a mirrored rig, that forms an incredibly intimate one-to-one sort of relationship between the subject and the audience. Some find it uncomfortable, but it’s a very commonly used interview style for documentaries.

5. Cinematic Interviews

Definitely the most creative video interview styles are those that use a cinematic approach to creating the narrative between the interviewer and the interviewee. In this approach, also referred to as an off-off-camera approach, the interviewer and interviewee are both positioned in such a way that they become part of the story that is told and are an element of the narration. Essentially, they become characters in their own video interview story. 

Cinematic interviews are definitely the most creative video interview styles that are produced across most films today. With this approach, imagery is used to build a creative interpretation of the interview subject’s story so that the audience can watch as if they are experiencing a film or movie. 

As you can see, there are many different creative video interview styles that can be involved in the production of any interview you decide to create. Ultimately, the style that you choose and what’s most appropriate is a matter of deciding how your audience is going to react most powerfully. To learn more about the creative video interview styles that you can use for your website, testimonials, or case studies, give Beverly Boy Productions a call today!