What’s the most important thing about an on-camera interview? When you do away with all the superficial stuff, it’s really about one thing — building trust. People who’ll be watching need to know they can trust what’s being said. And that doesn’t just depend on the person being interviewed. Before anyone speaks a single word, you build or lose trust based on the quality of your production. A professional-looking setup can help you earn trust quickly. For that, you’ll need proper lighting, the right space, and quality sound. With that in mind, what are the basics of visual storytelling you should consider while preparing for an interview? Let’s dive into the details.

The Story Is What Matters

As an interviewer, what you’re really trying to do is to tell a story. The person you’re interviewing is there to corroborate it and help you lend credibility to your point of view. Of course, you must appear completely objective and let the interviewee talk — you’re just there to lead them down the right path.

However, that also takes a lot of preparation. You need to dive deep into every aspect of the topic. If you’re interviewing a writer about a recently published book, you need to read and study it carefully. Then, you need to think of poignant questions that raise awareness and spark curiosity among viewers.

The same goes for any other topic. For a political topic, you need to know everything from opposing viewpoints (and there are always a few) to the social background and impact of what’s being discussed.

Preparing Visuals

Now, let’s discuss the on-camera stuff. For starters, the visuals. You and your subject should try to wear clothes that won’t distract viewers. So, no complex patterns and shirts with “funky” designs. Also, you want to avoid bright colors altogether.

If it’s possible, you should get a feel for the location before you conduct the actual interview. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. Suppose you’re talking to an industry leader about how to relocate a company from one city to another, or you’re moving your business yourself. In that case, the company offices are probably hectic, so that won’t work.

Also, depending on what kind of business leader you’re talking to, they may not conduct on-site interviews for security reasons. On the other hand, an outdoor location may become untenable due to bad weather.

Of course, if you actually can use the location to prep beforehand, that’s ideal. This gives you room to maneuver and some time to think about practicalities. Do you have enough outlets nearby for the camera lights? Is the location quiet enough to give you decent sound quality? All of this is stuff you should, ideally, resolve before the day of the interview.

Preparing The Questions

There are many ways of organizing your questions before the on-camera interview, but one thing is certain — you need to have a prepared framework in mind. Many interviewers like to align questions chronologically.

That way, each thing they ask leads the interviewee down a specific narrative path — one that aligns with what you wanted the viewer to experience. Depending on whether you’ll use additional visuals on screen, this also ensures visual consistency.

This is true for any type of interview. For example, you can think of a job interview as a conversation designed to tell one specific story — the interviewee’s career.

While we’re on the subject of narrative prep, here’s a key detail — don’t prepare your subject too much before the big day. Sure, you may share some of the broader topics you’ll cover, and discuss what they’re prepared to say.

But the key here is ensuring the interview still feels authentic and spontaneous. The responses must not seem rehearsed and stiff.

The Actual Interview

Bear in mind that, even for people who’ve been on camera before, on-camera interviews don’t come naturally. It’s not something you do every day, unless you’re a news anchor or public official.

So, your number one priority is to help your interviewee feel at ease. Give yourself some time for a bit of small talk beforehand, and treat them with respect — even if the interview itself contains questions they might perceive as hostile.

Simplest Form of Camerawork

Depending on your resources and camera crew, your interview may be shot with varying degrees of complexity. However, we’ll focus on telling your story with a one-camera setup here.

Like with colors and clothing, you’ll want to minimize distractions. With your subject, you do this by avoiding any background that may draw the viewer’s eye. If there are any walls with details or patterns, or interesting furniture like bookcases, you want them as far in the background as possible.

Also, you need to ensure that any plants or other everyday items are placed properly. You don’t want it to look like a hibiscus is growing out of your interviewee’s head.

On the other hand, you should be directly opposite the interviewee. During the interview, your subject should look directly at you — definitely not the camera.

To give your audience a natural, frontal look at the interviewee’s face, you should sit somewhere near the camera. Otherwise, your subject will turn away from the camera when they’re looking at you, giving the audience an unnatural or harsh look at them.

Finally, position the camera so that the lens is roughly at the interviewee’s eye level. If not, your audience will end up awkwardly looking down or up at them. And, as silly as this may seem, ensure that everyone’s chairs are set to the same height.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, a lot of prep goes into a great on-camera interview. Even if you make a human connection and have a genuinely insightful conversation with your subject, remember — it’s all for nothing if it doesn’t translate well to the video format.

All that preparation is there to help you show viewers exactly what you’re seeing and hearing when you interact with the subject’s story. And craft a compelling narrative that keeps them glued to their screens — even if it’s a long-form conversation.