How to Make a Man on the Street Interview
Create a question that is broad enough as to not get the same answer from everyone, but not so broad that the question could mean any number of things to different people., Use the correct equipment., Learn how to correctly position people., Find a...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Create a question that is broad enough as to not get the same answer from everyone
For example asking the question, "Do you like hair extensions?" might be a good question, but it only has two answers, yes or no.
Asking, "What do you like about style?" Is much too broad because different people's definition of style varies greatly.
To narrow the spectrum down yet not make it too specific, asking "Do you think it’s okay for celebrities to delegate our style?" is a perfect question since it can have a number of answers, but everyone you talk to will already have an idea of what style is and how celebrities influence it, so they’ll all be on the same page even if their answers are different. -
Step 2: but not so broad that the question could mean any number of things to different people.
Since the purpose of a man-on-the-street interview is to capture normal people's thoughts on a subject, you need to have the equipment to successfully do that.
If you don't own a camera, you can rent it for a period of time.
Make sure your camera is HD and that the microphone you choose to use is concealed.
Learn how all the equipment works, then recruit someone who is capable of operating the equipment while you ask the question. , Having a person standing in the very middle of the screen looking directly at the camera is awkward.
Make sure the subject is always standing on either the left or right side of the screen with about a two inch "buffer" area between them and the edge of the screen.
Have them looking at the person asking the question who should stand on the opposite side of the camera than the side the subject is on. , Doing your shoot just when the sun is going down is perfect since there won't be any harsh.
Doing an interview indoors is difficult since most lighting in buildings won’t be sufficient for the camera.
You’ll end up needing to bring extra equipment to compensate for the lack of light, or to avoid the harsh glare of LED lights. , Asking people to answer your question when they are on the phone or obviously in a hurry would not be smart as you might make people mad.
Always ask permission before you start filming them.
They might not know that you are planning on taping their answer to the question. , Changing the question halfway through your interviewing will make your project difficult to edit once you get home.
And only ask one question to each person.
People don’t like having follow up questions. , The more footage you have, the better your presentation will be.
You want lots of opinions, even if you don't use every single person in the video. , Once you have loaded all your footage into your computer, open it up with movie editing software.
Sometimes this software will come with your computer.
If not, download a program off of the internet.
Then put the clips together in a logical order in the program. , If your question was “Do you think it’s alright that the movie stars delegate what is ‘in’?” you’ll want to put a slide into the film before your subjects start talking that says this.
You don’t want the interviewer’s voice to be in the presentation, so by adding text, the audience will know what the question is. , It doesn't have to be very long.
This person might have been asked a slightly different question to close the interview.
This might have been, “Do you think trying to dress and look like celebrities is morally wrong?” The ending should take a more serious view, but still conclude the interviews.
You’ll want to add another slide before this interview, stating the new question. , You can find free, pre made music through the Creative Commons network, or you can make your own through sound editing software like Garageband. , This is extremely easy.
Just put a blank DVD into your computer and drag the finished video onto it.
Depending on the length of the video, it might take up to an hour to burn.
When it’s finished, the DVD will pop out and the video will be on it.You can also load it up to a sharing site like Vimeo or Youtube.
Then when you want to share your video, you can email the URL to your friends and family. -
Step 3: Use the correct equipment.
-
Step 4: Learn how to correctly position people.
-
Step 5: Find a well lit area with many people.
-
Step 6: Be polite.
-
Step 7: To get accurate results
-
Step 8: ask the same question to everyone.
-
Step 9: Talk to lots of people.
-
Step 10: Edit your interviews.
-
Step 11: Add a title to the film.
-
Step 12: Add a closing interview.
-
Step 13: Add music.
-
Step 14: Burn your video onto a DVD.
Detailed Guide
For example asking the question, "Do you like hair extensions?" might be a good question, but it only has two answers, yes or no.
Asking, "What do you like about style?" Is much too broad because different people's definition of style varies greatly.
To narrow the spectrum down yet not make it too specific, asking "Do you think it’s okay for celebrities to delegate our style?" is a perfect question since it can have a number of answers, but everyone you talk to will already have an idea of what style is and how celebrities influence it, so they’ll all be on the same page even if their answers are different.
Since the purpose of a man-on-the-street interview is to capture normal people's thoughts on a subject, you need to have the equipment to successfully do that.
If you don't own a camera, you can rent it for a period of time.
Make sure your camera is HD and that the microphone you choose to use is concealed.
Learn how all the equipment works, then recruit someone who is capable of operating the equipment while you ask the question. , Having a person standing in the very middle of the screen looking directly at the camera is awkward.
Make sure the subject is always standing on either the left or right side of the screen with about a two inch "buffer" area between them and the edge of the screen.
Have them looking at the person asking the question who should stand on the opposite side of the camera than the side the subject is on. , Doing your shoot just when the sun is going down is perfect since there won't be any harsh.
Doing an interview indoors is difficult since most lighting in buildings won’t be sufficient for the camera.
You’ll end up needing to bring extra equipment to compensate for the lack of light, or to avoid the harsh glare of LED lights. , Asking people to answer your question when they are on the phone or obviously in a hurry would not be smart as you might make people mad.
Always ask permission before you start filming them.
They might not know that you are planning on taping their answer to the question. , Changing the question halfway through your interviewing will make your project difficult to edit once you get home.
And only ask one question to each person.
People don’t like having follow up questions. , The more footage you have, the better your presentation will be.
You want lots of opinions, even if you don't use every single person in the video. , Once you have loaded all your footage into your computer, open it up with movie editing software.
Sometimes this software will come with your computer.
If not, download a program off of the internet.
Then put the clips together in a logical order in the program. , If your question was “Do you think it’s alright that the movie stars delegate what is ‘in’?” you’ll want to put a slide into the film before your subjects start talking that says this.
You don’t want the interviewer’s voice to be in the presentation, so by adding text, the audience will know what the question is. , It doesn't have to be very long.
This person might have been asked a slightly different question to close the interview.
This might have been, “Do you think trying to dress and look like celebrities is morally wrong?” The ending should take a more serious view, but still conclude the interviews.
You’ll want to add another slide before this interview, stating the new question. , You can find free, pre made music through the Creative Commons network, or you can make your own through sound editing software like Garageband. , This is extremely easy.
Just put a blank DVD into your computer and drag the finished video onto it.
Depending on the length of the video, it might take up to an hour to burn.
When it’s finished, the DVD will pop out and the video will be on it.You can also load it up to a sharing site like Vimeo or Youtube.
Then when you want to share your video, you can email the URL to your friends and family.
About the Author
Hannah Reynolds
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: