View Full Version : Can I interview myself???


Art White
August 24th, 2012, 10:37 AM
I have been thinking about this bragging rights stunt for some time. Every year I'm involved a 4 person fishing tournament for bragging rights. This year I finally won! I would like to "interview" myself in other words film me as the interviewer and me as myself appearing to be on the same set. I don't really know quite how to do this. I have Adobe CS5 Master and two cameras. I use Premiere often and dabble in After Effects. I have a green screen which I believe I could pull it off but does anybody know how I can use Premiere to do it in a real setting? Now that I'm typing out loud here, I wonder if I could use the crop tool some kind of way?

Thanks!
Art

Battle Vaughan
August 24th, 2012, 04:17 PM
Unless I'm missing something, it sounds like you would just tape yourself asking questions (looking left, say) and then tape yourself in a position as if you were answering them, (looking right, at the "inverviewer) and cut them together, alternating appropriately. It is harder to do a 2 shot, although you can do so with masking.

There are complete instructions in the Adobe Premere Classroom In A Book publication, a little detailed to go into here.

Basically you have two tracks, one over the other, and carefully mask the left half of one track and the right half of the other so they appear as one complete track, each with an image of you....

Kevin Currie
August 24th, 2012, 08:36 PM
I think it would look better if you used both of Battle's suggestions together. When shooting both parts of the "two-shot" maybe have somebody else standing off screen reading the other lines so your timing is more accurate, but clever editing between the 2 individual shots and the wider shot should help.

When masking off 1/2 of the frame, feather the edge hide it. This kind of shot can be done in both Premiere and AE.

Steve Game
August 25th, 2012, 03:17 AM
Just make sure that you sign a release form!

Art White
August 25th, 2012, 07:30 AM
Battle, Kevin,
Yes! that's what I'm getting at. I have just enough skills to switch back and forth during the interview to make it look like two different same people. <grin>. The wide shot with both of "us" even for a second is what I need help with. But If I can do this with masking (Which I have never used, didn't know what it did) I'll study up on it and figure it out. Thanks for letting me know where to start.

Steve,
That's two Release Forms...ten if you count my different personalities!

Thanks folks,
Art

Jordan Hooper
August 25th, 2012, 08:22 AM
You don't even need to green screen for the two shot.
Just be on half the set for one person and on the other side for the other person.
Then put the second layer on top and mask off half of it so the first person shows through.
Just do a quick test conversation and try and cut it together.

Art White
August 25th, 2012, 08:40 AM
Good point.
Txs

Jim Schuchmann
August 25th, 2012, 11:53 AM
Make sure you point out that the interviewers questions were so predictable. :-))

Art White
August 25th, 2012, 12:44 PM
...as well as the answers!

Kevin Currie
August 25th, 2012, 09:03 PM
Now that you have me thinking about it, I want to do a fun little interview with myself as well. :)

Art White
August 26th, 2012, 05:29 AM
Yes! Think of all the possibilities. What an advantage to know the right questions to ask to get the off the cuff answers! :-)

Jordan Hooper
August 26th, 2012, 10:44 AM
"You know, it's funny you ask that Art because it just so happened that..."
lol

Allan Black
August 26th, 2012, 05:39 PM
Art, timing and matching your reactions between you and yourself is a tough call to get exactly right, so it doesn't look corny to the other 3 guys.

But try it, if it looks like that after an hour working on it, don't push it.

Might be better if you're the off camera TV interviewer asking questions remotely as a voice over. That way, you're the sole person on screen and you can ham it up, featuring your bragging rights.

Dress in your fishing kit and assuming you won by catching the biggest fish, include it in the interview, unless you've eaten it.

Use an animated fake fish called Frank, also answering questions, with you doing a fishy voice.
eg: 'Those other 3 guys waving their hooks around couldn't catch squat!'
You can wave Frank around and include closeups.

Cheers.

Steve Game
August 27th, 2012, 03:20 AM
There may still be one of the singing fishes around, i.e. Billy Bass, singing 'Don't Worry - Be Happy'.

Evan Bourcier
August 27th, 2012, 03:26 PM
I attempted to do what you're talking about before as a joke, the timing is the hard part. As already mentioned, it's basically just a tripod shot and some masking.

My attempt is in here at 1:50
My Search for Wisdom: Part 1 - YouTube

Art White
August 29th, 2012, 10:31 AM
Exactly! Nice shooting tho. Since I don't know anything about masking, I'm looking up some tutorials before I start scripting it out. All that Community Theatre I did as a kid years ago, may not go to waste after all!

Art

Allan Black
August 29th, 2012, 06:23 PM
Good luck, let's know how it works out .. hey you could title it, 'Life imitates Art' :)

Cheers.