Pan & Zoom in interview.Correct workflow?

[Marcus Martell]

Hola,
I think that there a rules in the making of an interview 4 a doc that shouldn't be broken.....
I prefere don't use pans and crops because i prefere to change the shot setting before pushing the start booton...
What do u think about the camera moves in a one camera interview?

[Mike Barber]

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

I think that there a rules in the making of an interview 4 a doc that shouldn't be broken.....

I disagree with that. The so-called rules are just conventions that have been developed and handed down over time. While they do serve as guidlines for "best practices" they are not holy law. In many circumstances they are the best way to go about something, but in other situations it may be best for the project to do something that would be counter to those rules. They are guides -- useful, but not sacred.

Let creativity and intuition by your basis for whether you follow a particular rule or not at a given moment.

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

I prefere don't use pans and crops because i prefere to change the shot setting before pushing the start booton...
What do u think about the camera moves in a one camera interview?

It can be distracting, no doubt. But if reframing a shot needs to be done while recording, they can be done slow and smooth as to not draw attention to the movement. If what the subject is saying is interesting and engaging, then the viewer is most likely not to notice a reframe because they will be drawn in to the content.

I've seen interviews that had some camera movement to it that, while a bit noticeable, was not disruptive because it was under control rather than being jerky and unfocused.

[Brian Drysdale]

Camera moves during an interview are a matter of style and personal taste. You can just leave the shot the same size throughout the interview; another approach is to change the shot size during the questions; another is to change during key emotional points during the interview and yet another is a combination of the last two.

For really good moves during an interview you need a good tripod.

BTW You can also shoot interviews hand held, which is yet another approach. It's what works best in the documentary you're making and your own style. Although it's usually best not to be distracting, unless that's a style choice.

Lots of "anothers" there and being repetitive during interviews is something best avoided.

[Aric Mannion]

If you are looking for the basic "rule", then once in a while, in between questions, zoom in or widen out a bit. This way when you edit the interviews together the audience will think you are cutting to another angle rather than cutting ahead in time.

[Peter Ralph]

Look at the director's interviews on Lords of Dog Town DVD. First interview looks kind of casual off the cuff type thing. Then you realize that it's Catherine Hardwicke and her star DP Elliot Davis. Second clip same as the first. By the fifth or six clip you can see a set of rules emerge. Unconventional rules. But that doesn't matter - they are well thought-out and applied consistently.

Follow rules and you get boring. Ignore rules and you get mess. Develop your own rules and you get style.

[Mike Barber]

Originally Posted by Peter Ralph

Follow rules and you get boring. Ignore rules and you get mess. Develop your own rules and you get style.

Well put, Peter.

[Marcus Martell]

Pete u r definetly right!