As companies look for ways to use video in marketing, the basic question of what format to shoot informational interviews often comes up. While there are many styles, two remain the most popular formats; using a single person talking onscreen or using two or more people having a conversation about the subject matter.
Depending on the people within the company, there may be subject matter experts available that can successfully present themselves on-camera in a natural way and pull off being the “talking head” without needing the assistance of another person acting as the interviewer. If that’s the case, there is a great amount of efficiency in being able to crank out several videos quickly using this single person. Because the person is such a subject matter expert, they appear comfortable doing the on-camera recording without scripting and come across naturally.
The reality is usually different, however. Few people, even if they are SME’s, can present themselves good on-camera. In fact, most SME’s suffer from the “curse of knowledge.”
Their deep knowledge and familiarity with the product makes them erroneously assume that the viewer is going to understand what they are saying. Few SME’s are actually great communicators.
This dilemma is overcome by using the interview style where the SME is actually interviewed on-camera.
A great interviewer can help the viewer in the learning experience, as the interviewer is essentially saying/asking exactly what the viewer would be thinking/wanting to know in that moment. In this format, it is important both parties maintain proper eye contact with each other AND with the camera throughout the interview. The interviewer must think like the viewer, asking the questions the viewer would ask themselves in order to deliver a powerful experience.
The interview format usually wins out in the end.
In the end, most companies opt for an interview format. They realize their SME, while knowledgeable enough, doesn’t possess the presence of mind to also know how to listen and think like the viewer while talking on-camera.
When it comes to video production, we at Eat New Media are an Indianapolis video production company there with lots of ideas about how you can effectively communicate with your customers by video. Give us a call.