About the course
Filming interviews is one of the largest components of documentary filmmaking and especially important for corporate video production work. Being able to sell your services filming interviews for brands and companies is a great way to fund your personal passion projects.
Good interview technique will also elevate your passion projects to help them stand out and feel like professional polished documentaries.
Who should take this course?
Filmmakers and documentarians planning a film in which subjects are interviewed, either long-form interviews, or short vox pops on location.
What you’ll learn
In this information-intense day you will learn the fundamentals of interviewing in the morning. The afternoon session consists of practical hands-on exercises.
Morning session: Prepare for the interview
- Research and interview preparation
- Earning your interviewees trust
- Representation of interviewees
- Question writing workshop
- Soundbites and how to get them
- Communicating with crew
Afternoon session: Execute the interview
- Practical three point lighting class
- Set up cameras, lights and sound equipment for a standard interview scenario
- Camera and lighting placement
- Recording sound via shotgun mic and boom or using a wireless lavalier system
About Tom Webb
Tom Webb has been a professional filmmaker for the last 20 years, working in the entertainment and corporate sectors as well as making his own passion projects. Tom has a holistic approach to understanding the whole production process which he puts to use working for clients and making short and feature length documentaries. His feature length documentary The Easy Bit can be found on YouTube.
Tom’s Social Media:
Personal Twitter: @TomWebbFilms | Personal Instagram: @TomWebbFilms
The Easy Bit Twitter: @theeasybitdoc | Instagram: @theeasybit | Facebook: facebook.com/theeasybit
Tom also teaches the Documentary Filmmaking Foundation Certificate and Unlock the Full Potential of Your Camera at Raindance
Did you know?
- Raindance members save 20% on this course?
You can join online >HERE< and start saving immediately - This course is FREE for our HND and postgraduate/MA/ students
- You can book a free 1-1 consultation about our full-time degree courses HERE
- We don’t teach ‘filmmaking’ at Raindance. At Raindance we make filmmakers.
Daniyal Najam –
Had an incredible time attending Tom Webb’s “Filming Interviews: Hands-On Theory and Exercises” workshop at Raindance Film School! 🌟🎥
Learning from an accomplished documentary filmmaker like Tom Webb was an absolute privilege. His insights into documentary filmmaking were nothing short of inspiring.
During the class, we had the opportunity to dive into practical exercises that truly brought the theory to life. One of the highlights was setting up an interview scenario using professional film lights. It was amazing to see how light can transform a scene and create the perfect atmosphere for storytelling.
But what truly got my heart racing was the chance to handle a cinema camera for the first time. The experience of working with such a powerful tool was both exhilarating and eye-opening. Tom’s guidance made the process accessible and exciting.
This workshop has not only broadened my understanding of documentary filmmaking but also ignited a new level of passion for the craft. Thank you, Tom Webb, and Raindance Film School for this incredible opportunity! Can’t wait to put these newfound skills into action.
Giovanna Vaccaro (verified owner) –
I recently completed ‘Filming Interviews: Hands On Theory and Exercises’ and I can’t express how well-structured and instructive it was. The knowledge I gained has given me the confidence to dive into my own projects.
Tom Webb is a knowledgeable, informative and inspiring teacher. His expertise made it an excellent learning experience.
I highly recommend this course, it’s a great opportunity to acquire new skills and meet wonderful like-minded people.
Perran King (verified owner) –
I was very impressed with the ‘filming interviews’ course. Tom is an excellent teacher and a friendly guy. The first half of the day we spent understanding how to write quality interview questions, not just the generic – who are you and what do you do. This has made me review my current interview techniques and improve the quality of work that I can provide to my clients. I particularly enjoyed the research section where we were given a public figure to research and plan an interview with based on the learning which had taken place prior. It was a very valuable experience to learn how to effectively structure interviews so that they flow and get the best responses from the interviewees.
The second part of the day was very hands on, where we set up 3 point lighting to light the interview and practiced framing. This was the part of the course which I came for, It was incredibly helpful to practice this with an expert on hand and in a low pressure environment so that next time I am shooting I have the confidence in order to set this up and transform the look of my work. I am looking forward to putting everything I have learnt into practice this week.
Highly recommended for amateur and experienced filmmakers, it’s great to connect with other people in film, even those who live outside the UK and share ideas and projects.
Elliot Grove –
Thanks for your kind words, Perran. We are glad you found the course useful.
Adela Earlington –
I had an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS time on the ‘Filming Interviews: Hands On Theory and Exercises’ course, I recently attended.
I had wanted to participate in February, yet it clashed with another course. So I had to wait until June, for the next one.
I was so pleased that I got so much out of it! 😀
The group was small, which worked out even better in my opinion.
Tom is incredible and outstanding with his teaching methods, and how he delivers information.
He isn’t one of those teachers/lecturers who just ‘ramble/ talk’ for no reason. Everything he spoke about, or replied to, from a question – held a form of relevance. Tom also comes across as a very down-to-earth, considerate, kind and decent human being.
Tom catered to all of us on the course.
He even explained to me and one of my other class mates, whilst doing the practical side of the course in the afternoon, how to light brown and black skin correctly.
Not only the science behind it, but to really emphasis and capture our skin tone beautifully on camera.
Tom also spoke about the history of it, and how technology has progressed for all skin tones to be ‘seen’ as how they should on camera.
The theory side of the course was definitely needed. Tom pointed out elements of interviewing that I hadn’t even considered, or thought about.
In addition, it felt great to have my theoretical and practical skills refreshed, that I hadn’t really used since my master’s degree.
Tom also informed the group, about the best way to build up your own kit, the costs, and maintaining your items as well.
The course is well worth attending, and you will learn SO MUCH helpful, useful and invaluable information, from an expert.
Apparently it takes 40 hours over 5 years, to “master” a skill.
Well Tom- who has been in the filming industry for a long time. Is definitely a ‘master’ in his field.
Attend the ‘Filming Interviews: Hands On Theory and Exercises’ it was great! 😀