Why Using 2 Cameras Makes Your Interview WAY BETTER
In my early career with one camera, I was limited when editing interviews. During the pause when the interviewer asks the question, I would zoom to change the angle. This way, you could show both a close up and a medium shot at different points in the final video. But the 2 angles weren’t recorded at the same time. Therefore, I could not switch back and forth between angles in the same sentence -- if I cut a word out mid-sentence, it would result in a jump cut, a noticeable “jump” forward in time. 2 cameras gives you infinitely more flexibility to make your subject look better and sound smarter than real life. “But that’s double the expense!” you might say. Here’s why you should consider making the investment.
1. Shoot for the Edit
Wide shot, medium shot, close up, cutaway.
The editor needs multiple angles to cut sequences together. “Shooting for the edit” means capturing a wide shot, medium shot, close up and cutaway for each scene. When these angles are shown in sequence, it gives the illusion you are seeing reality unfold from different points of view. For interviews, having two angles gives the editor more options than a lone talking head.
2. Flexibility
The magic of two cameras is you can control time.
With two angles, you can cut out “umms”, gaps and words, making your subject sound even better than real life. This also gives you the ability to join separate parts together. For example, if the subject says “the best part of cricket farming is the small investment” and later says “...it’s a sustainable protein source”, you can cut the two together to say “The best part of cricket farming is it’s a sustainable protein source.”
3. Continuity
Example of a jump cut.
Continuity in editing is the illusion of reality unfolding in real-time. A jump cut is a noticeable “jump” forward in time that happens when 2 separate moments shot from the same angle are shown back-to-back. If you want to travel through time but make it less obvious, use 2 angles to create the illusion of continuity.
Wrapping Up
A second camera is a major investment, but is a surefire way to give you more options during editing, like joining separate moments together seamlessly and avoiding unnatural jump cuts. Time travel comes at a cost, but is well worth it. Your editor and your interviewee will thank you. As Dr. Emmet Brown points out, “Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.”
Now It’s Your Turn
Have you been interviewed before? How happy were you with the final product and how many cameras were used? Let me know in the comments!
Jesse is a media arts professional with DocuKnowledge, a full service video production company that provides a safe and loving space to capture and deliver your expert knowledge through video.