How to Prepare Your Team for an On-Camera Interview

Jul 14

If you've ever watched an interview video where someone looks stiff, sounds rehearsed, or just seems uncomfortable, there's a good chance they weren't prepared. Not for the camera, anyway.

Getting great interview footage isn't just about the lighting or the lens. A lot of it comes down to how ready your people are before they sit down. Here's what we tell every client before a shoot.

Send the questions in advance, but don't let them memorize the answers

Give your subjects the questions ahead of time so they can think through their answers. But ask them not to write out scripts. Memorized answers sound memorized. You want them to know what they want to say, not how they want to say it. The best interviews sound like a conversation, not a presentation.

Wardrobe matters more than people think

Solid colors work best on camera. Avoid tight patterns, bright white, or anything with a logo that might cause issues. Comfortable and professional is the goal and if someone feels good in what they're wearing, it shows.

Have them arrive early and get comfortable

First ten minutes on set are usually the most awkward. Give your subjects time to get mic'd up, look around, ask questions, and just settle in. By the time we roll, they should feel like they've been there a while.

Brief them on the format

Let them know they don't need to look at the camera, they should answer in complete sentences (not just "yes" or "no"), and it's totally fine to pause, restart, or say "can I try that again?" We're not doing this live. There's no pressure.

Remind them why they're doing it

The best interview subjects are the ones who actually care about what they're saying. Remind them who's going to watch this, what you want viewers to feel, and why their voice matters in telling this story. That context changes everything.

A little preparation goes a long way. The more at ease your team feels, the more authentic the final product, and that's what actually connects with an audience.

Have a video project coming up and want to talk through the process? Yes And Video wants to hear about it.