I didn’t know the band before I decided to do the story on them. But as the article ” Sound in the Story”suggests, I met the band members many times in my spare time to get familiar with them, as well as to build a rapport with my interview subjects.
I did my interview on Tuesday and before I went, I listed several questions I thought would be important to my story. But the feeling of the interview was a little bit weird. Because we are friends now, so the interviewee might not take the interview seriously. And for me, wearing a headphone, holding a microphone and interviewing a friend is a weird experience. And when I asked him some questions about the band, he would make the answers begin with “you know”, because he knew that I had known the information already. Of course, I can cut out the “you know” later, but I just doubt, if we have to interview a friend, how to deal with the personal relationship properly to avoid the weird feeling?
Great post, Shifen! This is indeed a problem that we face a lot when doing these kinds of stories. You start out as strangers. Then you get to know someone, because you are sticking a camera right into his face for many hours. Then how is your relationship changed? Is your journalism still “pure”?
However, there is a good side. A person who feels that he knows you might be comfortable enough to let you see his true feelings. Maybe you can ask a deeper question, and get a more honest answer, because you did not meet only five minutes ago.
yes, I know friendship can help some times. If I am working on a deeper analysis article,it will help.But for our 90 seconds audio, I suppose I should state the basic questions clear first. And asking the questions I’ve already known the answers seems a little bit silly, sometimes.
I see the pros and cons of both sides of the rapport issue. I thought I was walking that thin line of building rapport without becoming friends with my subject. While I was taking pictures and following him around on campus, we talked, laughed and had light-hearted conversation. However, it was something about us going into a quiet room with a mic that made his posture change. He gave good answers in the interview, but the responses lacked his personality and were very formal and rigid. I think sometimes when the subject knows you are working on a project or story they feel like they are helping you out by not being themselves. Even though I had encouraged him to relax the setting made him change. For some stories I think it might be beneficial to interview the subject in the original setting instead of trying to add nat sot or a sound bed to the interview. In the natural setting I think I would have gotten a better interview.
I find it helpful to explain to the subject that I may ask some questions to which I already know the answers, but that the audience needs to know the answers too.
I know what you mean about getting comfortable with the microphone. It’s not that I feel strange holding it during an interview – it’s that I have problems keeping my hand and arm in exactly the right place. Especially during long interviews, I find that my arm gets tired…
Kind of silly, but it’s true.
Laura