I have filmed hundreds of interviews over the past 17 years at Biricik Media Productions. CEOs, athletes, artists, non-profit directors, and everyday people with extraordinary stories. Every interview is different, but the setup that makes them all work is remarkably consistent.
What I am sharing here is not aspirational — it is the exact approach we use on paid client work for brands that include luxury hospitality, sports organizations, and corporate clients. It scales down for solo operators and scales up for multi-camera productions.
Camera Setup: The Two-Camera Minimum
A single camera interview is an editing nightmare. Without a second angle, you have no way to hide cuts, and the visual monotony loses viewers within thirty seconds. Two cameras are the minimum for professional interview work.
My standard setup places the primary camera at the subject's eye level, slightly off the interviewer's shoulder. This produces a three-quarter angle that is universally flattering. The lens is a 70-200mm zoom, set around 85mm for a tight composition — head and shoulders with comfortable headroom.
The secondary camera sits wider, typically at a 30-45 degree angle from the primary. A 35mm or 50mm lens captures a medium shot that includes hand gestures, body language, and environmental context. This angle is primarily for cutaways, but it also provides a safety when the tight shot has a problem.
Lighting: The Interview Triangle
Interview lighting follows a pattern I call the "interview triangle." Key light, fill, and separation — three sources that create a three-dimensional, cinematic look on any subject. The details are covered in depth in my lighting guide, but the interview-specific considerations are worth addressing here.
The key light sits at approximately 45 degrees from the camera axis and slightly above eye level. For interviews, soft light is almost always preferable — a large diffused panel or a bounced source creates gentle shadow transitions across the face. Hard light can work for dramatic pieces, but it also reveals every skin imperfection, which makes non-actor subjects self-conscious.
Your subject's comfort matters more than your lighting ratio. An uncomfortable subject gives you bad content, no matter how perfect the key-to-fill ratio is.
The fill light is typically a reflected bounce — a white card or reflector positioned opposite the key. This opens shadows without flattening the image. The separation light (hair light or rim light) comes from behind the subject, high and to one side, creating an edge that separates them from the background.
Audio: Redundancy Is Non-Negotiable
Interview audio follows the dual-source principle I cover in depth in my audio guide. Every subject wears a lavalier microphone, and a shotgun microphone on a boom captures backup audio from overhead. If either source fails, the interview is not lost.
Placement of the lavalier is critical. The mic should sit at sternum level, clipped to the outer layer of clothing, with the cable routed inside the shirt to eliminate rustle noise. Test the audio with the subject turning their head left and right — the level should remain consistent regardless of head position.
The Background: Depth Creates Production Value
The most important background rule: create depth. Position the subject at least six feet from whatever is behind them. This distance allows the background to fall slightly out of focus, creating visual separation that reads as high production value.
What goes in the background matters. Environmental elements that tell a story — bookshelves, workspaces, architectural features — add context without requiring explanation. Avoid blank walls, cluttered desks, and windows that create backlighting problems. And always look for practical light sources in the background — a warm lamp or monitor glow adds depth and visual interest.
Making Subjects Comfortable
The most technically perfect interview setup in the world is worthless if the subject is nervous. Most people who appear on camera for client projects are not performers. They are experts in their field who happen to need to communicate on camera. Their comfort is your responsibility.
My approach is straightforward. Set up all technical elements before the subject arrives. When they arrive, give them a quick tour of the setup. Then sit with them and have a genuine conversation — not about the interview topics, just human conversation. By the time you start recording, they have been talking naturally for 10-15 minutes and have forgotten that cameras exist.
Never start with your most important question. Start with something easy and conversational. Build toward the meaningful questions as the subject relaxes into the process.
The Edit: Where Interviews Become Stories
Great interview footage is raw material. The editing workflow transforms it into narrative. My process is to transcribe first, edit on paper, then assemble in the timeline. This approach means you are making editorial decisions based on content, not convenience.
Mark every moment that makes you feel something. Those are your anchor points. Build the narrative around them, using the wider angle for breathing room and the tight angle for emotional intensity. The two-camera setup gives you the freedom to restructure the conversation in any order while maintaining visual continuity.
Interviews are the foundation of video storytelling. When they are done right, they are the most compelling content format available. For interview-based production inquiries, visit cemhanbiricik.com.