Video transcript

Hello and welcome back to The Edit.
Today I want to show you how to conduct video interviews in a way that is a bit more natural than the usual slightly off camera, answering questions to an invisible person. This is where you talk directly down to the lens of the camera in a way that is authentic and natural and comfortable for the person being interviewed.
Traditional interviews over the years for corporates tends to be, someone is sitting here asking me questions and I’m answering in a way that is authentic and responsive. Those interviews can appear a little bit staged. There is a time and place for them, and I’m not going to knock them, we’ve done plenty of them over the years. But, to really engage your audience, to really speak directly to your audience, sometimes with testimonial interviews and case studies and just you wanting to communicate a message to your audience it’s better to do it down the lens.
In a Hollywood movie we refer to this as ‘The Fourth Wall’. ‘The Fourth Wall’ is that wall between the performer and the audience. For marketers, we really are looking to break down that fourth wall. If you ask someone that’s being interviewed to talk down the lens of a camera it’s a little bit difficult, they’re not used to it and they feel uncomfortable. They are happy talking directly to someone who’s asking them questions and they give heartfelt responses.
What I want to show you today is a device called the EyeDirect or the Interrotron, which we use regularly to film clients who are giving testimonials, case studies or sales messages. And we will still interview them. We will still ask the questions in the normal way, But it will be done through the Interrotron device, which attaches to the camera and through a number of mirrors you as the interviewer can see the person you’re asking the questions to and the person answering the questions can see you, but it’s all directly down the lens of the camera via the mirrors to make you feel as though you’re talking directly to the person. The end result speaks for itself. For the viewer, you feel as though they are talking directly to you. It doesn’t feel quite as staged. It feels a bit more authentic. For those purposeful thoughts, those emotive messages that you sometimes want to communicate it’s best straight down the lens of the camera talking to the person watching and it feels yes they are talking to me. The Interrotron or the EyeDirect device is a fantastic way to communicate your sales messages, testimonials, interviews, marketing messages, right down the lens of the camera in a way that is natural, authentic and truly engaging.
I hope you find it useful and thanks for watching.