How to film and edit an interview video

Framing and setup

• Off-centre framing: place the subject on one third of the frame, looking toward the empty side.
• Eyeline: for a documentary look, the subject talks to the interviewer beside the camera. For a direct, personal feel (testimonials, social videos), they look into the lens.
• Camera at eye level, on a tripod.
• Background with depth: sit the subject a few metres away from the wall, with something relevant but uncluttered behind them.
• Soft light from a window in front and to the side of the subject.
• A second camera — even a second phone — filming a close-up or side angle gives you something to cut to.

Recording clean audio

Audio is the most important part of an interview. A clip-on lapel mic is ideal; otherwise, place a phone recording audio close to the speaker, out of shot. Choose a quiet, soft-furnished room, turn off fans and notifications, and record a few seconds of silence ("room tone") to fill gaps later. Listen with headphones during the interview if you can.

Asking good questions

• Open questions: "Tell me about the day you…" rather than "Did you…?"
• Ask for full sentences: if the interviewer won't be heard, the answer should include the question — "The reason I started the business was…"
• Follow up on interesting moments: "What did that feel like?"
• Stay quiet while they answer — avoid "mm-hmm" sounds over their words.
• End with "Is there anything I didn't ask that you'd like to say?"

Cutting answers into a story

The edit is where an interview becomes a story. Transcribe or note the strongest answers, then arrange them into a structure — for example, the situation, the challenge, the turning point and the result. The order you asked questions doesn't matter. See our storytelling guide.

• Open with the most compelling line, not the introduction.
• Remove false starts, ums and repetition with tight cuts.
• Keep the meaning intact — never edit someone's words to say something they didn't mean.

Cutaways and B-roll

Cutting inside an answer causes a "jump cut" where the speaker's head suddenly shifts. Hide it by cutting to your second camera angle, or covering the join with B-roll — footage of what they're talking about — while their voice continues. J and L cuts, where audio leads or trails the picture, make edits feel smooth. See our transitions guide.

Name titles

The first time someone speaks, show their name and role in a lower third — a small title near the bottom of the screen for a few seconds. Keep the style consistent and make sure the spelling is right. See our text guide.

Step by step: edit an interview in VDOAPP

1. Add your interview clip to the free online editor.
2. Split out the best answers and delete the rest.
3. Drag answers into story order on the timeline.
4. Cover jump cuts: add B-roll or a second angle as a full-frame overlay in the PiP tab, so the interview audio continues underneath.
5. Add a name title in the Text tab with the Box style and a Slide left animation.
6. Add quiet music in the Audio tab, well below speech.
7. Export and share.

Consent

Tell interviewees how the video will be used and where it will be published, and get their consent in writing — a simple release form is common. Let them know they can decline questions. Take extra care with children, vulnerable people and sensitive topics.