How to Make Them Talk

One of my big regrets is that I did not videotape my daughter reciting the Shabbat Prayer in perfect Hebrew pronunciation when she was 4 years old. Since she left the Jewish Community Center pre-school, I have never heard her say it again (we are Chinese). So I cannot boast about it now. No proof.

We tend to associate action with videos. After all, if you didn't want to record moving people, you would just have taken a still snapshot, right? Don't forget the talking scenes, though. It could be a child explaining how he caught the toad, or a teenager explaining what trends are hot, or my grandmother retelling how her grandfather escaped with his art collection from Communist China.

But how to make them talk in front of a live camera?

Here are some tips:

Tip #1. Strike while the iron is hot. Don't pause to fix his hair, or to look for your lavalier microphone, or to straighten the furniture. If necessary, pull the person to a quiet corner, but don't pause too long. The magic moment may only be there for that instant. Or, they may decide to get shy and clam up.

Tip #2. Establish rapport before pointing your camera. Be sensitive to the person’s state of mind. Are they busy? Don’t be a nuisance. Chat them up off-camera and they will be more likely to chat on-camera. This may seem opposite to Tip #1 but it's not. As you become more experienced, you will know when to warm up your subject, when to strike.

Tip #3. Have a pocketful of good questions anytime. For example, "Who defines "Cool" in your school?" always elicit interesting answers from teenagers. In the video below, I ask the classic kid question, "What would you do with ten thousand dollars?" 4 kids, 4 very different answers.

Tip #4. If possible, lean your camcorder on a chair, or stable surface while you record. This allows you to look at them in the eye so they feel like they are talking to you instead of an equipment. And please, don't putter with your gear while they are talking.

Tip #5. And finally, don’t interrupt. You can always edit out parts you don’t want.

Good video editing is good story telling. I’ve found that sometimes a few words spoken straight out of the mouth of babes (or horses) makes the whole story.