Group video interview: reality check!

A different type of interview that had to be attempted before the actual conference was the multi-person interview. Three fellow CSIR colleagues, one a conference delegate and two others attending as well as serving on the SAOUG committee, were willing to assist me with this venture. This impromptu interview, although quite informative in the way that it reflects the different expectations and topics of interest even to librarians/information specialists working in the same company, revealed a few technical problem areas that I hope to improve upon come conference time: 

• Angle of camera: the camera was placed too low and should have been headheight instead. This error resulted in the shoes and legs being the closest visible part of the people being interviewed. 
• Field of view: in my opinion, too much of the subjects interviewed can be seen. With face plus upper torso being the preferred displayed sections, zooming or even moving the camera closer to the subjects would have cut out the lower half of the subjects.
• Sound quality could have been better. Not only was there background noise coming from the adjacent kitchen area, but the camera should be placed closer to the subjects. This observation will probably prove to be an invaluable item of knowledge when conducting an interview during breaks at the conference: there WILL be background noise: isolate your subject or move closer to him. In stark contrast to this, the interviewer was too close to the camera. Comfortable listening to the video clip would then entail constantly adjusting the volume setting to a satisfactory level.
• Another aspect, not necessarily an error, was the final length of the video clip. Although only two questions were asked, using three subjects meant that the clip ended up being longer than 3 minutes. I now know that one can to estimate the expected length of a typical interview to be approximately 30 seconds per response per subject.  

In retrospect I would say that I definitely prefer conducting a one-on-one interview. Interviews are shorter, and retakes would take less time. Doing a one-person interview would also mean that less time of the subject is being used. Furthermore: I find it easier to approach a single person than trying to get a group together. On the technical side of things it is easier to frame the shot, gauge the best distance for volume, as well as correct angle, when conducting an interview with a single subject only.