So, you have decided to get a green screen interview filmed to advertise you and your brand. Fantastic idea! Green screen interviews are a slick and professional way to get the face of your brand out into the world. However, be aware that there are a few things you need to make sure you do before and during interview situations.
Don’t Miss It!
There is a lot of cost involved in a green screen interview. A green screen interview requires an appropriately resourced studio, more crew and technicians than a regular interview would need, and more time spent in post-production; all of these things hike the cost up. So, don’t miss it! Make sure it is written down in bold on your schedule, or that you have set reminders for it on your phone; whatever you need to make sure you are there prepared and on time.
Prep Questions and Answers
Don’t ever go into an interview unprepared. You may be tempted to think that you are just having a conversation “How hard can it be? I’ll just trust myself to answer eloquently on the day.” Don’t do this. Once you get to the interview day, there are a lot of extra things to worry about, and there is more pressure than you might expect; you need to be as prepared as possible. It is very easy to get flustered and to not answer your questions in as eloquent a fashion as you would like. Practice your answers to ensure that what you verbalise makes you look informed, confident and on brand.
Don’t Wear Green!
Even if you think that your shirt is a significantly different shade of green to the background, don’t wear it! Any shade of green will blend with the background, you might end up being a floating head! All jokes aside, this will also make the post-production extremely difficult. The process of filling in the green background (known as ‘keying’), will become almost impossible should you have any green on you. This can mean either a very messy end product or a lot of time and money spend on a re-shoot.
No Reflective Fabric
This is as true for green screen as it is for any interview or video production project. The studio conditions for green screen interviews are very specific and involve heavy artificial lighting. Any shiny or reflective fabric will be problematic under heavy lighting. The reflections, due to the movement of fabric, are hard to eliminate in post and are a particular wrench when green screens are involved. So, no satin, no gold, no silver, no sequins, no large metal embellishments. Make sure your garments have a matt finish!
Try to Avoid Frizziness
This primarily refers to hair. The keying process involves establishing the difference between the subjects and the background. This is obviously made harder with frizzy or ‘unpredictable’ hair, as it is tricky to map a hard line between person and screen. So, if you can tame your hair, it is likely to me much appreciated. You might also want to avoid wearing any hairy, furry or fuzzy garments.
Microphone Ready Clothing
The likelihood is that you will be wearing a radio microphone of some kind, so make sure you are dressed appropriately. This means you will need somewhere to put a microphone pack; this is a little larger than a mobile phone. You will either need a free pocket, or a sturdy waistband on which to hook it. You will also need somewhere to clip the microphone itself, this is usually done around the neck. Button up garments are ideal, t-shirts are also fine. Just make sure you aren’t wearing a turtle neck!
Speak Up If You Aren’t Sure About Something
This video is being made to represent you and your business, so make sure you are happy throughout the experience. Don’t assume, just because the people around you are professionals, that they will automatically produce exactly what you want, you need to communicate with them. Most issues can be resolved on the spot; perhaps you are not happy with your positioning or your lighting, or maybe there are some style issues that do not fit with you and your brand. Whatever the query, don’t be afraid, make sure you are getting what you need.
Also, if the interview is not going the way you want, or there is something unprofessional about your experience, don’t hesitate to speak up. Don’t approve a bad interview just because you feel pressured or out of place. You are the boss, you are paying for this product, make sure you stay in control!
Do Your Deep Research
Green screen interviews have been around for a while, and so there are many different video producers out there specializing in many different styles. Make sure you don’t just go for the first production team you see or choose a team because they are the cheapest. Do your research; contact the companies, get detailed quotes for the work, go through portfolios, read reviews and check out online reception to their videos. Make a considered choice; a lot of time, work and money goes down the pan if you make a wrong choice here.