Post 3: Reflecting on the recording of voices
When we were assigned to interview someone about Melbourne International Film Festival remotely, I discovered that interviewing someone you know versus a stranger would be completely different when it comes to representation. As I interviewed my friend who has been to the Capitol, our conversational interview gives an impression to listeners that we were comfortable with each other and most likely that we were friends due to the use of informal languages. In contrast, I feel if we interview strangers right off the bat, they may feel scared, nervous, or anxious because we do not know each other. I feel that the outcome of the interview may show the lack of authenticity as they become more formal because they are more aware that the interview is being recorded than your friend because we were speaking casually. If you think about it, how you phrase the question reflects how they phrase their answers. If I spoke formally to the interviewee, more chances are, they are going to answer formally. An example, when I interviewed my friend, I phrase the question about cinema of magic with “go and describe the cinema in three words” whereas, if I ask a stranger a similar question, I would have rephrased it to “Can you describe Melbourne International Film Festival in three words?”.
My solution to interact with strangers is to first, be approachable and welcoming. By doing so, introduce yourself and have a little chat. But most importantly, you let them know in advance what the interview is used for and to ask them for consent. This is very crucial because they are now fully aware that the interview can be used, and it also shows that you are trustworthy because you let them know beforehand. When I complete the interview, I assure them that I will try my hardest ability to present them favorably by exchanging emails.
Since I have interviewed many people over the past for pervious studios from this degree, I have learnt that it is very helpful to contact them near the end of post production for any last minute changes. I have always kept in contact and email them the final draft where they are able to give feedback before I publish and hand in my work to tutors. This would give them control on how they wanted to be represented without offending them before it is too late. While I am thinking ahead of what the media works can be, I may interview someone casually, as in informal so the answers can sound more authentic. To enhance this, I would also ask open ended questions so they can elaborate more than just a yes/no answers.