One of the most interesting aspects of writing is the interview. Whether
providing quotes for an article or getting the necessary material for a profile,
interviewing can also be a daunting task.
The process is pretty straightforward when you need to provide backup information
and/or proof for an article. Quotes help to prove or disprove your premise.
You already have most of the facts. Questions are suggested by the topic
and your needs. Whether you talk to your subject in person, on the phone,
or by email, it will be a short conversation. Like Sgt. Friday on Dragnet,
you want the facts, just the facts. If you are doing a profile the process
is similar. The first place to start is with background information.
I always start by checking out articles that have been written about the
subject. The best source of general information is magazine and newspaper
archives. With the advent of the Internet, you have an added source of material.
If your subject is a celebrity, you are more likely to find background data
on the Internet, especially nowadays. Read the articles thoroughly and take
notes. Jot down questions that have been asked in the past. Make your own
list a little different. What interests you about the subject? What would
you like to know? If you have read any of their work or seen their movies,
which ones were your favorites and why? What set your favorites apart from
the rest of their work?
Try to plan approximately how much time think you will need to ask your
questions. Make sure to leave extra time for photographs - if you are going
to take them - and for information that might crop up in the course of the
interview.
Schedule your interviews at times that are convenient for you and for your
subject. If there is any doubt and you are running into a deadline, change
your schedule to fit the subject's available time. They are being gracious
in sharing their time; be gracious enough to make it convenient for them.
The first interview I ever did was with an American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) attorney, Benson Wolman, who defended the Ku Klux Klan in front of
the Supreme Court. The Klan wanted to place a cross on the Ohio State House
lawn one Christmas. In the course of research - and there wasn't much - I
discovered the attorney was Jewish. The most obvious question on my mind
was why a Jewish lawyer would defend the Ku Klux Klan. I also wanted to know
more about the history of the case and how he became involved.
Double check to make sure you can take photographs before the interview.
Some subjects have photographs they will give you. If available, they will
let you know, but ask when you make the appointment. Make sure you have a
backup camera, enough film of various speeds, and flash bulbs. Be prepared.
You never know what kind of weather or circumstances you might encounter.
I got lucky with Benson Wolman. On the wall behind him in the conference
room where we met was a large American flag. It proved to be the perfect
backdrop for the article. Be flexible. Take advantage of interesting features.
When preparing for the interview, make a list of questions. Pack film, flash
bulbs, and two cameras. Get a good quality recorder with plenty of tape.
If you can afford it, a recorder with a voice actuation feature will save
you time and tape. Voice actuated records activate only when someone is talking.
Check how long the tapes run and keep an eye on them during the interview.
There's nothing worse than getting home and finding out you let the tape
run out and you missed the best part of the interview. Keep extra batteries
on hand just in case. If you are not sure how old the batteries in your recorder
are, put in new ones. Make sure to take along a stenographer's notebook or
legal size tablet to take notes. Even the best recorders fail on occasion.
Check everything one more time to make sure you have not forgotten everything.
You are ready to go.
When you arrive at the interview (a little bit early) or make your phone
call, thank your subject for their time. Ask again if you may take pictures
and record the interview. Of course, if you are doing the interview by phone
you will not need your camera, recorder, or batteries, just a working phone.
Keep the notebook handy or, if you prefer (and you type fast enough), have
your fingers on the keyboard and your word processing program open and running.
At this point, it is all downhill, except for one thing. The most important
factor in any interview is listening. The best interviews happened because
I paid attention to the subject and just listened. I had my questions ready
to go - the product of many hours of research and writing - but they didn't
seem quite so important. An interview is much like a conversation between
two people getting to know one another. Be ready for surprises.
Once you make your subject comfortable with you and the process, you will
find that the conversation takes on a life of its own. You want to stick
to some guidelines, but don't be rigid. Enjoy yourself. You are about to
get to know a very interesting person. At times like that, whatever questions
you had in mind are not as important as what your subject has to share. When
the conversation takes a sudden turn, quickly mark the most important questions,
and let the rest go. If you have time to get them in, go for it. If you don't
get to all your questions, don't worry. What you end up with will be much
more interesting because it was spontaneous.
Above all - listen. People enjoy talking about themselves, no matter what
they might say at the beginning. They are talking about what is near and
dear to their hearts: art, science, politics, religion, writing, law, or
their life. When you listen you get more than a simple answer. You get a
chance to share special moments of their life. You might also get a little
of their pain, just as I did when I interviewed a woman who lived in a Japanese
Interment camp during World War II.
Karen was only five years old when she and her family were torn from everything
they knew. They were different and the bombing of Pearl Harbor made people
afraid of all Asians. Karen shared her pictures and her life. She also shared
a view of the camps I could not get from all the background material I read
before the interview. By the time I met Karen, I had written several profiles.
I was a lot less nervous, but I was also prepared for anything. I got it.
I found a story with more personality and humanity than anything I had planned.
I was frightened the first time I interviewed someone for a profile. By putting
them at ease, I put myself at ease and the process took on a life of its
own. When you get right down to it, we are all people. No matter how famous
or infamous the subject, they are all just people with an interesting story.
Get ready for the interview. Expect the unexpected. Above all, be prepared
to listen. You're getting the story first hand.
Once the interview is over, take your notes and type them up while they are
still fresh. Make sure they are readable. If you taped the interview, transcribe
the tapes, and date them. Put everything into a folder: questions, background
material, pictures, negatives, tapes, and notes. Review all the material
and write your article. Try to work in as much of the spontaneous material
as possible. The profile is about a person. You may have found out the one
thing that no one else discovered when they interviewed your subject. Check
the final copy against your notes to make sure you got all the facts straight.
The profile is about the subject, not about you. The only evidence of your
presence should be in the byline and how well you presented your subject.
One last piece of advice: Make the most of the experience. You're about to
meet someone interesting.
