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.
