Draw out the Best Stories for your Documentary

A Master Storyteller Knows How to Get People Talking

At the core of an interesting profile is a person with a story to tell. The trick is to get your subject to tell his story in an interesting way. Most people become animated when they have the opportunity to talk about themselves. That enthusiasm is contagious. It engages the audience and breathes life into the profile. The task then is to find those questions that unleash the subject's passion. You do that by asking the right questions and allowing your subject to answer. Should you discover that it's not quite that easy, try keeping these tips in mind.

• Stay out of the way. The person you are interviewing is the story, and she knows her life better than you do. Allow her to tell her story in her own way.
• Maintain a conversational tone. Try not to grill your subject like an investigator, have a conversation with him about his life - allow your subject to speak freely and at length in response. You can always shorten answers that are too long in post production.
• Listen to the answers. Don't get so caught up in asking questions that you forget to listen to answers. If your subject senses a lack of genuine interest, he may stop talking.
• Ask follow-up questions. When you hear what your subject is saying, you can ask appropriate follow-up questions that can add detail to the story. The uniquely personal voice of your subject may be lost if you make her adhere to a strict list of pre-fabricated questions. After all, it's her story.

To learn more, visit Video Profiles: Stories Waiting to be Told.

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