On-camera conversation between interviewer and subject — two-camera setup standard, or crossover cut with single camera. Needs wireless mics and clean room tone.
The on-camera interview is one of the oldest and, at the same time, most difficult formats in film production. Anyone who films two people talking for an hour for the first time quickly realizes: the technical side is trivial, the dramaturgical side is almost impossible. You need tension from a dialogue that often goes in circles, and that only works if you've thought carefully beforehand about how picture and sound work together.
The classic two-camera setup—one on the interviewer, one on the interviewee—is the standard for good reason. In the edit, you then have the freedom to switch between the two perspectives, capture reactions, and utilize pauses. One camera remains fixed on the interviewee, the other captures the interviewer in profile or slightly from behind. This gives you the necessary leeway later in the editorial process. Classics like long reaction shots of the conversation partner while the opposing question is being asked—you need that for every damn cut.
Single-camera with crossover editing works when time or budget are tight. You first film the interviewer from the front, then turn everything around and film the other person. In the edit, you simulate shot-reverse-shot to make it seem like it all happened live—when in fact it was a repeat. The risk: if the interviewer doesn't ask the exact same questions and hit the same timing points during the replay, it will look inauthentic. Professionals stick to a script, which helps.
Lighting must be consistent. If your conversation partner sits only in profile for an hour, it becomes tiring. You need lighting that has depth—key, fill, back—so that the person feels present in the space and not just flat against a wall. The same applies to the interviewer. An interview often fails visually because one person is overexposed and the other is in shadow.
Sound is more crucial than image quality. A lavalier microphone on the interviewer and one on the interviewee—indispensable. Ambient noises that seem distracting in the first half hour disappear from perception when the voices are crystal clear. In the edit, this saves even weak takes.
Topic for editing: The interview is not made during shooting time, but during editing. Your tasks there are almost impossible—you turn two hours of conversation into five concise minutes without it feeling like the interviewee is constantly being interrupted.