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Vox pops filming tips

Vox pops are simple-looking videos, interviewing a selection of real people, edited together in a no-nonsense sequence. Should be a doddle.

But don’t be fooled.

It takes a bit of skill to ensure what you get on film (including sound) is good enough to use. So here are some useful vox pops production tips, starting with choosing the right camera.

Best camera for vox pops

The quality of your camera is important when you’re doing most types of video. But for vox pops, you can sometimes often afford to let your hair down a little.

It’s not unusual nowadays to see them filmed using a smartphone camera. If you’re planning to do that, still make sure you’re using the best smartphone camera you can get your hands on. And check there’s plenty of memory available.

If you’re looking for a more professional finish to the video, and you don’t already have a decent HD video camera to hand, you can hire a professional or semi-pro camera quite easily for around £50 per day. Which is way better shelling out a grand-plus to own one. In the UK, I strongly recommend www.hireacamera.com. I’ve used them a number of times and their customer service is superb.

Keeping the camera steady

If your footage is shaky, it’s useless. So a steady hand is crucial. Having someone with you holding the camera as their sole job on the shoot is a good idea. It’s very much worth using a tripod if you have access to one. If you’re using a proper HD camera, it should be easy to attach it. If you’re using a smartphone, you’ll need an adapter suitable for you phone model. Tripod legs can be a trip hazard, so if you do plan to use one, you’ll need to take extra care from a health and safety point-of-view – particularly if you’re filming in public or a place of work where it’s busy. Some venues may not allow you to use a tripod (or similar equipment like light stands), so it’s often worth checking in advance.

Best microphone for vox pops

The quality of the sound in your vox pops is very important. If you only have a small overall budget and are wondering where to spend it, spend it on your audio kit.

I usually use a handheld Rode gun mic with a wind shield (crucial if you’re filming outside), plugged into a professional Zoom recording device. The sound quality should be superb, but you’ll need to sync the audio and footage when you’re editing (easy if you’re using decent editing software like Premier Pro).

If you don’t want to use a separate recording device, first check that the camera you’re using has a microphone input – you’ll be amazed how few non-professional HD cameras have one.

Even if you’re filming on a smartphone, make sure your microphone setup is as good as you can get it. You can buy adapters for most modern smartphones that mean you can plug a decent microphone in. Personally, I’d start searching on Amazon and take it from there.

Headphones

There are few things more gutting than getting back to the office and finding a silent audio track, or a buzzing sound on the recording. Wearing headphones while you’re filming helps you check you have decent sound coming though the kit.

Wearing headphones while you’re filming helps you check you have decent sound coming though the kit.

They also help you to hear the contrast between your interviewee’s voice and the ambient noise, and to spot other loud noises, bumps and crackles that are surprisingly hard to hear with the naked ear. Having a decent pair of headphones does make a difference here (don’t spend anything less than £50), and I recommend you get some over ear ‘phones.

Tip: Cable management

Even with just the microphone and headphone cables to deal with, you’ll quickly find yourself in knots. I reel up the excess and use tape to keep it together. It can then be tucked into your pocket or waist band. Or, if you’re wearing a belt, thread it through your cable loop and it’ll all hang nicely.

Choosing a location for filming vox pops

In most cases your overall choice of location is limited by the venue and what kind of backdrop you need in the frame of your video.

I’ve filmed in the street, in conference halls, galleries and offices, in train stations and on building sites.

Each one has its own challenges, but some basic rules apply to all:

  • Move away from potentially distracting external noise sources, such as other people talking, traffic and air conditioning units.
  • Get the microphone as close as you can to your interviewee’s mouth. Ideally, you’d keep the microphone out of shot, but if background noise is a problem, you’ll just have to get it in there. Remember audio quality always comes first.
  • Make sure you have good light so your camera can do it’s best work; so of indoors, stay away from dark corners. Similarly, don’t stand right next to a bright light, or with the sun directly behind the interviewee.
  • Make the background interesting – instead of standing your talent against a blank wall see if you can add context to the video. If you’re at an event, perhaps have people milling about in the background.

How to persuade people to take part in a vox pop

Getting people to take part in the vox pop is your next challenge.

I always take an extra person to do this. Having two people (more if you have an extra crew member holding the mic) means you have someone dedicated to recruiting and asking the questions. It’s much easier that way, and means the camera – which is be a bit intimidating for some people – can be kept out of the way when people are being asked.

Incentives

Quite often, if you have a captive audience – at an event, for example – people are flattered you’re interested in their opinion and they’re more than happy to give if for free. However, if you’re expecting a tough crowd, plan ahead for some kind of incentive. It may be that you give them a product sample, vouchers or some other small cash incentive there and then. Or you could offer to send them something of a higher value if their answers are used in the final edit.

Be prepared

Prepare what you’re going to say to get people on board so you’re ready to make a running start. Then don’t be afraid to tweak your patter as you get into your groove. Being prepared reduces the chances of lots of people just saying ’no’ at the start. If they do that, you’ve lost those people forever and once everyone else spots it happening you’re in trouble.

Be quick

You’re interrupting people form doing something different. Even if they were just stood around looking bored, chances are they’ll want to get back to doing that as quickly as possible. So don’t hang around. As soon as you have them on board, get infront of the camera and start asking. Try to run through the questions quickly, but clearly, then allow enough time and space for them to think and give you a quality response. If you sense they’re struggling for answers, or getting distracted, expand on the question or give some non-leading pointers.

Try to run through the questions quickly, but clearly, then allow enough time and space for them to think and give you a quality response.

It’s also important not to ask to many questions. Think carefully about the information you need, or the kinds of soundbites you’d like to get, and form a small number of questions around that. This will help you get the footage you require whilst taking the smallest amount of time possible from your interviewee.

Get permission

Clearly explain to your interviewee exactly why you’re filming, who you’re filming for, and what the footage is likely to be used for. You should also get them to sign a simple release form, giving you unrestricted permission to use the recording of them. It’s also an opportunity to get their name and contact details.

Make sure you have usable footage and audio

Whoever is holding the camera or wearing the headphones needs to be vigilant. It’s easy to get sucked into listening to what’s being said, but that’s not your main job. After you’ve covered the basics of getting a decent composition and sound quality, you have to focus on things can could ruin the take and make it useless, regardless of how good the soundbite is.

  • Photobombers – if you chose to have people in the background, expect the unexpected. If there’s someone messing about, now is the time to pause the interview to either get rid of them, or change angle.
  • Sirens, trucks, busses, kids shouting, wind – there are a lot of loud noises out there. And the busier the location, the more likely you’ll hear one. These sounds can easily mess up a good take, so if they become a problem consider changing location.
  • Overlaps – your interviewer and interviewee can sometimes get a bit carried away in conversation and talk over each other. You probably don’t want to include your interviewer in the final edit, so if it’s happening, butt in and remind them (politely) to take a breath before speaking so you have a nice gap to edit with.

Have fun

There’s clearly a lot to think about when filming vox pops, but they’re often genuinely fun to do. You get to meet a lot of random people and have to think on your feet. So enjoy it!