The Questions Editors Ask Most About Studio Interviews
Producers keep asking us the same things before booking a studio interview: how long it takes, what the set needs and how the look stays consistent. Here are our plain answers.
How long does a studio interview really take?
This is the question that reaches us first, and the honest answer is that the interview itself is the shortest part. A ten-minute conversation usually sits inside a session of about ninety minutes once you add the set-up, a lighting check, a sound check and a short settling-in period for the guest. We plan the slot around the guest's arrival, not around the first question.
Most delays come from things that have nothing to do with the cameras: a guest who has been sent to the wrong entrance, a presenter still reading the brief, or a late change to the running order. We build ten or fifteen minutes of slack into every booking so that a late arrival does not squeeze the conversation. If your programme runs to a fixed transmission time, tell us the deadline when you enquire and we will work backwards from it.
When several guests are recorded on the same day, we light the set once and change only the chairs, the name captions and the framing. That keeps the second and third interviews close to forty-five minutes each, and it keeps them looking like one programme.
- Allow about ninety minutes for a single ten-minute interview
- Allow a further forty-five minutes for each extra guest on the same set
- Tell us your transmission deadline when you enquire
What does the guest need to bring or do?
Guests ask us this as often as producers do, and the answer is short. Ask them to wear plain, mid-tone clothing. Fine stripes, small checks and bright white tend to shimmer on camera, and a very dark jacket against a dark background loses its edges. Solid blues, greys and muted greens usually sit comfortably on our set.
We also ask guests to arrive a little early, switch off their phones rather than silence them, and avoid noisy jewellery. A watch or bracelet that taps on a table will appear in the sound, and removing it later is slow work. Water is provided, and we keep a lint roller and a small mirror at hand for last-minute tidying.
Nervous guests are common, and we do not try to cure it with instructions. We chat for a couple of minutes while the sound is being checked, so the first words they say on tape are not the first words they have said out loud in the room. Producers who can sit in on that conversation often find the interview opens more easily.
Why does the sound matter more than the picture?
Viewers forgive a plain background far sooner than they forgive a muffled voice. When an editor says an interview looks fine but feels hard to listen to, the cause is nearly always the room, not the microphone. Hard walls, a glass table and an air-conditioning unit all leave a mark that no edit removes.
Our approach is to treat the room as part of the kit. We check for hum before lighting anything, place the lavalier microphone clear of collars and fabric that might rustle, and record a backup track at a lower level in case a guest leans in suddenly. A short burst of room tone is captured at the end so that edits can be smoothed without audible jumps.
If you are delivering to a channel with strict loudness rules, tell us the standard when you book. Megan, our lead editor, sets the levels to the specification during the edit, so the file arrives ready to go to air rather than needing another pass at your end.
- Hum and echo are checked before any lights go on
- A backup audio track is recorded on every interview
- Room tone is captured for clean edits
How do you keep the look the same from week to week?
A regular programme needs guests who appear to be sitting in the same place even when they were filmed a month apart. We achieve that with a written set-up sheet for each client. It records the distance from camera to chair, the angle of the key light, the height of the background lamp, the lens used and the colour balance we settled on.
When we return to a set, whether ours or yours, we rebuild it from that sheet and then compare a test frame against the previous episode before the guest sits down. It takes about five minutes and saves a good deal of discomfort in the edit. If you change the brand colours or the graphics package, we can adjust the sheet and keep the same discipline from then on.
Consistency also depends on small habits: always framing the guest with the same amount of headroom, always leaving the same eyeline space, always starting the recording a few seconds before the first question. None of it is difficult. It is simply written down, which is why it holds.
Can you come to our building instead?
Yes, and many producers prefer it, particularly when the guest works nearby or the setting adds meaning to the story. We bring a compact lighting kit and a portable backdrop, and Gareth or one of our other operators will walk the room beforehand if the booking allows. Offices are quieter than people expect, but they are rarely silent.
On location, the decisions that matter are which wall to sit in front of, which window to turn away from, and which appliance to switch off. We usually ask for a room with curtains or blinds, a door that closes and a nearby power socket. A photograph of the space sent in advance is a real help and lets us say honestly whether it will work.
If the room turns out to be unsuitable on the day, we adapt, but we would rather agree it beforehand. A short call the day before is usually enough to settle where everyone will sit and which entrance the crew should use.
- A closed door and curtains or blinds help a great deal
- Send a photograph of the room before the booking
- Plan a short call the day before
What do you need from us before booking?
The most useful things are the programme format, the number of guests, the delivery specification and the date by which you need the files. With those four details we can usually say whether the work is straightforward and give you a written quotation after your enquiry through the contact page.
It also helps to know who will be asking the questions. If the presenter is sitting in the studio, we light two people. If the questions come from off camera, we position the interviewer's eyeline carefully so the guest looks natural rather than glancing away. Both work well, and we can advise on which suits your programme.
If this is a first booking, say so. We will explain the session in more detail, tell you what to send guests beforehand and agree how footage reaches your desk. Prices for studio interview production are listed on our prices page, and confirmation, invoicing and payment are explained there.
The questions editors ask about studio interviews are rarely about cameras. They are about time, comfort, sound and sameness from one episode to the next. Each has a plain answer, and most come down to preparing a little earlier and writing things down. If you have a question we have not covered here, send it through the contact page and we will answer it directly.
Megan Owen
Lead Video EditorMegan edits our daily packages and manages delivery formats for broadcast clients.
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