Interviewing Boris Johnson

The Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) are key supporters of the Mayor's Music Fund which was set up for low income families, enabling kids to develop musical potential through 4 yr scholarships.

Recently I produced a film highlighting ABRSM’s support and headed to City Hall with my cameras to document The Mayor's Music Fund New Scholars’ awards day - which culminated in workshops and performances for an invited audience of family & friends, donors, music educators and mayoral guests. Having to interview Boris Johnson in the centre of a rugby scrum of kids desperate to get an autograph was one one of several challenges I faced throughout the day.

In anticipation of having a few minutes to interview the Mayor I prepared a few questions beforehand, designed to prompt responses that contribute to the narrative of my film. My key question was “how important is the support from organisations such as ABRSM to the Mayors Fund”. Media trained politicians and celebs usually include questions in their answer, thus a question like this is code for asking a contributor to name drop and say a thank you. It worked and Boris delivered the lines I wanted.

In addition to wearing a producer/journalistic/marketing hat, a technical hat is also required when self shooting. While introducing myself to Boris and making small talk I was helping him attach the radio mic, positioning him in front of natural light, checking audio levels, framing the shot, focusing, setting aperture/ISO, checking WB settings etc. There’s a lot to juggle while trying to engage with a contributor both on and off camera and if you take too long faffing they will more than likely walk off.

My advice to newbie self shooters is to simulate scenarios where you have no more than 5-10 minutes to conduct and shoot a short interview. Practice communicating with a contributor and keeping them sweet while preparing the shot and your line of questioning. Thus when you find yourself in a high pressure situation you will be well rehearsed and less likely to make mistakes.

During this shoot I interviewed various school children. Soundbites from kids in branded docs and promos can often sound fake or confusing so for this film I was determined to get authentic soundbites from the kids. As opposed to answering straight questions kids tend to be more animated and forthcoming when talking about past experiences. I asked them to tell me where they were and what happened when they found out that they had recieved the scholarship. From this I was able to edit together a heartfelt collection of soundbites that endorse the Mayor's Music Fund.

For the shoot at City Hall I set up my 5D on a tripod in corner of room for wide contextual shots (the time lapse shots in the video) and roamed with the C100 Mk2 (with attached Sennheiser G3 radio and ME66 mics ) mounted on monopod for interviews, cutaways and close shots of the kids performing on their instruments.

https://vimeo.com/141904563