Necessity made remote interviews a common practice for videos and podcasts in 2020. And while face to face filming and audio recording are now back on the agenda here in Australia, the remote interview will remain a viable style.

But there’s a right way and a wrong way.

Anvil Media content producer, Hilary Sims, has conducted more remote interviews than most in 2020. Here’s her tips on getting the best result.

“It’s critical in remote recording to get the audio as clear as possible, so you need to help your talent minimise potential background noise. Even the small details such as swapping out the squeaky office chair or removing those rustling desk papers can make a big difference to the final product,” Hilary explains.  

At Anvil Media we’re continuing to work closing with our clients to interview experts, but we’ve had to adapt. If you’re trying to create a podcast or video by interviewing a person who is located away from you, here’s a few simple tips to make it work:

1. Think about your environment: Ask the person you’re interviewing to go to a quiet space, if indoors make sure the floor is carpeted to prevent any echo and avoid any distractions in the background.
2. Recording equipment: Set yourself up with a separate microphone or use a good headset mic, to get your voice clear over any background or room reverb. Turn your headset volume to a low but comfortable setting to prevent it being being picked up by the mic.
3. Software: There are a number of good recording programs for podcasts. At Anvil we use Zencastr (make this a hyerlink - https://zencastr.com) because it allows us to record, edit and store all in one platform. Video is yet to catch up with this in full HD. We use a product called Blinder (https://blinderhq.com) to record each side of the conversation separately to the cloud, but to get full HD, at this stage you need to ask each participant to record their side locally and then trabnsfer the file to you.

To hear these tips in action, here's a recent podcast produced by Hilary for the GRDC. 

By following these easy steps, we’ve been able to keep delivering the high quality podcasts and video that our clients have come to expect.

Try them yourself, or let us handle the process for you.