The Challenge: Conduct an interview within an extremely tight time frame
This two person interview aimed to be the centerpiece of the exhibition “Archiving Seasons of Light” at the Tin Sheds Gallery in Darlington, Sydney.
Kengo Kuma is a globally acclaimed Japanese architect and a professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo. He has offices in both Tokyo and Paris.
Dr Erieta Attali is an Israeli photographer based in New York and Paris. She works with contemporary architects from around the world.
The recording of the interview had to be completed within an extremely tight time frame. The architect was available for one hour, between travel and appointments, and the interview location was accessible for three hours only. To maximise the output for our client in a very cost-effective way, the interview was filmed with two cameras.
Maximising time and equipment
During the one hour with the talent, the interviewer was only seen from behind. A locked off wide shot that showed his shoulder, the photographer and the architect. The second camera was positioned close to the main camera, in order to re-frame the shot and alternate the framing between a wide and a slightly closer shot. The main camera was used to film the individual responses to the questions.
After the talent had left, I re-lit the scene and re-positioned the camera to shoot the interviewer’s questions, also known as shooting reverses. Our interviewer was Dr Lee Stickells, an associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sydney. He knew everything there was to know about the topic, and with the help of his notes, he was able to recollect all questions easily.
Filming an interview under time pressure is a challenging process and can make it difficult to follow the conversation for the camera operator. By the time the filming was completed, one often wondered what the conversation had really been about.
It was rewarding to edit the footage. During the edit, while adding the photographer’s beautiful images to the timeline, it all suddenly made a lot of sense.
Interview
Interview with a world renown architect and his trusted photographer
Extract from full length interview 2’41”
Client Testimonial
“I was referred to Thorsten through his ABC work and he surpassed my expectations at all stages. The job was to record an academic interview between a star architect and a professional photographer. It involved recording, sound engineering and a very complex edit. The interview involved talent that were more used to a specialised audience. Thorsten edited one hour of intensive academic interview into a compelling ready-to-broadcast piece that would engage viewers unfamiliar with the subject.
Throughout the editing, Thorsten showed an eye for detail and excellent judgement as the narrative and images perfectly reflected the flow of the interview.”
Faculty of Architecture,
Design and Planning, University of Sydney