Setting Up An Off Center Interview

Position Camera At 12 O’clock

The first thing that we want you to do is to we wanna make sure that you understand setting things up. We’ll gonna look everything as a clock. On clock, the very top is called 12 o’clock, that’s where your camera is gonna be.

Position Light At 12 O’clock

If you have a light that’s gonna be at twelve o’clock too right behind the camera. Whether it's two or three feet really doesn't matter just put it behind the camera to give enough light on you if your office needs it.

Set Directly In Front Of Camera

You should set up directly up in front of the camera facing the camera. You should face the camera at 12 o’clock.

Position Script At 11 O’clock

We’re going to write and outline a script for you and play that script to the left or 11 o’clock of the camera itself. So from your seat you can read it. We want you to actually read the outline script as you go through it.

• Your outline should fit on one sheet of paper since your interview will be a 90 second to 2 ½ minute interview. Keep in mind that everything that you need to say can fit on one sheet of paper.

• Here’s the trick, we’re tilting you just to the left. So instead of talking and looking directly at the camera, you’ll gonna be looking off center at 11 o’clock thus calling it the Off Center Interview. What you’ll do is directly look at your script and read it. In the camera’s point of view, you’re not reading a script instead you’re being interviewed by another person.

Points To Check

Here are some few points to check in order to make your video look like a Rock Star:

✓ Background Is Not Distracting

Make sure that your background is not distracting. So when you’re talking and reading your script you want everybody to focus on your words you as the expert not someone else or something else inside the frame or the video.

✓ HD Webcam Is At 12’ O'clock Position

Use an High Definition (HD) Webcam positioned at 12 o’clock.  

✓ Camera Is Eye Level

Make sure your camera is eye level.

✓ Light is At 12 O’clock Positioning

Make sure that the light at 12 o’clock positioned. You don’t want any shadows on your face, you want that light directly against you if you need extra light in the room.

✓ Interviewee is Rib Framed

Make sure that interviewee (which is you) is rib framed that means you need to make sure that you’re in frame center, put two fingers together over your head which will be the top of the frame and the bottom of the frame, make sure that your ribs are inside the frame.

✓ Script Is At 11 O’clock Positioning

Make sure that your script is 11 o’clock positioned just to the left or if you want just to the right (1 o’clock) of the actual camera. Then simply tilt yourself directly at your script.

Off Center Interview Examples

Here are some examples of  other CEOs we’ve interviewed

• In this example video, he is looking downward at his script. The Script or whatever you’re reading to be up eye level.

• In this example video, this CEO is looking like she’s being interviewed because her eyes are directly leveled as if someone is interviewing her but actually, no one is in the room here and just reading her script

• This patient we interviewed and she’s looking directly off center. You can see here how good it looks that there’s nobody in the room but literally doing a off center interview and that’s the hollywood tactic that we’re gonna be using so that you’ll look like a Rock Star.

Off Center Interview Options

You have two options for the Off Center Interview:

Option 1

If you have your laptop or computer, put your camera right above the laptop then to the left of it. To the left of it, you can have your script outline.

• One of the tricks that you can do is go to your local office supplies store and buy a Clear Brochure Holder where you can put your script. You can put books underneath the brochure holder to lift it so that it is eye level and you’re not looking directly down at your script.

Option 2

Get a small tripod at RadioShack or any type of office store that you can put your camera or webcam on and then put your laptop at 11 o’clock position which will serve as your tele proctor for all of your information.

• If you have too much information, you can actually use your laptop using you hand and use it as a tele- proctor for that information.

Option 1 or Option 2 are great options to have and create a really authentic Off Center Interview script setup. These will be the position that we’re gonna be doing to get your video done so we can make you look like a Rock Star in this interview.