What Makes a Great Interview?
When it comes to interview-based videos, everything really starts with the person on camera. If they’re uncomfortable, unsure of what to say, or trying too hard to sound right, the whole thing falls apart pretty quickly. It doesn’t matter how good the lighting looks or what camera you’re using. If the person doesn’t feel like themselves, the video won’t feel real.
I think that a lot of people forget that if the person who is leading the story isn’t good - then the piece won’t be good. And good dosen’t mean nervous or stutter-y - good means genuine.
A big part of what we do is just getting people to relax so that they can be their real selves on camera. Having a normal conversation, giving them space, making sure they don’t feel like they’re being put on the spot. That part matters a lot.
But even when someone is comfortable, that doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to get a great interview. If the questions aren’t right, you still end up with answers that don’t really go anywhere.
The Worse Thing You Can Do In An Interview
If your first question is “what’s your name and role here,” it’s 100% worth rethinking your approach. It might seem like an easy place to start, but it’s actually one of the most unnatural questions you can ask someone.
Nobody talks like that in real life. The second you ask it, the person becomes hyper-aware that they’re being interviewed. They start thinking about how they sound instead of just answering naturally.
It puts people on the spot right away and makes the whole thing feel more formal and uncomfortable than it needs to be. And once that tone is set, it’s hard to pull them back into a more relaxed, natural conversation.
Start off with softball questions that you won’t even use in your final cut - and tell them that. Just say hey let’s just have a quick chat about your favorite team so you can get the vibe of how this will go.
The Problem With Most Interview Questions
Most people approach interviews by asking questions that feel safe.
Things like:
“Tell me about your company”
“What do you do here?”
“Why is this important?”
These questions are easy to ask, but they usually lead to surface-level answers.
You get generic responses. Rehearsed language. Things that sound fine, but don’t actually say anything.
That’s how you end up with videos that feel flat, even if they’re technically well-shot.
Great Interviews Are Built Before the Shoot
The biggest misconception about interview video production is that the magic happens on set.
It doesn’t.
The best interviews are built in pre-production.
For us, writing interview questions is not a last-minute task. It’s part of how we build the entire video.
Step 1: Decide What the Video Should Feel Like
Before writing a single question, I need to know what the final video is supposed to be.
Not just the topic, but the tone.
Is it emotional?
Is it direct and informational?
Is it story-driven?
Who is it for?
If you don’t know what the video is supposed to feel like, you can’t write questions that lead to the right answers.
Step 2: Write a “Fake Script”
This is the part that surprises people.
Before the shoot, I write what I call a “fake script.”
It’s not something anyone is going to read on camera. It’s a version of the video as if everything went perfectly.
What I want it to sound like.
What I want people to say.
How the story flows from beginning to end.
This does two important things:
First, it gives me a clear target.
Second, it tells me how long the answers need to be. If the final video is supposed to be two minutes long, I can’t have someone giving five-minute answers to every question.
Step 3: Reverse Engineer the Questions
Once I have that “script,” the next step is simple:
What questions do I need to ask to get these answers?
This is where interview questions actually become effective.
Instead of asking broad, open-ended questions, I can guide people toward specific ideas without scripting them.
For example, instead of:
“Tell me about your company”
I might ask:
“What problem were you trying to solve when you started this?”
“Was there a moment early on where you realized this mattered?”
“Who is this really for?”
These questions are more specific, but they still allow the person to answer naturally.
Step 4: Guide, Don’t Script
There’s a balance here.
You don’t want people reading lines. That always feels stiff and unnatural.
But you also can’t just hope they say something useful.
Good interview questions sit in the middle.
They:
Point people in the right direction
Give them something to react to
Help them structure their thoughts
Still leave room for authenticity
That’s how you get answers that feel real but are still usable in the edit.
Why This Matters in the Edit
If the questions are weak, the edit becomes difficult.
You end up:
Searching for usable sound bites
Trying to piece together incomplete thoughts
Filling gaps with b-roll
Or worse, rewriting the story after the fact
When the questions are strong, the edit becomes much more straightforward.
The story is already there. You just have to shape it.
This Is What Most People Miss
A lot of people think interview video production is about:
having the right camera
having good lighting
making people comfortable
All of that matters.
But if the questions are not right, none of it saves the video.
Final Thoughts from Bunker Hill Media
A great interview question does one thing really well:
It leads to a clear, natural answer that fits into a larger story.
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It comes from:
knowing what the video should be
building a structure ahead of time
and asking questions that are designed to get you there
That’s the difference between an interview that sounds fine and one that actually works.
