Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 506 Journalism: Publishing Across Media 3. Ask sources to describe, remember or recreate scenes for you. For example, it is better to ask, “Can you describe what you saw when you arrived?” rather than “Did you see the fi re when you arrived?” 4. When you report on technical subjects, in science or economics for instance, ask experts how they would explain the topic to an intelligent 10 year old. Ask them to use analogies and to minimize their use of technical terms. 5. Ask only one question at a time, and ask questions that are important to the story, even if you already know the answer. Your audience might not, and as an interviewer, you represent your audience. 6. Stay quiet. A great sound bite can be ruined if your own “ums,” “uh-huhs” and chuckles can be heard in the interview. Smile and nod, but stay silent. 7. If you are shooting video, interview the source while he is demonstrating something for the story. The interview will be more engaging because it accompanies illustrative action, plus the interviewee is likely to be comfortable in his own element. If you are shooting audio, ask the source to describe what he is doing. Filming great interviews is rewarding, but do not forget b-roll. Note the topics your interviewee discussed and capture b-roll to pair with those parts of the interview. If you interview the class president about the carnival fundraiser, she might mention the dunk tank, cotton candy machine and infl atable slide. Be sure to get shots of those things after your interview to use as b-roll. Tech Tips Tech Tips Videographers and sound reporters rarely get a “do-over” if they miss a vital moment. The following tips will help you get usable material on your fi rst and only chance. Monitor Your Audio Monitor Your Audio Journalists monitor their audio as they shoot. Otherwise they risk returning with unusable audio or no audio at all. If your camera has a headphone jack, always, always wear headphones to monitor your audio. However, some older DSLR cameras and most smartphones do not offer this option, so test your audio by recording a few minutes on the scene of your shoot. Play it back, listening for quality before you record your actual footage. Stabilize the Camera Stabilize the Camera Whenever possible, use a tripod. This is especially true when shooting with a light device such as a smartphone, in which case you will need both a tripod adapter and a tripod. If a tripod is not available, look for other ways to stabilize your camera. Is there a ledge on which you can rest your elbow? A stack of books you can place under your camera? Any support is better than no support when you record.