I don’t go to the movies very often. I prefer to stay at home and experience movies after they’ve come out on DVD. There are very few exceptions. Harry Potter I always go to that no matter what, and if there’s a great action movie released on IMAX, I’ll consider going to that.

AMC is having their Best Picture Showcase today. It’s an all day event showing each of the Oscar Best Picture nominees, and we were invited to come. How could we pass that invite up? It will be a loooong day, but there will be popcorn and candy, and (hopefully) great entertainment! I’m just hoping my dogs don’t get too mad at me today. Here’s what we’re going to be seeing:

Milk
The Reader
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionare
Frost/Nixon

You can join in on the fun. The Best Picture Showcase is happening at many AMC Theaters around the country. Check it out here.

If you know me at all, you know I never have a clue what’s going on in pop culture and the world of movies. I work too much to pay attention! I did know about Frost/Nixon and I’m excited to see that, and to fill myself in on the rest, I read John P.’s post and watched the trailers. Now that I’m fully briefed, let the movies begin!!!

I got an email from a University of Texas at Dallas student who asked me for some pointers and tips on how to conduct an interview. I don’t claim to know everything about getting a great interview, but I have spent three years learning. My very first interview on camera was a disaster. I chose Adam Curry, former MTV VJ and co-founder of Mevio. He’s this dynamic guy who is extremely comfortable on camera. I was still a newbie and completely intimidated! I spent the entire interview staring like a deer caught in headlights, nodding a lot and saying “uh-huh” every two seconds. I didn’t hear a word Adam actually said.

What have I learned in the three years of practice?

Preparation
Some people do better when they prepare for an interview and some people like to wing it. You have to make that call for yourself. After my first experience interviewing Adam, I moved in the direction of over-preparing. I tried to learn everything I possibly could about the person and what they wanted to talk about. I had an agenda and a list of questions I wanted to had answered. I felt like I needed to know everything about them and know exactly how the interview was going to go ahead of time. Boy, did I learn that wasn’t the best method! I was focusing too much on my list of questions and missing what the people I was interviewing was actually saying.

You have to be willing to go with the flow. You can’t plan another person’s spontaneity, and spontaneity is usually where the good stuff happens.

Learn all you can about the person you’re talking to and what you’re talking to them about. Have a few questions that you absolutely want an answer to, but then it’s most important to shut-up and listen to what they’re actually saying. We’ve all heard interviews where the interviewer moves from question to question and it’s pretty clear they aren’t really listening. That makes people who actually ARE listening uncomfortable.

They may take you in a direction you aren’t planning to go. If it’s interesting or entertaining go with it. If it’s boring or just another sales pitch, take control and take them in a better, more interesting direction.

I believe conversations are more interesting than interviews. Strive to make people feel like they’re just having a great conversation.

Technical Decisions

There are three ways you can get audio for a video interview:

• On-camera mic
• Handheld mic: moving back and forth between you and the subject
• Two lapel mics: one on you and one on your subject

What you choose to use will depend on your goals for the interview and the amount you’re willing to invest.

For audio interviews, you have many options, from the Zoom H2 Recorder to a small portable Marantz to a more complicated mult-mic, plus Skype, mix-minus setup.

On Camera Technique
Remember the interview is about your subject. Make him/her look good.

A lot of people are scared of the camera and especially, the mic. Having something unfamiliar pushed in your face is uncomfortable. If you’re going to use a handheld mic, make sure you give the subject a heads up before starting the interview that you have to hold it close, and try to get them to ignore it and focus on you instead. Lapel mics are the least intrusive, so if you’re doing a lot of interviews, they’re definitely a good idea. Even when I warn people about my handheld mic, they almost always back up.

Keep it interesting. If you have a monotone but talkative subject, and it feels like it might be getting boring, use conversational techniques to create more interest. One of these is to repeat back what he said. Example:

Him: “I ran the cable from the office through the employee’s kitchen and into the conference room.”
You (animated): “You ran the cable all the way from the office, through the kitchen, into the conference room! Was the cable long enough? Did it reach?”

Draw the subject out if you need to. If you’re talking to a real character, enjoy it. Steer the conversation if you need to, but let an entertaining person be entertaining.

To wrap it up…

I’ve learned a lot in three years, but I’m learning more every time I get a chance to do a new interview. If you have additional suggestions please post in the comments below. I’d love to hear about your experiences!

When we started GeekBrief.TV, we were living in Highland Park, IL. Next door to us was a restaurant called Bluegrass. We became friends with the owners, Jim Lederer and Dave Teichman. Dave was the chef. Not just any chef…an incredible chef! Before we started eating at Bluegrass, we were happy with the quality of food at just about any chain restaurant. After we had a taste of Dave’s Cajun/American/French/Asian fusion cuisine, we were forever changed. Dave made his own mozzarella and cut his steak from the slab. Heck, he made everything except the ketchup from scratch!

Chef Dave and Jim kept our bellies full for two years before we left the Chicago area to do GeekBrief.TV full time. We have never been able to replace Bluegrass because the food was so fantastic, and because the guys behind it hold a special place in our heart.

Dave just passed away completely unexpectedly. I don’t know all the details. I just talked to Jim for a few minutes. He’s been overwhelmed by the response all over the country by people whose lives Dave touched. From what I understand, Dave had a sore throat for a couple days. While at home, he collapsed as his throat closed up on him. He was in the hospital for over 15 hours before dying.

I’m in shock. He has a wife and two young daughters. The community will certainly rally around them, but it’s going to be a hard journey for them. I am very thankful that several months ago, Neal and I had a crazy, wacky idea to drive from Texas all the way to Chicago to participate in a BBQ event Bluegrass had. Some of you guys were there and got to meet these people who have meant so much to us. The video below is from that trip.

Our friend Warren, who has been learning from Dave since when we lived there, will be taking over the kitchen. He will do an awesome job! If you’re ever in Chicago and can make it to Highland Park, please support Jim and Chef Warren and the team at Bluegrass!

The original post and tweet on global warming was not posted by me, and I have removed the content as of 1/15/2010. You can find an explanation and public apology here.

A lot of you have heard me say I don’t use Facebook because I don’t believe in giving away my content. I still believe that, and I won’t be posting much original content on Facebook, but I’m changing my tune slightly. Twitter is my social media site of choice. It’s not everyone’s, though, and I’ve decided it’s best to come to where you guys are. 34,000+ of you are joining in on the conversation over at Twitter. 2,000+ of you have friended me on Facebook, and a lot of those 2,000 people have told me they tried Twitter and don’t like it. I can’t understand why, but that’s a discussion for the comments! So, today I logged into Facebook for the first time in months.

Now, if you want to get a hold of me quickly, Twitter is still the best way to go!! I have TweetDeck open the majority of every day, but I can’t guarantee a quick response on Facebook. I also probably won’t be poking people.

Follow me on Twitter
Friend me on Facebook (before I hit my limit!)

Join in on the comments! Which site did you choose and why?