The Interview Project!

I would like you to pick a person to interview about the relationship between society and cinema &/ media in general. Basically, you will be investigating what is at the core of this class: What (if any) are the connections between the world of media and the social sphere (including, political, economic, cultural, etc)? There are infinite ways to approach this question as well as infinite ways to answer this question. I believe that there is no one “right” answer and that this project will reveal many different and interesting perspectives for us all.

Please approach this project as an opportunity to ask the big, scary, difficult, overwhelming questions and to really look at the “big picture.” Challenge yourself to be deeply philosophical, analytical, thoughtful, and outgoing.

Who to interview?

This is where you get to follow your interests and passions. Pick anyone who you’d like to have a deep and thoughtful conversation with. Perhaps there is someone in the local community whose work or ideas you have been interested in, but haven’t had an excuse to contact him/her. This is your chance!

Some possible subjects are: Journalists/writers at the Tribune, Ragtag Cinema employees or board members, True/False Film Fest employees, Citizen Jane Film Festival employees, local filmmakers and artists, and local faculty or students at MU or Columbia College. Let this project inspire you to learn more about the town you live in and meet people outside of your campus and comfort zone! However, if you do choose to interview someone close to you (i.e. another Stephens professor or student or a friend or family member), be extra thoughtful about your interview and try to bring out a new and fresh perspective!

But, I also want to remind you to be creative and “think outside the box” – you might want to interview someone whose background and life is very different from your own (for example: What does a sixth–grader who lives in public housing think about this question? What does a senior citizen living in a retirement home think? What does the cashier at the local video store think? etc). The sky’s the limit! Just don’t be lazy!

I highly recommend that you:

· Pick more than one person to interview (i.e. have “back-ups” in case your interviewee cancels or the conversation doesn’t go so well, etc).

· Pick a local who you can have interview in person.

· Talk to someone who will give you attention and take your question seriously. That said, you might get some interesting results by doing this project with a “(wo)man on the street”–style approach (i.e. arrive in a location and ask anyone who will give you the time of day). However, don’t rely on getting great answers from random passer–bys. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – if you plan to conduct interviews arbitrarily, make sure to ask a large enough pool of people so that you get some good responses AND have a back–up plan to conduct a longer, sit–down interview with one person.

· Pick someone who you think has some sort of expertise, insight, or wisdom to share on the topic. I do not necessarily mean that you have to interview someone who is a filmmaker or sociologist. Instead, I mean that you should interview someone who you think will be able to offer an interesting, creative, thoughtful, unique, or educated perspective.

Documentation.

· You will find someone locally to interview (see below for advice on the “(wo)man on the street” approach). The final product will be audio only. You are welcome to use a video camera with a good mic if you prefer. That said, most people feel much more comfortable when there is no camera pointing at them and they know that only audio is being recorded.

· Arrange to meet your interviewee in a fairly quiet and controllable environment (i.e. a classroom at Stephens, public library, etc). Remember that most public areas and cafés can be quite noisy.

· It might be a good idea to share some of your question/s with your interviewee ahead of time so that s/he can have time to think about them.

· Make sure you know how to use your recording equipment and that you have double–checked it (i.e. everything is in working order, you have enough batteries, memory, etc). Bring the manual just in case!

· Arrive early to test and prepare the environment and your equipment.

· Bring a pen and paper for note–taking. Your interview might be long and it will help to have some notes for when you go in to find certain clips.

· Bring a list of questions and issues you want to cover in case your opening question (i.e. some version of “What (if any) are the connections between the world of media and the social sphere?” doesn’t work so well).

· Get your subject’s basic biographical info (name, occupation, place of residence. If it seems appropriate, you can also ask their age and their racial/ethnic background)

· For the “(wo)man on the street” approach: Make sure you pick a location where there is going to be a large and varied number of people (this could be a street corner, outside a coffee shop, in a high school lobby, or after a film screening). Make sure you have planned how to get good audio despite the environmental noise and the variety in your interviewee’s speech volume. Remember to get everyone’s name and any salient info (occupation, age, etc) that you think is important.

· For all interviews: Please ask for permission to use your subject’s voice in a student project that will be made public (online). Please share our class blog address so that your subjects can hear the final piece.

Project submission.

· Please submit a short, edited interview (in the range of 1 – 3 minutes). The segment does not have to feel like a complete summary of your interview nor does it have to feel like an entirely stand–alone piece. You can submit a series of carefully chosen clips strung together or a single long section (if there is a particular good, complete segment). Please make sure to leave breathing room between each clip.

· Each edited interview will be reviewed in class. As a group, we will decide what are the most salient and interesting parts of each segment. These clips will then be compiled to create a collaborative audio piece that includes everyone’s work!

Once we have picked clips, we will figure out the best way to edit together the collective audio piece. I will help the class complete the project. The final piece will be posted to our class blog. Depending on the desires of the class, the piece might also be submitted to local radio stations, the student showcase, or other public broadcasts.

Due dates.

Date	What is due
Monday 1/24	Your questions for the interview. Look at the questions posed above and write them in your own voice. Feel free to expand on them as well. Incorporate information you have about your interview subject into your questions (i.e. their background or expertise).
Wednesday 1/26	An arranged interview (or time and location for “(wo)man on the street” approach). Also, be sure to include back–up plans and back–up subjects.
Monday 1/31	Edited interview due in class (AIFF file, tested and ready to play).