Avoid boring walls or distractions in the background such as outlets, cords or weird plants shooting up behind the subjects head that could look silly.
Don’t position subject up against a wall because it’s boring and can create ugly shadows when lighting or even using natural light.
It is better to leave as much of the room BEHIND the subject In a small to medium sized room. I’ll often put myself and the camera as far into a corner as I can and then position the subject as close to the camera as feels natural.
USE A TRIPOD
…or secure your camera on a sturdy platform, table, chair, use duct tape, whatever… Nothing is more distracting during an interview than shaky footage!
EXPOSURE
Set your exposure manually. If using something automatic like an iPhone, hold down on the screen to bring up the manual exposure setting and set exposure before shooting. Automatic exposure changes make things have an amateur feel.
COMPOSITION
The Rule of Thirds
Use the ‘rule of thirds.’ Eyes should usually fall within the the top third line of a frame and slightly to the left or right of center.
