[video type=“vimeo” id=“67363229” hd=“true” width=“650”]

Project Details

I had a blast interviewing these kids for the upcoming VBS. First Baptist Church(link) in Henderson, TN is using the Lifeway material this year, "Colossal Coaster: Facing Your Fears." The children's directer, Molly Smith(link), wanted to get a video made asking the kids what they feared the most.

Interviewing Kids Tips

Give the kids plenty of time to think about their answers prior to the shoot. Ask 2-3 questions to possibly provide more final content. Smile as you ask questions to spread the fun, to get them to smile back.

Fun Questions to Ask Kids

• What does your Dad do for a living?
• How long does it take to cook dinner?
• What is your mom's favorite thing to do around the house?
• Where do you work?
• How old do you have to be to drive?

Should Have Done This Instead

We had small groups of kids line up to do each interview. After the fact it might have done us more good to only grab one kid at a time. We were getting a lot of answers repeated. They seemed to be feeding off the last person who interviewed. It would have been better to ask the kids an hour or two prior to the interview of what they feared. Not that these kids are unintelligent, they just need time to dig a little instead of coming up with their answer on the fly.

We needed the mic closer or used a lavaliere mic(lapel mic). We never tested how much closer we could have moved the ZoomH4n to the kid.

I like how the shot came out so cool but my lighting was a mess. It would have helped to do some test footage. That’s what I get for being in such a hurry.

The last thing to make the shoot better would have been to grab the tallest kid first. It would have helped line up the camera so the scene would never move. Some times seamless isn’t always possible. Oh well.

Tools That Were Used

• Nikon D5100 - DLSR Camera ([easyazon-link asin="B004V4IWKG" locale="us"]Amazon[/easyazon-link])[easyazon-image align="undefined" asin="B004V4IWKG" locale="us" height="22" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nlyjEV2WL._SL30_.jpg" width="30"]
• ManFrotto 290 - Camera Tripod ([easyazon-link asin="B004MKNJFM" locale="us"]Amazon[/easyazon-link])[easyazon-image align="undefined" asin="B004MKNJFM" locale="us" height="30" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/313VXx89oML._SL30_.jpg" width="16"]
• Manfrotto 804RC2 - Tripod Head ([easyazon-link asin="B000FJ4XP4" locale="us"]Amazon[/easyazon-link])[easyazon-image align="undefined" asin="B000FJ4XP4" locale="us" height="20" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XSIN5Y33L._SL30_.jpg" width="30"]
• ZoomH4n - Portable Audio Recorder ([easyazon-link asin="B001QWBM62" locale="us"]Amazon[/easyazon-link])[easyazon-image align="undefined" asin="B001QWBM62" locale="us" height="30" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QfXIufH1L._SL30_.jpg" width="30"]
• On Stage MS7701 - Tripod Boom Microphone Stand ([easyazon-link asin="B000978D58" locale="us"]Amazon[/easyazon-link])[easyazon-image align="none" asin="B000978D58" locale="us" height="30" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31oggl6Eg%2BL._SL30_.jpg" width="25"]