Focal Length & Interviews

[Max Field]

Been shooting more interviews than usual this past year. Playing around with various focal lengths.

 

Just wanted to know what you guys are feeling when it comes to focal length when you call the shots on an interview.

 

35mm

50mm

80mm

[Giacomo Girolamo]

To me, the 35mm is more natural, like you are talking with the guest. The 80mm helps to isolate the person an has a kinda good feeling.

Weirdly enough, the 50mm looks off to me (at least in the picture you update)... sorry Hitch

Edited July 10, 2018 by Giacomo Girolamo

[Robin R Probyn]

It all depends on your camera position ..and stop.. in your examples your 35mm is alot tighter shot than your 80mm..(or are the pics wrong?) and the 80mm has a fairly deep depth of field.. I usually have a set distance between myself and the interviewee that just evolved over time.. not too close and not too far away..this can be as important as your lens choice I think.. then let the lenses give me a tighter/looser frame.. Im not that worried about the slight change in their face perspective its more what they are talking about and the location you are in..do you want to see it or not..these days there is very often a wider or tighter B camera or even a C camera too.. Im not really a fan but it does give the editor options I suppose..

[Max Field]

The 50mm one was rendered in a much lower quality than the other 2 due to a rushing I suppose.

 

And the deep depth of field on the 80mm is because I'm shooting on a tiny 2/3 sensor.

[Robin R Probyn]

ah ok got it.. sorry just assumed s35mm sensor..as I keep the distance pretty constant .. between myself and the interviewee .. my 80mm would be alot closer shot than 35mm.. ie I wouldn't move the camera too close to make a 35mm a tight shot.. even if I thought their face might benefit from some relatively small perspective swift.. actors might call for this but in interviews it is of course content that is king.. just my 2 cents.. never thought about it much but over the years Ive sort of come up with a distance/separation that I always set up to for interviews .. that in my mind anyway is not too close or far..