Brainstorm: Creating Interview Questions

Documentary films are all about real life and observing people. Its about opening the door into someones life, who they are, how they live, what they think and the way they see the world. To make the observational film work documentaries use interviews with people talking to the director. It is the filmmakers job to create questions which open up the subject, that spark an interview into life and help the viewer to learn something new about the people in the film.

Tonight the group explored questions that they felt would create interesting reactions and help give viewers an insight into the subject of youth homelessness. They looked at questions for young people who had experienced homelessness and also questions they could ask members of the public.







They shortlisted 4 questions that they felt were the most relevant to ask young people who have experienced homelessness:

1. How did you become homeless?
2. Where did you turn?
3. How did you feel?
4. Describe 'a day in the life' of a young homeless person?

After the brainstorm the group got experience of composing and featuring in an interview on camera for real.