3 - Interviewing Techniques
In the St James Theatre audio, speakers are varying distances from the mics and the background is a bit reverberant and noisy. There’s a ‘rough and tumble’, ‘open’ feel to the sound which, added to the obvious enjoyment of the guests, lends a sense of place and occasion. It’s also an example of ‘signposting’ rather than interviewing ‘…Yuri was the resident ghost…’ clarifies a reference in their conversation but doesn’t ask a question or interfere with a story which arose naturally from the former employees revisiting a place redolent with memories.
This is an example of how environment will often stimulate informants in a way which the simple interview question cannot. Of course, interview is essential but you should practise using your eyes and ears to help form questions which focus the informant’s attention on things around them, which in turn may stimulate memory or strong feelings. Look to exploit what you can smell, touch, hear, or even the more intangible feeling of a place:-
‘This old shed here - (open squeaky shed door and walk inside -) must hold memories for you…’
‘The stench of diesel and the din here in the workshop is overpowering, so how do you cope working here 8 hours a day?’
‘Stroking this reptile is like stroking sandpaper, why is its skin so rough?’
‘I’m getting a mixture of vibes from the hikoi, but what mood do you sense?’
A mixture of question, brief description and instruction, can work well with informants who have a special knowledge and familiarity with events, conditions, or landscape:-
‘You’ve known this place intimately for many years,- so paint me a picture of the devastation and what it means to you…’
‘To me these are just burnt, drought-scarred paddocks but it’s home and livelihood to you – so what do you see out there?’
‘I see a patch of ordinary looking native bush but what do you see with your ecologist’s eye?’
Here’s a segment from a colour piece recorded at a hikoi which gathered in Wellington to protest against the government’s foreshore and seabed legislation. The issues raised by the legislation were not the focus of the piece, it was concerned more with mood and feeling. Wellington’s blustery weather contributed to this.
