Assignment
Open your favorite magazine or webzine again. Think about interviews in newspapers and television/radio talk shows. Think about all the different ways interviews can be presented. Sometimes they look like script; sometimes they are funny or sarcastic; sometimes they have a photo-spread; sometimes the quotes are embedded, and the conclusions are more important than the person interviewed.
• Look for all the different ways interviews are conveyed to audiences.
• Think about how the writers/editors may have decided what to keep and what to edit out.
• Think about how all the questions seem connected or in a logical order.Do you think they were asked that way?
• Look and listen carefully for the analysis and commentary of the interviewer.Do they have an agenda or a message?What is it?
Give some thought to how you will present your finished interview to an audience. You may want to have someone else video-record your presentation, or you may want to take photos for a print layout. Look as some options below to decide how you will present your interview. You will choose one of these formats for your assignment.
A. Magazine format
You may choose to present your interview in a magazine format. You can choose the best parts of the interview to go with photos and add commentary before and after the interview. Example: MovieWeb
Students: This article must be 750-1000 words, written in script format. Before and after the article, you must include a paragraph or two of commentary and analysis that will spin the interview for the audience. You must also include a photo layout (2-5 pictures) that enhances the article visually
B. Newspaper format
You may choose a newspaper format and make the subject (the interviewee) the focus of the story, embedding direct quotes from the interview into the text of the article. Some examples: The Huffington Post
Students: This article must be 500-750 words, written in paragraph form with embedded quotes. The analysis/commentary is the focus, with the interview proving your points.