What Is Included in a Remote Interview Package

A Remote Interview Package is our answer to a simple newsroom problem: you need a spokesperson, witness or specialist on screen, and you do not have a crew free to send. We record a short, well-lit interview either on location or over a remote link, and we hand back a clip that can be dropped straight into a bulletin.

These weeks, with the evenings drawing in, we are getting more requests for interviews to be set up well ahead of the early dark. That is a sensible habit, and this note sets out what the package includes so that producers know what to ask for and what to expect.

I direct our studio work, so I look at these recordings the way a director does: the person speaking has to look composed, sound clear and sit comfortably in a frame that an editor can cut without fuss.

On location, a small crew arrives with a camera, a lighting kit and a microphone suited to the room. We choose a spot with a quiet background, set the key light and fill, and check sound before the guest sits down. A tidy shot of an ordinary office or kitchen usually serves a bulletin better than an elaborate set.

By remote link, the guest uses a laptop or phone and we guide them through the setup by voice: where to place the device, how to face a window, which lamp to switch off. We cannot light a room we are not in, but a few minutes of coaching improves the picture a great deal.

Both routes end in the same kind of file, so your editors do not need two different handling routines.

• On location: crew, camera, lighting and sound included
• Remote: guest coaching and a recorded link session
• Same delivery format whichever route is chosen

A short brief saves a lot of time. Tell us who is being interviewed, what the story is, how long the clip needs to run and where it will be shown. If the guest has a sensitive history with the topic, say so now, because it affects how we open the conversation and where we sit them.

We also ask for the questions you want covered, or at least the two or three that matter most. Our interviewer can follow the guest's answers, but the questions that serve your story should come from you.

If the clip has to match an existing bulletin look, send a frame or a description of the framing, caption style and any lower-third wording your channel uses. Matching is much easier before the recording than after it.

• Name and role of the guest, and the story angle
• Target length and the channel the clip is for
• Key questions and any house style notes

The recording itself is short. We arrive or connect early, check the picture and sound, and talk the guest through what will happen. Most people relax once they know they can restart an answer. We usually record a little more than the final length, so the editor has a clean opening and ending to choose from.

We keep the interviewer's voice low and the framing steady, with the guest looking slightly off the lens towards the interviewer, which is the usual convention for news. If a remote guest drops out, we pause, reconnect and carry on rather than patching the gap later.

Before anyone leaves, we replay a short section to confirm the audio is usable. Finding a problem at that point costs a minute; finding it in the edit costs the interview.

You receive the interview as a finished clip, trimmed to the agreed length, with levels balanced and the picture colour-matched across the cut. Captions can be added if you ask for them, and we can supply the clip in the format your television or online channel expects.

If you want the full unedited recording as well, say so when you book. It is often useful for producers who prefer to choose their own soundbites or who may return to the footage for a follow-up item.

We do not rewrite your story or choose a different angle. Fair reporting is one of our working values, so the edit keeps the guest's meaning intact, and anything you want changed is changed in a revision rather than argued over afterwards.

• Trimmed, balanced and colour-matched clip
• Optional captions and channel-ready formatting
• Full raw recording on request

The way in is the contact page. Send us the details above and we will reply with a written quotation or confirmation, then an invoice paid by bank transfer. Prices for the package are listed on the prices page, and cancellations follow the payment and refund policy.

If you are unsure whether an interview should be recorded on location or remotely, describe the situation and we will say which we would choose and why. A short, honest conversation at the start is cheaper than a recording that has to be repeated.