We now live in a virtual environment, it can feel like every day we are invited to some sort of online webinar, chat room or digital Q&A, be it on Clubhouse, Zoom or any other portal that allows digital engagement.
At paus, we know a thing or two about online Q&As, from interviewing a 17-year old debut director who wants to talk about his first foray into the world of content, through to leading female filmmakers working in the field of colour grading, editing and writing, all the way to the legendary Sir Ian McKellen.
Independent films selected on paus are all compelling, engaging, thought-provoking, well-paced and ridiculously creative. We have to ensure the questions we ask the creators matches that quality, so here are our top tips for effective filmmaker Q&As:
1. Keep a balance: don’t just prioritise interviewing the members of your cast and crew you think will be most eloquent, as it will mean certain panelists sit there, quietly, for too long.
2. Choose a great host: if you are going to use a host then please choose somebody who you think will not only be able to ask insightful questions, but will also be able to make the pace and content of your Q&A swift, upbeat, and engaging.
3. Admin: make sure you add labels with names and job titles for everybody that appears in your Q&A so that the audience will know their role in the production of your film, or their relevance to the subject matter that your film deals with.
4. Prep: guide the interviewees on the topics you are keen to discuss in advance so that there are no unexpected surprises. Of course, it is never good to come across as too rehearsed, but equally everyone should be aware of the kinds of things you will be covering before pressing ‘record’ or ‘live’.
5. Extras: make your Q&A video more engaging by including supplementary content such as behind the scenes footage.
6. Edit: for pre-recorded Q&As, edit your video to try and sustain the attention of viewers who don’t personally know your Q&A guests. Your objective should be to turn a complete stranger into a fan.
7. Production: your Q&A video is an extension of your film so please try to ensure the best quality sound, lighting, and content possible.
8. Length: to ensure that your video is punchy and to the point, we would recommend making sure that the length of your Q&A video is around 20 minutes.
9. Ask the audience: it is always good to engage the fans so try and make room for audience Q&As, be it live or follow-ups on social media.
10. Follow-up: firstly, try to wrap up and finish on time, going over by 10 mins or so if fine but no more. Secondly, make sure you follow-up, not only with your panelists with a quick ‘thank you’, but the audience too. It is always good to send some highlights of the event, but not the full thing, as you want to create a sense of FOMO for your next one!
For any further guidance on effective Q&As or if you have a film you are looking to launch into the world, feel free to reach out to hello@paus.tv, where a real human will respond!
