A great video interview isn't just about what the person says—it's about where they say it. The location sets the tone, highlights a brand’s image, and determines how the audience experiences the story.

When scouting interview locations, here's what matters most:

1. Quiet first, beautiful second.

Noise is the #1 factor to consider. It doesn’t matter how beautiful a location is if you can’t capture clean, clear audio in it.

Look for places with:

• No HVAC noise
• No hallway echo
• No street noise
• No interruptions

If it's loud or has uncontrollable noises, it's a bad location, no matter how visually appealing the location may be.

2. Depth and dimension.

The best interview locations give you space to separate the subject from the background. This means having enough physical space behind the subject to create separation and enough visual room in the background to anchor the subject in the space. If you are going to shoot on-location, lean into the location itself. Don’t set up the background such that it “might as well have been green screened”.

This visual depth creates:

• A “Cinematic look”
• Visual interest
• A professional, intentional look

A flat wall or a close background rarely adds to your story.

Bonus tip:

The best spaces can also accommodate adding some haze to the atmosphere to add depth and softness to the interview. Not all spaces are conducive to this and not all projects benefit from this technique, but when it makes sense, this can significantly elevate the visuals of an interview.

3. Motivation for lighting.

Motivated lighting is one of the biggest ways to take a video interview from “looking nice” to “WOW! That looks like a movie!” The location plays a big part in how you light the scene. Look for locations with windows, lights, and architectural features that allow you to “motivate” the light you add to the scene, such that the final result looks like no lights were needed at all. The best lighting looks beautiful without ever making the audience suspect lighting was used.

When picking a space, this means looking for:

• Spaces for practical lamps or lights (practicals) you can use as a motivated key, fill, or backlight.
• A window we can use to motivate a directional source.
• Overheads we can turn off to avoid mixed color temperature.

The best lighting looks beautiful without ever making the audience suspect lighting was used.

4. A background that adds meaning.

Every detail should have deliberate meaning. The best interview locations combine aesthetics with your story.

This means the location should:

• Reflect the subject's world (a classroom, workshop, office, studio).
• Reinforce the tone we want the audience to feel (warm, inspiring, gritty, hopeful).

The environment should visually support the message without distracting from the subject or feeling incongruous with the subject matter.

5. Enough space for the crew and the craft.

This might seem like an afterthought, but this has a massive impact on the quality of a video interview. If you can’t fit the right equipment and crew into the space, you will never be able to capture the interview as well as you want to.

Even minimalist setups need room for:

• The subject.
• The director and/or interviewer.
• The crew.
• Lighting stands.
• Multiple camera angles.
• Audio equipment.
• Clean framing.
• Movement and adjustments.

Cramped spaces limit creative options, constrain quality, and compound complexity. (They also increase the likelihood of things going awry, like tripping over and breaking equipment.)

The perfect interview location isn't just about looks.

It's about noise, depth, motivated lighting, meaning, and practicality. When those elements come together, the story comes alive. If you are looking to explore where you should shoot interviews for your company or organization, I highly recommend reaching out to Pollen Productions to share your ideas and get professional feedback. In many cases, we offer free consultation in these areas, so there is no downside to reaching out!

What's the most challenging interview location you've ever worked with?