ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the process of securing and recording contributor interviews for music documentaries on the radio. It considers the impact of new digital technologies on the interviewing process, such as the opportunity to record content remotely. The chapter investigates the use of on-location recordings when capturing interviews and the ethics of reshaping this content to appear more “real”. The producer should be firmly focused on trying to obtain as many relevant interviews as possible in the pre-production stage. Mike Mills makes the point that an overreliance on pre-prepared questions can be a barrier to establishing a connection with an interviewee. Microphone placement, sound effects, and audio processing can all be layered together to give an interview the illusion of being recorded in a specific audio environment or to accentuate the location. Contemporary producers have the advantage of drawing on a range of online tools, which make the recording of remote interviews easier than ever.
