Interview Studio
If you have an interview or a piece-to-camera there is no better location that Galleon Studios. In fact, we built the soundproof studio as we were unhappy with the range of studios locally where we could film pieces interviews or talking heads without interruption. To this end we built the sound proof studio; it is one of only two soundproof studios in Manchester and the North West.
As a specialist filming studio the soundproof studio is ideal for interview filming. Within the space you’ll find a lighting grid, padded insulated walls, air conditioning and an output to a monitor in our comfortable lounge. As such it’s not unusual for clients and producers to watch the monitors in the soundproof studio while the hard work is done behind the (soundproof) doors.
Film the perfect interview.
Be it an interview, piece-to-camera or client testimonial the studios are the best place to get exactly the sound-bite you’re after. In this sound protected environment you can wave bye-bye to interruptions by planes, cars or any other of the usual distractions. The studio is a sound man’s dream and can further be enhanced with our optional extras.
Lighting
Lighting is included. These are all the lights in the lighting grid that comprises of flicker free Photonbeard florescent lighting and these can be added to with any of the Arri, Dedo or LED lights we offer on our kit list. Our kit list with the rate card and brochure can be downloaded below.
Eye-Direct
An interviewers best friend the Eye-Direct is a mirrored lens that reflects the interviewer over the camera lens. As a result the person in front of the camera sees only the interviewer making their responses more natural and spontaneous. The Eye-Direct can mount in front of any DSLR and Broadcast cameras including the ones available to hire here in our north Manchester Studios. The Eye-Direct is portable, adaptable and essential to a successful interview. It helps put the contributor at their ease by giving them a friendly face to look at rather than the dead empty glass of a camera lens.
interview studio interrotronThe Interrotron
Much like the Eye-Direct the Interrotron is a means of two-way eye contact between interviewer and interviewee. This time it is achieved via video. A contributor sits in front of the camera and can see the interviewer/director face broadcast onto the screen in front. Behind the screen is the camera lens itself meaning that the person in front of camera believes they are chatting casually on a screen to a friendly face. Meanwhile on screen their natural responses and gestures are captured through the camera. This is a very popular and successful means of recording interviews and is practiced by many TV shows and doco’s. It was created by Errol Morris and used for documentary filming of interviews.
The difference between the Eye-Direct and the Interrotron is largely one of convenience. With the Eye-Direct the interviewer must be in the same room as his subject. As the Interrotron uses video rather than a mirror the interviewer can be in the next room, the next building or even a different country. This can be extremely useful if you’re contributors are all over the country and your squeezed budget and schedule means you can’t get to interview them in person. It’s not unusual for directors to “dial-in” for interviews from other cities and parts of the world.
Autocue & Teleprompters
A great tool for interviews and pieces-to-camera is the teleprompter. If there’s a script to deliver then the autocue is your tool to get it filmed. The autocue is probably the most widely hired piece of kit in the studio and allows a script, in any format, to be displayed in front of the camera where it can be read. The words won’t appear on the lens however; just the face of however is interviewed. There’s an article about the autocue hire in a previous blog. The teleprompter can even take PowerPoint which means if your contributor is more used to dealing with presentations that scripts these can be shown to him/her instead. This is especially useful for e-learning filming when most of the modules may only exist as PowerPoint presentations.
Microphones
At Galleon Studios we’re as concerned with sound acquisition as capturing your visuals as such we have an unrivalled selection of microphones. Among our favourites for use in the studio are our Schoeps CMC 641 Stereo microphones. The microphones come as a set of two and are certified as identical to one another which means they are ideal to record 2 channel audio into a camera or sound recorder. We use them when filming talking heads, and when recording voice overs.
You’ll have heard the Schoeps microphones on the BBC’s One Show where our soundproof studio is often used as a voiceover studio for their VT’s. The Schoeps really are amazing microphones picking up sound in a highly directional nature up to around 4 feet. They are so sensitive that if you hold them in your hand you can here the blood pumping in your fingertips! We strongly recommend them for use in the Manchester studios especially for interviews. Overall they are the perfect partner for the soundproof space.
Voiceovers and Podcasts
As mentioned above the soundproof studio is often utilised as a voiceover recording studio. It’s been used for Podcasts, radio commercials and TV spots. The space can be hired with a producer to record your VO or Podcast or you can use it yourself and merely hire the kit or use your own. If you require a voiceover we have an in-house voice over artist too.
Our Location
Our northwest studio is located just to the North of Manchester, between Liverpool and Leeds on the M62 corridor. As such we’re in an ideal location for contributors across the country. We’ve been joined by crews from Bristol, hirers from London, contributors from as far as Scotland, Ireland and even Canada. The studios are a mere 40 minutes from Manchester airport and 30 minutes from Manchester City Centre. What’s more the studios have ample and free parking so your clients, any crew and any contributors can park conveniently and be ready to film very quickly.
The Soundproof Studio
The soundproof studio has been used for interviews for major documentary’s, TV shows, customer testimonials, e-learning videos, clip shows, product demos, web-videos, podcasts, vodcasts, sign language films and online tutorials. Its primary focus is to give you great sound that will serve your project whatever it may be. We also offer all the equipment and crew you need under one roof. The space is large enough to accommodate sets and small enough to create an intimate environment for you to get the best from your contributors. Contact us to book the interview studio today.
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