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7. Interviewing and filming service users

This stage involves creating a comfortable environment for patients and families to share their stories of services, and capturing those stories effectively, to provide rich information that will guide improvement. Since we launched our first toolkit the technology has moved on a great deal, and in many ways this is much easier than it used to be. High quality videos can be made using basic equipment such as smartphones and tablets.

Organisations like the Media Trust run courses in film making for this sort of work.

For example see:

The interviews should take place within a couple of weeks of being asked to take part, in a location where the patient feels comfortable. This may be at a hospital, community centre or in their home. Beforehand, send out notes to help them prepare, or share the interview schedule beforehand. (See our example interview schedule.) Mostly you are just asking people to share their story – so the schedule is not really necessary. But sometimes it helps people feel reassured to see the range of issues you might be interested in. Inevitably, any schedule you use will be tailored to your project.  When the person arrives, welcome them and take time to develop a rapport. Make sure there are comfortable seats, refreshments, tissues, and privacy. The person you are filming will be asked to consent to their film or parts of their film being used, so encourage them to be completely open at this stage.

The interview itself usually takes around an hour. Each individual film is then edited down for the final compilation film, which is half an hour long. Try to let people tell their story in their own way, but prepare a list of questions for any interviewees who need more structure. While you’re listening, make a note of comments that require clarification or more detail. The interview also forms the start of the editing process, as the interviewer may also be involved in editing the film. So, as the person is talking, listen out for key points and ‘touch points’ – themes that particularly resonate, and that may have also arisen in interviews with other people.

Key points

  • Realistically, you can conduct only two, or at most three, interviews in a day. Be aware that it can be emotionally draining for the interviewer as well as the interviewee. Always check on the day of the interview that the agreed time is still convenient. Bear in mind that patients may have to cancel at short notice – for example, due to sickness.
  • Let the person being filmed decide where the interview will take place. Factor in the time that the interviewer will need to take to travel to and set up each interview, and perhaps stay for a while afterwards. If you are on your own travelling to a family home, inform a colleague of your planned movements.
  • If people are travelling to a venue you have chosen, offer to pay their travel expenses, and make sure they are clear about directions and travel arrangements. You may also decide to give people vouchers or payment for their time.
  • As the video is single-shot footage, showing only the person’s head, it may be possible for only one team member to film while interviewing using a tripod. Make sure you spend some time practising and preparing.
  • The audio quality captured by video recorders can be variable. If you are worried about the quality of your equipment, take an audio recorder as well. A clip-on microphone for the person you are filming will also help. Always do a quick test in the room, to make sure that the recording level is adequate for the background noise levels and for your participant’s natural speech volume.
  • The interviewer does not need formal training, but must be empathetic, sensitive, non-judgemental, and able to inspire trust.
  • Throughout the interview, try not to interrupt the person talking. The more the interviewer speaks, the harder it is to edit a clear message from the interview, so try not to make encouraging noises, and remember to turn off all phones. If there are animals or children in the room or some other noise interruption, you may need to ask the person to repeat themselves.
  • Respect family and staff privacy and confidentiality, and ask the person you are interviewing to try not to use names of staff when describing services. Anything that slips through will be anonymised in the editing process.
  • The person you are interviewing may be nervous before the interview and distressed afterwards. Invite them to bring along a friend, family member or carer for moral support, and schedule in time beforehand and afterwards for a supportive debrief.
  • Arrange psychosocial support from within the clinical team or from outside services in case issues are raised that require the person being interviewed to have some support. Examples might include a patient-support phone line or staff within the clinical team. The interviewer should also have adequate support too – for example, the opportunity to debrief with a colleague.

New Beginnings offered women the opportunity to be filmed at home or at the hospital.

You can watch Emma talk about their experiences and advice about making women feel comfortable about being interviewed and filmed here: