Guide
How to prepare scientists for on-camera interviews
Send themes, not a script. Do a short pre-call so the interviewer isn't a stranger. Film it as a conversation, let people restart any answer, and ask them to explain it "to a smart friend outside your field." Most scientists relax within ten minutes.
A week before
- Share three to five themes, not word-for-word questions. Scripts make people read.
- Agree on the two or three ideas that must land.
- Ask for the plain-English words they'd use at dinner — and the jargon they can't avoid.
On the day
- Start with an easy question about why they chose this work.
- Let them restart any answer. Nothing is live.
- Ask follow-ups like "what does that mean for a patient?" to pull the concrete out of the abstract.
- Film them doing the work afterward. The interview gets easier to cut when there's real footage to cover it.
What to wear
Solid, mid-tone colors. Lab coats only if they'd really be wearing one. No small patterns.
Tell us what you're working on
A 30-minute call, then a written plan: story, claims, shoot days and deliverables.