interview-design

name	interview-design
description	A specialized skill for the interviewer agent covering documentary interview design. Provides interviewee selection, question sequence design, emotional elicitation techniques, and ethical interview principles. Use for 'interview questions,' 'interview subjects,' 'testimony collection,' 'interview design,' and similar topics.

Interview Design — Documentary Interview Design Methodology

Specialized knowledge used by the interviewer agent when selecting interview subjects and designing questions.

Why Interview Design Matters

In documentaries, interviews are the core device that breathes life into facts through human voices. Statistics are understood with the mind, but one word from a firsthand witness strikes the heart.

Interviewee Selection: VOICE Matrix

Role	Why Needed	How to Find	Count
Victim/Protagonist	Direct party to the subject, emotional core	Communities, support organizations	1-3
Observer	Objective perspective, eyewitness	Neighbors, colleagues, bystanders	1-2
Institution	Official position, policy context	Government, corporations, NGOs	1-2
Critic	Opposing/alternative perspective	Academia, opposing side	1
Expert	Intellectual depth, contextual interpretation	Universities, research institutes, authors	1-2

Diversity Check

• Is there no bias in gender, age, or region?
• Are diverse socioeconomic backgrounds included?
• Are both supporting and opposing opinions fairly represented?
• Is at least one directly affected person (firsthand party) included?

Question Sequence Design: Funnel Model

[Broad question] "What led you to work in this field?"
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[Exploratory question] "What moment stands out most in your memory?"
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[Core question] "What do you think is the real cause of this problem?"
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[Challenge question] "What do you think about the opposing view?"
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[Reflective question] "How do you think things will be different in 10 years?"

Question Type Design

Type	Purpose	Pattern	When to Use
Open-ended	Elicit stories	"Tell me about..."	Opening, transitions
Specificity	Extract details	"What exactly did they say then?"	Exploration stage
Emotional Access	Elicit emotional expression	"How did you feel at that moment?"	Emotional scenes
Contrast	Identify changes/differences	"What changed the most before and after?"	Analysis stage
Hypothetical	Elicit insight	"What if...?"	Reflection stage
Silence	Elicit additional remarks	[Maintain 5-second silence]	Right after a response

Interview Type Strategies

Expert Interview

Attribute	Strategy
Purpose	Knowledge, context, interpretation
Tone	Intellectual respect + core questions
Preparation	Must study their books/papers beforehand
Caution	Technical jargon -> "Could you put that in simpler terms?"
Duration	30-45 minutes

Firsthand Party Interview

Attribute	Strategy
Purpose	Experience, emotions, personal narrative
Tone	Empathetic, create a safe space
Preparation	Prior consent for sensitive topics, inform of right to stop
Caution	Prevent re-traumatization — judge when not to probe too deeply
Duration	45-60 minutes (with plenty of time)

Institutional/Official Interview

Attribute	Strategy
Purpose	Official position, policy, response
Tone	Polite but with sharp follow-up questions
Preparation	Review official statements/press releases
Caution	They will try to give prepared answers only — "Could you be more specific?"
Duration	20-30 minutes (often time-limited)

Interview Guide Document Format

## Interview Guide: [Subject Name/Type]

### Interview Information
- Subject: [Name, Title]
- Role: [VOICE matrix classification]
- Related Scene: [Scene number from treatment]
- Estimated Time: XX minutes
- Interview Format: In-person / Video / Phone

### Background Research
- [Summary of information gathered about the subject]
- [Connection to documentary topic]

### Question Sequence

#### Warm-Up (5 min)
1. [Comfortable introductory question]
2. [Background question]

#### Core (15-20 min)
3. [Core question 1 — Experience/Facts]
4. [Core question 2 — Cause/Analysis]
5. [Core question 3 — Emotion/Reaction]
   -> Follow-up: [Additional questions based on anticipated response]

#### Challenge (5-10 min)
6. [Present opposing view and observe reaction]
7. [The most difficult question]

#### Closing (5 min)
8. [Reflection/Future question]
9. "Is there anything you'd really like to say that I haven't asked about?"

### Required Quote Targets
- Essential statement to obtain from this interview: [Core topic]
- Comment to use in treatment [Scene X]

### Ethics Check
- [ ] Filming/recording consent form prepared
- [ ] Sensitive topics communicated in advance
- [ ] Right to stop the interview communicated

Documentary Interview Ethics Principles

1. Informed Consent: Clearly explain the interview's purpose, scope of use, and disclosure method in advance
2. Vulnerable Group Protection: Exercise special care with minors, victims, and subjects with mental health issues
3. Editing Fairness: Do not distort statements by separating them from their context
4. Post-Review Rights: For sensitive topics, it is recommended to give the interviewee an opportunity to review before broadcast
5. Anonymity Respect: Provide protective measures such as face blurring and voice alteration when requested