The interview was done for Shop Talk which is one of the programs on ABS-CBN News Channel or ANC under Commentary and Opinion. Although it was not mentioned, most probably the interview took place in ANC studio. Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan, the host of the program, interviewed the award-winning independent film director Tad Ermitaño on July 5, 2007.
The topic of the discussion was on his work as a new media video artist. There was only one topic, all the other questions were just connected with that topic. But on the middle of the interview, they focused on his latest work, the media art installation called “Eisenstein Monster” which was part of the ongoing Lopez Museum exhibit at that time.
The interview started by getting straight to the point. The interviewer introduced the interviewee to the viewers. Pia directly asked the first question, and then before Tad could answer, she greeted him and asked for an apology. Rapport was somehow established but it was more evident in the middle towards the end of the interview wherein appropriate eye contact between the two was maintained and there were also natural smiles from both of them. The interviewer also repeated few last words and turned them into a question. Upon observing Pia, we can say that she appeared really interested with what Tad was saying because her actions were telling such.
The first question raised was “What is that new media video artist?” This was the first question asked because it was his work and it was something unfamiliar to most of the people or the viewers. It was a good question because it led to the rest of the questions. As an introduction question, it gave the viewers an initial idea of how the interview would went through.
The questions were sequenced logically. They were organized and clear. Example, first questions were about his main work and latest projects and then, the succeeding questions were about other things that he did.
The questions were relevant because the answers could further make the interviewer and audience understand more about the topic being discussed. They were also necessary and timely. Example is the question about the video installation at the Lopez museum. It was Tad’s latest work and it was timely because there was an ongoing exhibit of his video installation at the Lopez Museum during the time the interview was conducted.
The questions asked were close question– Can people call you?, open question – What is that new media video artist?, double-barreled question – How did you get to this project? How did the Lopez museum get you to do this?, probing question – It just melds into each other?, and mirror question – “Digital Barbie doll?”
There were no times when the interviewee had difficulty answering the questions. The interviewer did not rephrase questions that were difficult to answer, vague or ambiguous to the interviewee.
The only don’ts that the interviewer practiced was she forgot to follow conventions on introduction; she forgot to greet first the interviewee before proceeding to the first question. The do’s that she followed are maintaining interaction through eye contact, being a good listener by means of bodily movements that showed attentiveness, knowing when to cut the interviewee politely, and expressing appreciation to the interviewee.
The last questions asked were “How long was it? How many minutes?”. And these were referring to the previous question, about the retro-technological transfer of information. They were follow-up questions with regards to the previous answers of the interviewee. They were good questions to end the question and answer portion. These were the last questions asked because the interviewer may think that these were not so important and they can be asked at the end.
The interviewer ended the transaction by terminating the interview verbally and by showing appreciation to the interviewee.
To conclude, the interview was worth listening to because the topic was something new to me or even to many viewers. The topic of the discussion was not so common and we can really gain new information from the interview. The interviewee also explained and delivered his answers in a way that the interviewer and viewers could understand his statements well. Also, the person involved was not into show business and what they talked about made a sense, not just gossips or personal life.
I learned new things about conducting an interview. As an interviewer, one should be ready to adapt well to the flow of the interview. Just like when unexpected things occur, you should know how to react to these things. Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan immediately asked for an apology when she realized her mistake. Also, establishing rapport is indeed very important in an interview, it can influence the entire transaction. Following conventions is helpful either as an interviewer or interviewee. Lastly, following the golden rule and showing respect and trust to each other are important do’s that one must remember in any transaction. –ptd
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