JUNIOR JOURNALIST JUNIOR JOURNALIST - First News

FirstNews
What’s IN an Interview?
Headline
The title should summarise
the story and grab the readers
attention. It could also be
an engaging quote from the
interview.
Introductory Sentence
A brief introduction to
introduce the interviewee and
to explain why they are being
interviewed.
Photograph or Image
This could be of the
interviewee or of the topic
they are talking about in
the interview.
Interview
Questions
The questions the
journalists asked
are included.
Interview
Answers
The responses given
by the interviewee
form the majority of
the interview. These
are ‘tidied up’ by the
journalist as people
don’t always speak in
full sentences. They
also need to put in
punctuation to ensure
the answers are clear
to read. The journalist
does not need to
include everything that
was recorded, but they
can’t add information
or invent things they
would have liked the
interviewee to say!
I love his Richard Branson-esque quality
WE interviewed Eddie Izzard to find what it’ s like to be the
voice of Sir Miles Axlerod in the brilliant Cars 2!
What do you like the most about
your character?
I love the Richard Branson-esque
quality of Miles. I like his style and his
love of great new ideas, even though
there is a twist to my character that
takes him to a different place. He’s
been a lot of fun to play.
Did you have Richard Branson
in mind when you recorded the
dialogue for your character?
The idea of Richard Branson
was mentioned early on in the
production and I definitely identify
with the businessman in Sir Miles
Axlerod, so the character was a great
fit. I love his style of doing business
and the idea of being very positive
while thinking outside of the box.
How difficult is it to work in the
sound booth alone?
This is my fourth animated movie,
so I’ve gotten used to it by now.
You have to tap into that childlike
sensibility you had when you were a
little kid, because you’re imagining
the entire world of Cars 2. Even
though you’re standing
alone in a little space, you have to
imagine you’re standing alongside all
these wonderful characters.
What is it like to visit Pixar
Animation Studios in California?
It’s amazing. You feel like you’re
walking into a whole new world
when you step inside Pixar. The
animators are allowed to decorate
their work areas however they want
to, so you see their imagination
come to life as you wander around
the place. It’s very exciting. It’s
certainly not a drab, gray business
office. There’s a lot of life and
imagination there.
Cars 2 is out now on Disney Blu-ray
and DVD. Go to www.firstnews.
co.uk now to watch the trailer.
Concluding
Sentence
A brief sentence
explaining
where you can
find out more
about the
interviewee or
the main item
being discussed
in the interview.
In magazines
and
newspapers, if
a film, book or
TV programme
is being
promoted, the
details will be
‘plugged’ here.
Interview Writing Timeline
Step One
THE PREPARATION
Find an interesting person with a
story to tell (they’ve acted in a film,
climbed a mountain for charity, have an
interesting job or pet, etc.) to interview.
Write a set of questions that should
give interesting answers. Put them in a
logical order.
Practice saying your questions so you
almost know them off by heart.
Find a sound recording device.
Step Two
THE INTERVIEW
Set up your recording device to
record the interview.
Ask your questions.
Listen very carefully to what your
interviewee says. You may need to ask
an additional question, such as ‘why
….?’, to explain something they say in
an answer.
Make sure you ask all your questions.
Take a photograph.
8
Step Three
THE WRITE UP
Listen back to your interview and
transcribe it (write it down) word-forword.
Choose the most interesting
questions and answers to include in
your write up of the interview.
Tidy up the answers given by
removing unneeded spoken words and
pauses. Put in punctuation needed to
make it easy to read.
Write your introductory and
concluding sentences, and a headline.