The short answer
The best documentary interview questions are open, concrete and short. Start with easy questions about the person, then ask for specific moments rather than opinions: “Tell me about the day…”, “What did you see when…”, “What changed after…”. Group your questions by theme, keep the list as a map rather than a script, and save your best questions for follow-ups to what the contributor has just said.
A documentary interview is not a questionnaire. Most of what ends up on screen comes from moments the interviewer did not plan: a pause, a memory that surfaces halfway through an answer, a sentence the person has never said aloud before. But good questions make those moments far more likely. They give the contributor something solid to stand on and point them towards stories rather than summaries.
This guide collects the documentary interview questions that work in practice, organised by stage of the conversation, along with the phrasing habits that make them work. It is written for filmmakers, students, charities, schools and organisations preparing their first filmed interviews, and draws on more than four decades of interviewing for the BBC, Channel 4 and independent documentaries. For the craft around the questions, from setting up the room to handling silence, see our guide to documentary interview techniques for authentic stories.
What Makes a Good Documentary Interview Question?
Before the lists, the principles. Nearly every strong question shares four qualities.
- It is open. It cannot be answered with yes, no or a single fact. “Were you nervous?” gets a word. “What was going through your mind as you walked in?” gets a scene.
- It is concrete. It asks about a time, a place or a person rather than a concept. Abstract questions get abstract answers; specific questions get stories.
- It is short. Long questions with several parts confuse people, and they tend to answer only the last clause. Ask one thing at a time.
- It is neutral. It does not tell the contributor what you want to hear. “Wasn’t that devastating?” puts words in their mouth. “How did that feel?” lets them find their own.
Most weak questions fail on one of these. Read your list aloud before the shoot and you will hear which ones.
Opening Questions: Settling In
The first five minutes are rarely used in the film. They are for the contributor to get used to the light, the microphone and your voice, and for you to check sound and framing. Choose questions that are easy, factual and about them.
- Could you tell me your name and what you do?
- How long have you been doing this work?
- Where did you grow up, and what was it like?
- What does a normal day look like for you?
- How would you describe this place to someone who has never been here?
Listen to how the person speaks. Some answer in short bursts and need gentle prompting; others tell long stories and need a clear question to steer by. The opening questions tell you which kind of interview you are about to have.
Background Questions: Who Is This Person?
Once the contributor is comfortable, build the foundation the audience will need: who they are and why their view matters.
- How did you first become involved in this?
- Was there a moment when you knew this would become your life’s work?
- Who influenced you most when you were starting out?
- What did you expect it to be like, and how was it different?
- What do people usually misunderstand about what you do?
The last question is one of the most useful in any documentary interview. It invites the contributor to correct a common assumption, which is exactly the kind of insight a film is made of.
Memory Questions: Asking for Moments
This is the heart of the interview. Documentaries are built from scenes, and contributors can give you scenes in words if you ask for them. Instead of “What was the hardest part?”, ask about one particular day.
- Can you take me back to the first day? What do you remember seeing?
- Tell me about a moment when you thought it might not work.
- Where were you when you heard the news?
- What was the first thing you did afterwards?
- Is there one conversation from that time that has stayed with you?
- What did the room look like? Who else was there?
Sensory detail matters. When someone remembers what a room smelled like or what the weather was doing, they are reliving the moment rather than reporting it, and the difference is visible on camera.
Turning-Point Questions: Change and Consequence
Every documentary has a shape, and the shape usually turns on change. These questions help the contributor articulate it.
- What changed after that?
- What did you do differently from then on?
- Looking back, was there a point where things could have gone another way?
- What did it cost you?
- What do you know now that you wish you had known then?
Ask these after the memory questions, not before. Reflection lands better once the contributor has already relived the events they are reflecting on.
Questions About Other People
Contributors are often more open about others than about themselves. Asking about the people around them can reveal as much as a direct question, and it gives the edit material to connect different voices.
- Who supported you most during that time?
- How did your family react?
- What would your colleagues say about you if they were asked?
- Is there someone you wish you could thank?
- How do the people you work with see this?
Closing Questions: Meaning and the Last Word
Closing questions give the contributor a chance to say what matters most to them, and often produce the line that ends the film.
- Why does this matter to you?
- What would you like people to take away from your story?
- If you could say one thing to someone in the position you were in, what would it be?
- What happens next?
- Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to talk about?
Always ask the last one. It is surprising how often the most important thing in the whole interview comes after it, once the contributor feels the formal part is over.
Questions for Particular Kinds of Film
The structure above suits most personal and observational documentaries. A few kinds of film need adjustments.
| Type of film | Useful questions | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Expert or explainer film | “How would you explain this to a fifteen-year-old?” “What is the example you always come back to?” | Jargon; ask for plain language and real cases |
| Charity or campaign film | “What was life like before you came here?” “What does a good day look like now?” | Treat contributors as people, not case studies |
| Schools and education | “What is your favourite part of the day?” “Can you show me how you do that?” | Short, simple questions for children; safeguarding and consent |
| Biographical or music film | “When did you first hear that piece?” “What were you trying to say with it?” | Stories behind the work, not a list of achievements |
| Corporate or organisational film | “Tell me about a client you helped.” “What problem were you trying to solve?” | Slogans; push gently for one specific example |
For interview-only projects with specialists, our guide to filmed expert interviews covers preparation and filming in more detail.
How to Phrase Questions So the Answers Work in the Edit
In most documentaries the interviewer is never heard. That changes how questions need to be asked and answered.
- Ask for full sentences. Before you start, explain that your voice will be cut, and ask the contributor to include the subject in their answer. “I started teaching in 1998” works on its own; “About twenty-five years” does not.
- Don’t talk over the end of an answer. Wait a beat before your next question. Overlapping voices make an answer impossible to use, and the pause often draws out a second, better thought.
- Avoid encouraging noises. Nod rather than saying “mm-hm” or “right”, which end up on the contributor’s audio.
- Re-ask when needed. If an answer was strong but tangled, it is fine to say, “That was really interesting. Could you tell me that again, starting from when you arrived?” Most people tell a story better the second time.
- Ask “why” sparingly. “Why” can sound like a challenge. “What made you decide…” asks the same thing more gently.
Thinking about the edit while interviewing is one reason we prefer to direct, film and cut our own documentaries. We explain why in how documentary editing shapes a story.
Questions to Avoid
- Leading questions: “You must have been angry?” The contributor will often agree to be polite, and the answer will not ring true.
- Double questions: “How did you start, and what kept you going?” Ask them separately.
- Yes-or-no questions when you want a story. Rephrase “Did you enjoy it?” as “What did you enjoy about it?”
- Hypotheticals too early: “What would you do if…” works as reflection at the end, not as an opener.
- Questions you could find the answer to yourself: dates, job titles and statistics belong in your research, not on camera.
Preparing Your Question List
A good list is a map, not a script. Research the person first: read what they have written, talk to them beforehand if possible, and find the two or three stories you most hope to hear. Then group your questions by theme, with the essential ones marked, so you can follow the conversation wherever it goes and still know what you need before you finish.
Share the themes with the contributor in advance, especially if any subject is painful. People speak more freely when they are not surprised. What you should not send is the exact wording, because rehearsed answers sound rehearsed.
During the interview, keep the list where you can glance at it without breaking eye contact. When the conversation goes somewhere unexpected and alive, follow it. You can always come back to the list. You cannot always come back to the moment.
Questions People Often Ask
How many questions should I prepare for a documentary interview?
Prepare around fifteen to twenty-five questions for an hour-long interview, grouped by theme rather than in a fixed order. In practice you will ask fewer than you wrote, because the best material comes from follow-up questions about what the person has just said.
Should I send documentary interview questions in advance?
Send the themes, not the exact wording. Contributors deserve to know what the conversation will cover and whether any subject is sensitive. A word-for-word list encourages rehearsed answers, which sound flat on screen.
What is the best first question in a documentary interview?
Something easy, concrete and about the person, such as asking them to describe their role or where they grew up. It gives the contributor time to settle and gives you time to check sound, framing and their natural rhythm before the important questions.
Why do documentary interviewers ask people to repeat the question in their answer?
In most documentaries the interviewer’s voice is cut out, so each answer has to make sense on its own. If someone simply says “yes, about three years”, the viewer has no idea what they are agreeing with. Asking for full sentences keeps the answer usable in the edit.
Interviews Are Where Documentaries Begin
Steve Sklair is a BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker based in London. His career began on the BBC’s Video Diaries, where his film The Man Who Loves Gary Lineker won the BAFTA for Best Single Documentary, and he has since interviewed contributors for the BBC, Channel 4 and independent films, from classical musicians to teachers and pupils in real classrooms. He directs, films and edits his documentaries himself, so the person asking the questions is the person who builds the story from the answers.
If you are planning a documentary or a set of filmed interviews in London, the documentary brief form is the best place to start. For more on working with a single filmmaker, see hiring a self-shooting director in London.
Last updated: