How to Approach Interviewees for a Documentary

Every documentary depends on people agreeing to be in it. You can have the right camera, a strong idea and a commission, and still have no film if the people at the centre of the story do not want to talk. Yet the moment of asking is the part of documentary making that is least often discussed. Most advice about interviews starts when the contributor is already in the chair.

This guide covers what comes before: how to find the right interviewees, how to make the first approach, what to tell people, how consent and release forms fit in, and what to do when the answer is no. It is written for anyone making or commissioning a documentary, from students and first-time filmmakers to charities, schools and organisations planning a film about their own work.

Start With Why You Need This Person

Before you contact anyone, be clear about what each interviewee brings to the film. A contributor might be the main character whose story the film follows, a witness to a particular event, an expert who explains context, or someone whose view challenges everyone else’s. Each of those roles calls for a different approach and a different conversation.

Writing one or two sentences for each person helps:

• What only they can say: the experience, knowledge or point of view that no one else in the film has.
• How much of their time you need: a single interview, several days of filming, or months of following their life.
• What the film asks of them: talking about their job is very different from talking about a bereavement, an illness or a conflict.

This is not paperwork for its own sake. When you can explain in plain words why you want to talk to someone, the first message almost writes itself, and the person on the other end can tell that you have thought about them rather than about a slot in a schedule.

Finding the Right Interviewees

Good contributors are rarely found by advertising. They are usually found through people who know them.

• Organisations close to the subject: charities, community groups, unions, professional bodies, schools and local associations often know who has a story and who would be comfortable telling it.
• Your first interviewees: at the end of every research conversation, ask who else you should talk to. One good contributor often leads to the next.
• Published work: for expert voices, articles, books, reports and talks show both what someone knows and how well they explain it.
• Local press and archives: useful for finding people connected to past events, though the approach then needs extra care, because they may not have spoken about it for years.

Social media posts asking for contributors can work for broad subjects, but they tend to attract people who want to be on camera rather than the people the story needs. Use them to widen the search, not to replace it.

For films commissioned by an organisation, the client often knows the contributors already: staff, pupils, volunteers, service users or partners. That makes the introduction easier, but it brings its own responsibility. People can feel obliged to say yes to their employer, school or a charity that supports them, so the filmmaker needs to make it genuinely possible for them to decline.

Making the First Approach

The first message has one job: to start a conversation. It does not need to explain the whole film, and it should not ask for a decision.

Use an Introduction Where You Can

A message that arrives through someone the person already trusts, a colleague, a teacher, a support worker, a friend, is far more likely to be read with an open mind than one from a stranger. Ask the go-between to pass on a short note and check whether the person is happy to be contacted, rather than handing over their details without asking.

Keep It Short and Honest

A good first message answers five questions in a few lines:

• Who are you, and who is making the film?
• What is the film about, in one or two sentences?
• Why are you contacting this particular person?
• What would taking part involve, roughly?
• What happens next if they are interested?

Avoid promising things you cannot control, such as how much of their interview will be used, where exactly the film will be shown, or that they will like the result. Avoid flattery, too. People can tell the difference between “you would be perfect on camera” and “your experience of running the night shelter is something no one else in the film can describe”.

Choose the Right Channel

Email is fine for experts and professionals. For many people, a phone call or a conversation in person is better: it lets them hear your voice and ask questions straight away. If the subject is personal or painful, a written message followed by a call, at a time that suits them, gives them room to think before they speak to you.

The Conversation Before the Interview

Most people decide whether to take part in a documentary after talking to the filmmaker, not after reading a message. This first conversation is usually off camera and unhurried, and it matters more than any single question you will ask later.

Use it to listen first. Let them tell you their story in their own way, without trying to steer it towards the film you have in mind. You will learn what they are comfortable talking about, where the difficult areas are and how they express themselves. You will also discover, sometimes, that the story is different from the one you expected, and better.

Then explain clearly:

• What the film is and who it is for: a broadcast documentary, a film for an organisation’s website, a festival short, a student project.
• Why you want to interview them, and what part their contribution plays.
• The areas you would like to cover, especially anything sensitive. You do not need to send exact questions; our guide to documentary interview questions explains why themes work better than a script.
• The practicalities: where and when filming would happen, how long it would take and who would be there.
• How the interview will be used: that it will be edited, that not everything they say will appear, and whether they will see the film before it is shown.

Be honest about the things you do not know yet. “We do not have a broadcaster yet” or “the film may change shape in the edit” is far better than a promise you later have to break.

Finish by asking what questions they have, and give them time. A decision made the day after a good conversation is usually a more secure one than a yes on the spot.

Informed Consent and Release Forms

Consent in documentary is not a signature. It is the contributor understanding what they are agreeing to: what the film is about, how their contribution will be used and where it will be seen. The release form is the record of that understanding, and it only means something if the conversation came first.

A contributor release form typically records:

• the title or working title of the film and who is making it;
• that the person agrees to be filmed and recorded;
• that the material may be edited and used in the film and its promotion;
• where and how the film may be distributed;
• any agreed conditions, such as anonymity, or subjects that will not be included.

Broadcasters, festivals and distributors normally expect to see signed releases for everyone who speaks on camera, and they often have their own standard wording. If you are making a film for broadcast, use the forms the broadcaster provides. If you are making a film for an organisation, agree on the wording with the client before the shoot, not on the day. Where the subject is legally sensitive, or the contributor is vulnerable, it is worth taking legal or compliance advice on the form itself.

Give people the form in advance, explain it in plain language and do not ask for a signature a minute before the camera rolls, when they are nervous and the crew is waiting. A form signed under pressure protects no one.

Children and Vulnerable Contributors

When a contributor is a child, consent should come from a parent or guardian as well as from the young person, explained in words they can understand. In schools, the school will usually have its own safeguarding and media consent procedures, and they take priority over the film’s schedule. For adults who may be vulnerable, because of illness, distress, their circumstances or their relationship to the organisation commissioning the film, take extra time, involve someone they trust if they wish, and check their understanding more than once.

Approaching People for Sensitive Subjects

Some documentaries ask people to talk about the worst moments of their lives: violence, loss, injustice, poverty. The approach needs to reflect that.

• Go slowly. Meet without a camera first, more than once if necessary. Trust is earned in conversation, not negotiated in an email.
• Be specific about what you will ask. No one should be surprised by a painful subject during the interview.
• Agree on boundaries. Ask whether there is anything they do not want to discuss, and respect it.
• Discuss identity. Some contributors need anonymity, a changed name or their face hidden. Decide that before filming, because it affects how you shoot.
• Think about afterwards. Being seen on screen can have consequences at work, in a family or in a community. Talk about that honestly, and about where the film will be shown.

The guide to documentary interview techniques covers how to look after a contributor during the interview itself, including when emotion enters the conversation.

Experts and Busy Professionals

Experts are approached differently. They are often used to interviews, short of time and asked to contribute to many projects. What persuades them is clarity.

• Say exactly what you want their expertise for and roughly how long the interview will take.
• Offer to film where it suits them: their office, their workplace, their lab.
• Send the themes in advance so they can prepare, and confirm how they want to be named and described on screen.
• If they need approval from a press office or employer, ask early, because it can take weeks.

Our guide to filmed expert interviews in London goes into choosing, preparing and filming expert contributors in more detail.

Should You Pay Interviewees?

Documentary contributors are not usually paid for their interview. Part of the reason is credibility: if someone has been paid, an audience may wonder whether that shaped what they said. Covering reasonable costs is different and is common: travel, a meal on a long filming day, childcare, or time taken away from paid work. Whatever you decide, say so clearly from the first conversation, and agree it in writing if money is involved. If the film is for a broadcaster, follow their rules on payments to contributors.

When the Answer Is No

Many approaches end with a no, and that is part of the job. People decline because of privacy, timing, fear of how they will be portrayed, or simply because they do not want to be on camera. All of those are good reasons.

Thank them, respect the decision and leave the door open without pressing. It is reasonable to ask whether they would talk off camera to help your research, whether they could suggest someone else, or whether you could get back in touch if circumstances change. It is not reasonable to keep asking until they give in. A reluctant contributor rarely gives a good interview, and a no handled with respect often leads to the person who should have been in the film all along.

After They Say Yes

Agreement is the start of a relationship that lasts until the film is finished and beyond.

• Confirm the practicalities in writing: date, time, location, who will be there and how long it will take.
• Keep them informed if the film’s shape, title, schedule or destination changes significantly.
• Keep the crew small. A contributor facing one or two people speaks very differently from one facing a room full of equipment; our guide to small-crew documentary production explains why.
• Tell them when and where the film will be shown, before it is shown, so they are never surprised to see themselves.

How you treat contributors also decides what kind of filmmaker you become. People talk to each other, and the next person you approach may already know how the last one was treated.

Questions People Often Ask

How do I approach someone to be in my documentary?

Start with a short, personal message, ideally through someone they already trust. Say who you are, what the film is about, why you thought of them and what taking part would involve, then ask for a conversation rather than an immediate yes. Most people decide whether to take part in a documentary after talking to the filmmaker, not after reading an email.

What should I tell an interviewee before filming?

Tell them what the film is about and who it is for, why you want to interview them, the subjects you plan to cover, how long filming will take, where the film will be shown and that their interview will be edited. If any subject is sensitive, say so in advance. People who know what to expect speak more freely on camera.

Do documentary interviewees need to sign a release form?

In practice, yes. A contributor release form records that the person agreed to be filmed and to their contribution being used in the film. It protects both sides and is usually required by broadcasters, festivals and distributors. Explain it in plain words and give people time to read it, rather than handing it over a minute before the camera rolls.

Should you pay documentary interviewees?

Documentary contributors are not usually paid for their interview, partly because payment can raise questions about why someone is saying what they say. Covering reasonable costs, such as travel or time away from work, is different and is common. Whatever you decide, be open about it from the first conversation.

What do I do if someone says no to being interviewed?

Thank them and respect the decision. Ask whether they would be willing to talk off camera, suggest someone else or reconsider later if circumstances change, but do not pressure them. A no handled well often leads to a better contributor, and a reluctant interviewee rarely gives a useful interview.

Films Built on Trust

Steve Sklair is a BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker based in London, with four decades of work for the BBC, Channel 4 and other UK broadcasters. His career began on the BBC’s Video Diaries, where The Man Who Loves Gary Lineker, the personal diary of Ylli Hasani, a rural doctor in Albania, won the BAFTA for Best Single Documentary. His films have since included Red Oil for Channel 4’s True Stories, the life story of shipyard worker Manuel Barros in A Worker of the 20th Century, and a three-year observational study of XP School in Doncaster: films that depend entirely on people agreeing to share their lives on camera. He directs, films and edits much of his own work.

If you are planning a documentary and want to talk through who should be in it and how to approach them, the documentary brief form is the best place to start.

Last updated: 13 October 2026