by Nicolas Pinzon
With the recent celebration of the Emmy’s and the film industry’s award season right around the corner, we began to wonder what makes a good host and interviewer for the red carpet? Without a doubt, along with an impeccable presence, a wide smile, and a pleasant and diligent attitude, one of those factors is simply knowing what questions to ask. A good interviewer asks questions that interest the viewer and brings the best out of his or her subject by exploring topics that the interviewees actually want to talk about. Yet, too often we hear big-name hosts ask questions like “What are you wearing?” What are your pre-show rituals?” and “Do you want to win?” These sorts of questions bring out an immediate and rehearsed response from the celebrity being interviewed and the whole interaction becomes stale and boring.
So what should a host/hostess ask on the red carpet? The original idea for this blog was to make a list of the perfect questions and feed them to you, but perhaps it’s not that simple, or perhaps, it’s much more simple than that. In short, the best idea is to ask questions that are more specific and in a sense “more personal” about the subject’s work, style, and current projects. This might require you to know more about the person that you are interviewing, but even if you don’t, it is always better to look for questions that call for a more personal response. For instance, when talking to an actor, you can ask about what drew them to this character or project; you can ask about the thrills and difficulties during the filming of this project; You can ask about what the public’s reaction to their project means to them or about what they hope people will get from the story that they are a part of telling. Of course if you actually know about the actor and project you can mold these questions to make them more effective for each specific case, but either way the point is to ask questions that inspire more genuine and meaningful interactions.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should treat the red carpet like a massive job interview in which you’re seeking to hire Brad Pitt or Kaley Cuoco. Of course you should have fun, be relaxed and talk about fashion. The key is to do it in a way that really sounds like an actual conversation and not like a reverberation of what everyone else is saying. Instead of asking: “who are you wearing?” You can complement the person on their clothes and then ask them something about what drew them to that dress or what was their process to finding what to wear for such an important night. Again, the idea is to find the specific and the personal within the questions everyone asks, and they will tell you “who they are wearing” as soon as you mention their dress either way.
Most of all, remember to enjoy yourself, listen, and ask questions you’d actually like to know the answer to. There is no formula or fixed list of questions you need to follow, instead you get to be creative and social with your questions. Aim for the heart. That’s all the advice we can give you.
What do you think makes for the most effective red carpet interviews?
So what should a host/hostess ask on the red carpet? The original idea for this blog was to make a list of the perfect questions and feed them to you, but perhaps it’s not that simple, or perhaps, it’s much more simple than that. In short, the best idea is to ask questions that are more specific and in a sense “more personal” about the subject’s work, style, and current projects. This might require you to know more about the person that you are interviewing, but even if you don’t, it is always better to look for questions that call for a more personal response. For instance, when talking to an actor, you can ask about what drew them to this character or project; you can ask about the thrills and difficulties during the filming of this project; You can ask about what the public’s reaction to their project means to them or about what they hope people will get from the story that they are a part of telling. Of course if you actually know about the actor and project you can mold these questions to make them more effective for each specific case, but either way the point is to ask questions that inspire more genuine and meaningful interactions.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should treat the red carpet like a massive job interview in which you’re seeking to hire Brad Pitt or Kaley Cuoco. Of course you should have fun, be relaxed and talk about fashion. The key is to do it in a way that really sounds like an actual conversation and not like a reverberation of what everyone else is saying. Instead of asking: “who are you wearing?” You can complement the person on their clothes and then ask them something about what drew them to that dress or what was their process to finding what to wear for such an important night. Again, the idea is to find the specific and the personal within the questions everyone asks, and they will tell you “who they are wearing” as soon as you mention their dress either way.
Most of all, remember to enjoy yourself, listen, and ask questions you’d actually like to know the answer to. There is no formula or fixed list of questions you need to follow, instead you get to be creative and social with your questions. Aim for the heart. That’s all the advice we can give you.
What do you think makes for the most effective red carpet interviews?
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