Project: Five Minutes of Fame

Open your favorite magazine or webzine again. Think about interviews in newspapers and television/radio talk shows. Think about all the different ways interviews can be presented. Sometimes they look like script; sometimes they are funny or sarcastic; sometimes they have a photo-spread; sometimes the quotes are embedded, and the conclusions are more important than the person interviewed.

• Look for all the different ways interviews are conveyed to audiences.
• Think about how the writers/editors may have decided what to keep and what to edit out.
• Think about how all the questions seem connected or in a logical order. Do you think they were asked that way?
• Look and listen carefully for the analysis and commentary of the interviewer. Do they have an agenda or a message? What is it?
  • Magazine format

Give some thought to how you will present your finished interview to an audience. You may want to have someone else video-record your presentation, or you may want to take photos for a print layout. Look as some options below to decide how you will present your interview. You will choose one of these formats for your assignment. (Click each link to see a real life example.)

A. Magazine format

You may choose to present your interview in a magazine format. You can choose the best parts of the interview to go with photos and add commentary before and after the interview. Example:

MovieWeb

Students: This article must be 750–1000 words, written in script format. Before and after the article, you must include a paragraph or two of commentary and analysis that will spin the interview for the audience. You must also include a photo layout (2–5 pictures) that enhances the article visually.

B. Newspaper format

You may choose a newspaper format and make the subject (the interviewee) the focus of the story, embedding direct quotes from the interview into the text of the article. Some examples:

The Huffington Post

Students: This article must be 500-750 words, written in paragraph form with embedded quotes. The analysis/commentary is the focus, with the interview proving your points. At least 50% of the text should be direct quotes. Include a single photo to enhance the article visually.

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