“I’ve been asked to sign some strange things in autograph lines…My jaw dropped when someone asked me to sign ON their violin! I declined (though my colleague went through with it!).”
“A man came up to me after a concert once and said, I liked your playing, Mr. Drucker. I said Thanks, but Im Mr. Setzer. He said No! and reached into his pocket to show me his program and prove to me that I was wrong. Thankfully, the program and I were both correct in this case.”
“The strangest I know was asked of one of my brothers: Excuse me, does one spell it Schubert or Schumann? Difficult to answer that one!”
“It wasnt a question from a fan, but during a live radio interview. I was asked, whether I play both the violin and the piano at the same time during the Janacek Sonata :)”
“It’s not strange per se, but an elderly lady once asked us if we would read the Mozart Quintet with her, as it was her birthday wish. We are setting up a reading session now!
“I have no idea, nor memory. Most things that are really, really strange are actually too abstract to remember!
“I was once asked if I played American football … it was very out of the blue and wasn’t connected to any sports conversation!”
“When touring with my sister, pianist Nicole, who works full-time as a medical doctor, she often makes remarks about her next shift in her real job. When they ask me about my real job, I can‘t quite reply…
“I would have to say someone requesting me to play a song (Devo) called Whip It for an encore. I had never heard of this song and know that even if I had I would have crashed and burned trying to play it.”
Fundamentals of Shooting Vox Pop Interviews
Everything you need to know about how to write a great vox pop questionnaire
Vox pops interviews are well known amongst journalists and have been for decades. They became mainstream when Esther Rantzen introduced them back in the 1970s on That’s Life. Since then, as well as being used in a news capacity, they have been embraced by the market research industry. If you’re unsure what vox pop means, read this article in which we answer the question: What is a vox pop? Below, however, we will dive into some best practices and techniques to writing vox pops questions and creating great vox pops questionnaires.
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13 tips to write a great vox pop questionnaire
Camera shots are usually framed as an MCU or close up. Its important to think about the guests looking direction, and get an equal number of left-facing and right-facing subjects. These can then be alternated in post-production. Some producers go so far as to get all answers with a particular opinion facing one way, and answers with an opposing opinion facing the other way. Whether or not you think this is effective is up to you — you may feel that it is too contrived.
The term “vox pop” comes from the Latin phrase vox populi, meaning “voice of the people”. The vox pop is a tool used in many forms of media to provide a snapshot of public opinion. Random subjects are asked to give their views on a particular topic and their responses are presented to the viewer/reader as a reflection of popular opinion.
When asking people to participate, fast is best – dont give them time to worry about how they look or what their friends will think. Use a short, sharp standard question such as “Would you mind answering a couple of quick questions about genetically modified food for TV3 news tonight?”. (Note: Everyone will want to know what channel youre with and when the programme will be broadcast, so it helps to get that out of the way quickly.)
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