78 Days Later

Okay I’ll admit it: I’m a fan of the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movie genres. But there’s a certain irony in the fact that movie directors seeking to portray deserted cities – streets empty of humans and vehicles, silence where there was once noise, emptiness where bustle used to be – now have perfect film sets in nearly every city in the UK, except of course all shooting is on hold due to Covid-19.

No zombies, yet

Movies such as 28 Days Later and their like often have to shoot such scenes at 4.30 in the morning in summer when there’s enough daylight for filming but hardly any traffic or people. The window of opportunity is a narrow one. Alternatively they arrange for roads to be closed (in 28 Days Later they even organised traffic police to arrange a ‘rolling stop’ on the M1 in both directions so they could shoot a lone taxi driving north without having to overtake anything but its own shadow).

But it’s the main news bulletins rather than the big screens now showing deserted streets (or not, in the case of those defying health advice and still congregating), empty stations and trains, and closed pubs and restaurants, and disturbingly of course these scenes are real.

Usually standing-room only

You can be sure though there are already documentary makers out there, recording the empty roads for later use in the look-backs and investigations into how Coronavirus affected the population and how the government handled it. News footage too will be used for illustration, and there’s certainly no shortage of that - the media is having a field day. Come January 11 next year – one year exactly after the first Covid-19 death was recorded in China – our screens will be infected with Coronavirus documentaries.

So here’s a thing: why not make your own doco? This coming Friday it will be 78 days after that initial Covid-19 death, and although it’s an artifice, 78 Days Later seems as good a time as any to begin recording what you and your family is doing in these uncertain and unprecedented times. Think of it as a sort of war diary, only without the conflict (yet).

There have of course already been wartime memes – cartoons showing children asking

Image: Wikimedia Commons

their father ‘what he did in the virus’ and referring to his stockpile of loo paper etc. – but the analogy with World War 2 is a genuine one. Liz and I decided on Saturday to walk to our local butcher and show our support, only to find a queue of around 20 people outside. The only thing missing was the ration books, but hey, early days.

As you know, supermarkets and other retails stores are already rationing the amounts people can buy as a response to greedy hoarders stripping the shelves of everything. Social media is now awash with ideas for how to manage self-isolation, what to cook, how to make do and mend. Colleagues of Liz’s who luckily have some land available have just bought hens for their egg-laying.

Supermarket and local shop rationing

All of these are genuine stories, responses to adversity, but never has society had so many options at its fingertips for recording such a particular moment in history. Whether it’s a phone camera, tablet, a camcorder, a sports GoPro, or even a humble tape recorder (and let’s not forget the written word too), this unique time begs to be filmed, noted, captured and retold again and again. And in this technologically-advanced age, anyone and everyone can do it.

So don’t wait for the professionals to bring out their productions 378 days later. Be part of it yourself, now. Tell your story and share it. We are ordinary people living through extraordinary times. This is history in the making.

How to Conduct an Interview

It may be that rather than simply record your own version of events, you want to capture the feelings and experiences of those around you (maintaining appropriate social distancing of course). In this scenario you might find yourself doing an interview, either face to face or, more safely, over the phone or a video link.

Having formerly worked in broadcasting for many years I know there are many ways to conduct an interview but I’m going to touch on just two; one is a favourite of mine which I simply call The Conversation, and the second is a more established method. Either will give your recording that professional edge.

The Conversation Interview

In order to elicit the information and emotions of whoever you’re interviewing, you need, in principle, only one formal question, and that’s the first one. In fact it’s not so much a question as a request, and in this case it is: ‘Tell me about how the Coronavirus is affecting you and those around you…’

This is deliberately open-ended designed to allow the interviewee to answer as they see fit. What you need to do is actively listen to their answers so that you can follow up accordingly just as you would in a normal conversation. For example, if they say something like, ‘The virus has completely changed everything in my life’ and then they stop, you need to ask ‘How?’, and let them continue.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with expressing your own reactions to what your interviewee says. If for example they reveal something surprising, it’s perfectly fine to respond with ‘Really?’ or ‘Wow’, but use these sparingly. As an interviewer your job is to draw out the story rather than be part of it, unless you’re recording yourself in a memoir scenario.

Your keyword friends in the conversation interview are the journalist’s staple: who, where, why, what, when, and how. These form the basis of all news stories. They also form the basis for the more conventional interview…

The Conventional Interview

In this scenario you prepare a list of questions that you know you want specific answers to, and which ensure you cover the topic both broadly as well as in detail.

So, applying these in an interview situation means asking such things as:

• Who among your family and friends were affected?
• How did it affect them?
• Where were they at the time?
• Why did it have such a big impact?
• What did you/they do?
• When did you realise that this was really serious?

…and so on. Obviously you can also use the ‘Tell me about…’ lead.

But the main thing is that you still have to actively listen to the answers and follow up on them, especially where they take you by surprise. Don’t become a slave to the list of questions you prepared. Ultimately you represent the people who are watching or listening to your interview, so be aware of your own emotions and respond accordingly.

That's it in a nutshell. Here are a couple of tips too:

Top Tip 1: Avoid asking too many closed-ended questions such as, ‘Was that terrifying?’ because it begs just a short answer. If all they say is ‘Yes’, then you are duty-bound to follow it up with, ‘How?’, so it’s better to give them a bigger canvas to work with and use a question framed as, ‘Many people must have found the situation terrifying; how was it for you?’

Top Tip 2: Avoid grunting, saying ‘uh-huh’, and verbalising your agreement or encouragement as it can be really distracting for the listener or viewer, especially if it’s a video situation and you’re off-camera. If you need to encourage your interviewee, use facial signals and body language: nod your head in encouragement, smile as appropriate, raise your eyebrows, shake your head in disbelief - all of these are silent yet effective means of encouraging your subject.

Good luck, and don't forget to share your stories!

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