The Secret to a Great Interview? Sometimes It Starts With a Headshot
We recently wrapped a full media production day with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, CA, and while the final deliverables tell the story of the university, one of our favorite parts of the day almost never makes it into the reel: the headshots.
We were tasked with capturing the story of MIIS itself, who the university is, what it stands for, and why it matters to the people who've passed through it. That meant sitting down with 10 alumni, students, faculty, and past faculty, all while an alumni event was happening simultaneously on campus. To cover the full picture without missing a beat, we split into two production teams working in parallel.
Before any of the real interviews began, though, we ran headshots. On paper, they were a bonus deliverable. In practice, they were our secret weapon. A headshot session is a low-stakes way to get someone comfortable in front of a camera, an icebreaker that lets people get the nervous energy out before the real conversation starts. It's a technique we use often on interview-heavy shoots, and it shows. People walk into their actual interview looser, more themselves, and more willing to say something honest instead of something rehearsed.
That approach paid off across the final deliverables: a 3-minute piece capturing the full breadth of the university, and a shorter, more poetic 1.5-minute piece built around a single idea that kept surfacing in conversation after conversation, the refuge and sense of purpose MIIS gave so many of its students & faculty. Alongside the video work, everyone who sat down with us also walked away with a polished, professional headshot, proof that sometimes the best bonus deliverable starts as a warm-up.
Whether you need corporate headshots, event photography, or full-scale video production on the Monterey Peninsula, we're here to bring your project to life. Based in Monterey, CA, and serving Monterey, Carmel, Salinas, and the greater Central Coast and SF Bay Area.
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