Vox Pop - Interviews (Man On the Street)
Visit the vox vault at BBC (bbctraining.com) by following the link below..
Listen to the spontaneous and charming interviews with ordinary people on the street. But first: What is vox pop? Here is a definition from Wikipedia (13 May 2011):
Usually the interviewees are shown in public places, and supposed to be giving spontaneous opinions in a chance encounter — unrehearsed persons, not selected in any way. As such, broadcast journalists almost always refer to them as the abbreviated vox pop. In U.S. broadcast journalism it is often referred to as a man on the street interview or M.O.T.S..
Because the results of such an interview are unpredictable at best, usually vox pop material is edited down very tightly. This presents difficulties of balance, in that the selection used ought to be, from the point of view of journalistic standards, a fair cross-section of opinions.
Although the two can be quite often confused, a vox pop is not a form of a survey. Each person is asked the same question, the aim is to get a variety of answers and opinions on any given subject. Journalists are usually instructed to approach a wide range of people to get varied answers from different points of view. The interviewees should be of various ages, genders, classes and communities so that the diverse views and reactions of the general people will be known. Generally, the vox pop question will be asked of different persons in different parts of streets or public places. But as an exception, in any specific topic or situation which is not concerned to general people, the question can be asked only in a specific group to know what the perception/reaction is of that group to the specific topic or issue, i.e., a question can be asked to a group of students about the quality of the education.
Vox Pop - InterviewsOpphavsmann: Dennis Mojado
Try It Yourself
Having listened to a few of these interviews, have a go yourself.
Write down a suitable question. Then ask 5 people to comment. Use your mobile phone to record it. A suitable question is one that is not embarrassing and that can be answered in a few sentences.
Examples:
- Where do you like to go for the holidays?
- What is your favourite time of the year?
- What do you hate about getting up in the morning?
- Are today's teenagers any good - or are they passive screen-agers?
- What are you doing to save the environment?
Afterwards, compare results with your class mates and discuss the questions below.
Questions
- What are the tricky parts of making these interviews?
- Was it hard to come up with follow-up questions?
- Did you manage not to start laughing?
- Did you get any funny answers?
- Is this type of 'man on the street' journalism good for anything or is it just a waste of time?
Now that you have learned a lot from discussing your interviews, you just have to - DO IT AGAIN!
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