By Skye, Jess and Lily
Bristol Old Vic Young Company Research Unit: Recording and Archiving Interviews and the Ethics around Interviewing
In Week 8 of the course, we had a talk from Nigel Bryant, the Audio-visual Digitisation Officer at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection. Because we were due to start interviewing participants soon, we talked about how best to operate the equipment to record these. We learnt some basic tips about finding a location for recording such as, always try to record indoors, around soft furnishings and on a steady surface. We also discussed different ways of microphoning the participants and what the positives and negatives of each method can be. For example, if we hold the recorder near their mouth throughout the interview, slight movement by the interviewer can make additional noises that are picked up by the recorder, interfering with the interview. As well as this, the participant will need to stay still for the sound to be consistent, not allowing them range of movement. Further technical notes included that it’s not just what the interviewees say, it’s how they say it – using a ‘levelier’ clip mic allows interviewees to relax and speak naturally through expressions and movement without needing to hold or have the interviewer hold a larger mic, which, as mentioned, can inhibit movement. Headphones are also essential because you need to monitor the sound levels – check for microphone fault, crackles, and sound levels. Sound levels must be between -18 and -10 decibels, and each channel must be checked and adjusted independently for sound. Additionally, 24bit depth and 96k sampling frequency is necessary – these are the official British Library standards for oral history recordings. And finally, you must do test recordings ahead of your location and copy files into two separate locations for back ups!
We also talked to Lucy Powell who is Keeper (Theatre Archives) at the Theatre Collection. She talked to us about how the data we will produce from our interviews will be catalogued for the archives. As well as each individual recording description, a collection level description will enable researchers searching the catalogue to have an overview of the resources available.
We also considered the ethical implications of interviewing and how to create a secure environment for the interviewee to feel comfortable sharing their personal views. To ensure that the interviewee’s rights, autonomy and privacy are respected we discussed some of the crucial points that are vital to the interview process. These include: when conducting an interview it’s important to consider the ethical guidelines, particularly making sure you have informed consent before starting the process, and making the interviewee aware that their participation is completely voluntary. The interviewee should also be made aware that their privacy and confidentiality are prioritised, and anything shared will only be used with their permission. Additionally, you should explain the purpose and context of the interview maintaining an integral space that avoids exploiting the contribution of the interviewees. Furthermore, interviewers must maintain an impartial view on the interviewee’s contribution. These guidelines can be bracketed into an understanding of mutual respect between the interviewer and interviewee.