1) A video interview will take a similar time to the chat for a written piece, 45-60 minutes. For many people it can be quite nerve wracking, but we will do our best to help you feel comfortable. Nerves are natural, they are a sign you are doing something that you care about!

1. Choose clothes that feel comfortable. (not patterns/stripes, as they strobe, and not white, as it can affect the camera’s colour perception)
2. Speak slowly, take your time: We use two cameras to enable easy editing on any stumbles. If you make a mistake, pause and have another go.
3. Breathe deeply, speak firmly to avoid quaver.
4. If necessary ask onlookers to move elsewhere.
5. Nerves they spring from thoughts, so focus on surroundings, physical sensations (e.g. wriggle your toes) to get out of your head.
6. Smile. Even fake ones change your physiology. Or bring your favourite joke and tell it to the interviewer.

2) Location should be quiet and well lit. Many labs have pumps and aircon hum, which is not ideal, but we can live with it. We have lighting, but natural light is better. A new location is required for each new interviewee.

3) Speak with the interviewer and ignore the cameras (hard to do, I know). Looking at the camera looks a bit awkward. You will have a microphone, probably on your lapel, so try to speak normally and confidently.

4) Express your enthusiasm for the topic. Say why it matters to you, how it will make a difference, and how you feel about the research. Curious? Proud? Puzzled? Hopeful? Excited? What are the parts that you really love? Speculate about the future – the viewers will understand that this is your take, not a peer-reviewed fact.

5) If you don’t like or understand a question, just say so, and we’ll try a different tack. Or if there is something else you want to say, say so. It’s better to have too much stuff, than to have to come back and film something again!

6) Try to keep things brief – sound bites of 10-15 seconds are easy to edit together. In long sentences, try to pause.

7) B-roll. This means other footage which will be shown over the audio of you speaking. The more of this we can film the better – lab equipment, you and your colleagues performing research tasks, or even chatting, walking around the building.

We can possibly source drones as well.

Make a list of possibilities, and let us know if one-off opportunities come up. (e.g. new equipment being installed, a vacuum chamber being opened etc)

We can also use animations, jpgs of data, or photos, and source stock footage if needed. Please supply as much as possible

We can also add text on screen to help explain concepts.

8) Avoid saying:

1. Phrases such as “as I said before” as the content may be re-ordered.
2. Acronyms.
3. Jargon from your field.
4. Detailed caveats on the results – if these are necessary, say the results first and the caveats later. Or these can be shown as text on screen.

Editing can take 1-4 weeks. A draft will be sent to you for commenting on. As with writing, please explain any errors or problems, rather than trying to solve it yourself – there may be a number of possible solutions.

Final draft will be posted on ANU Physics YouTube, and Facebook. From YouTube it will be shared to the Physics news website with some accompanying text.

All footage and imagery is available to you to use in any way you want.