--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Engaging with the subject from behind the…" description: "\"Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an interview.\" — John Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png" --- # Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels… ![“Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an interview.” quote by John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png) > “Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an interview.” [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interviewing from behind the camera creates a more authentic, less staged conversation. **In simple terms:** Behind‑camera interviews feel natural. Key Takeaway Embrace indirect interviewing. Themes authenticity interview technique media Mood introspective analytical Type observational practical When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - podcast production - live streaming - journalistic research Key Concepts presence power dynamics trust Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect interviewee openness? - Can indirect methods capture nuance? A Different Perspective May limit visual engagement with the subject. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [It is not unusual to send someone to conduct an interview you don't have time to conduct. It's what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/it-is-not-unusual-to-send-someone-to-conduct-an-interview-you-don-t/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/saturate-yourself-with-your-subject-and-the-camera-will-all-but-take/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [I don't have a GoPro attached to me at all times, but I try to raise the camera when it feels right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-don-t-have-a-gopro-attached-to-me-at-all-times-but-i-try-to-raise/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I'm always aware of the camera and it feels like that's the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-m-always-aware-of-the-camera-and-it-feels-like-that-s-the-audience/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/the-camera-is-a-remarkable-instrument-saturate-yourself-with-your/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [(1) The more thoroughly a photographer explores his subject with the camera (i.e., the more pictures he makes), the more he sees and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/1-the-more-thoroughly-a-photographer-explores-his-subject-with-the/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [I've been acting since I was 2 and have always been on camera but doing a video is different because when you're acting, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bleu/i-ve-been-acting-since-i-was-2-and-have-always-been-on-camera-but/) [Corbin Bleu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bleu/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [The border is varied depending on the geography, depending on the specific venue, and depending on the conduct of individuals around it. We don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-mayorkas/the-border-is-varied-depending-on-the-geography-depending-on-the/) [Alejandro Mayorkas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-mayorkas/) > [Lenity will operate with greater force, in some instances, than rigor. It is, therefore, my first wish, to have my whole conduct distinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/lenity-will-operate-with-greater-force-in-some-instances-than-rigor/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Absolute morality is the regulation of conduct in such a way that pain shall not be inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/absolute-morality-is-the-regulation-of-conduct-in-such-a-way-that/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Be kindly and just in your dealings with your men. Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/be-kindly-and-just-in-your-dealings-with-your-men-never-play/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [Let everyone regulate his conduct... by the golden rule of doing to others as in similar circumstances we would have them do to us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/let-everyone-regulate-his-conduct-by-the-golden-rule-of-doing-to/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) ## More by John Wilson > [I organize all my footage by the date it was shot, and then arrange everything in a timeline once I begin a project. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-organize-all-my-footage-by-the-date-it-was-shot-and-then-arrange/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I usually display all of my personal issues in little memoir films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-usually-display-all-of-my-personal-issues-in-little-memoir-films/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You've got to make your own entertainment sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-ve-got-to-make-your-own-entertainment-sometimes/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Sometimes people are very kind of uptight and they're not really sure how to behave, but after time they open up sometimes. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/sometimes-people-are-very-kind-of-uptight-and-they-re-not-really-sure/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I think that obsessively documenting everything sometimes gives me a reason to go out and experience things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-think-that-obsessively-documenting-everything-sometimes-gives-me-a/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You can tell immediately if someone wants to be recorded or not. And in that moment, when they give you an inch and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-can-tell-immediately-if-someone-wants-to-be-recorded-or-not-and/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [The guy that taught me how to cook risotto lives right down the street and I see him all the time. I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/the-guy-that-taught-me-how-to-cook-risotto-lives-right-down-the/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I got sick and tired of my lady wearing ugly underwear to bed, so I turned to the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-got-sick-and-tired-of-my-lady-wearing-ugly-underwear-to-bed-so-i/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I always have a little camera on me whenever I leave the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-always-have-a-little-camera-on-me-whenever-i-leave-the-house/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I feel like the most interesting imagery out there does not have me in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-feel-like-the-most-interesting-imagery-out-there-does-not-have-me/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You know, I've struggled with a certain amount of social anxiety throughout my life, and the best tool that I feel like one could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-know-i-ve-struggled-with-a-certain-amount-of-social-anxiety/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I have no interest in living forever. It sounds like a nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-have-no-interest-in-living-forever-it-sounds-like-a-nightmare/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I don't know what kind of lobotomy they get in advertising school, but they find bits of pop culture or art that has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-don-t-know-what-kind-of-lobotomy-they-get-in-advertising-school-but/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [There's a psychotic amount of footage that I get. I watch 100 percent of it from every single camera department, including my own stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/there-s-a-psychotic-amount-of-footage-that-i-get-i-watch-100-percent/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Ron Howard is just a funny legacy director. As a film nerd, he's kind of a funny person to valorize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/ron-howard-is-just-a-funny-legacy-director-as-a-film-nerd-he-s-kind/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) [Explore all 110 John Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## More Camera quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) Mitra Farahani > [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [When the camera is on, I am an actor; otherwise, I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/when-the-camera-is-on-i-am-an-actor-otherwise-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“A camera is an opening in a box: that is the best emblem of the fact that a camera holding an object is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-cavell/a-camera-is-an-opening-in-a-box-that-is-the-best-emblem-of-the-fact/) [Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-cavell/) > [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [“The camera lets me see things in a different way. It's like I finally have perspective. I can't always say stuff right in words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-camera-lets-me-see-things-in-a-different-way-it-s-like-i-finally/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-was-so-green-and-my-background-was-mostly-in-theater-the-only-thing/) [Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/) > [As far as lighting and blocking, camera angles and facial expressions, all that stuff that has to be very specific in film, as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/as-far-as-lighting-and-blocking-camera-angles-and-facial-expressions/) [Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I feel like 'Preacher's Daughter' was my Trojan horse, in a way. I'm excited to pull back, be behind the camera instead of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-feel-like-preacher-s-daughter-was-my-trojan-horse-in-a-way-i-m/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) [Browse all 2,026 Camera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an interview.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-the-camera-feels-like-the-least/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Camera" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-the-camera-feels-like-the-least/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/john-wilson-4456_camera_engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-th_1801839.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an…” — John Wilson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Engaging with the subject from behind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-the-camera-feels-like-the-least/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-the-camera-feels-like-the-least/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```