How to Set Up Two Cameras for an Interview Shoot

In interview video, editing freedom is decided at the moment you set the cameras. Shoot with one camera and you have nowhere to cut to when the subject stumbles, coughs or restarts a sentence — the edit becomes brutally hard. Two cameras isn't insurance; it's a precondition of editable interview. This article covers the principles for getting that two-camera blocking right.

The Basics: Tight and Wide

When you're shooting with two cameras, the two need different jobs. Two identical angles is just redundancy — not coverage.

A-cam (tight): Bust to waist. Captures expression and the nuance of speech. The cut you sit on.
B-cam (wide): Long to medium. Captures atmosphere, clothing, gesture. The cut you escape to.

In the edit, sit on A, cut to B when you need to bridge an "umm" or trim a sentence. That's the natural rhythm.

The 180° Rule Is Non-Negotiable

The line between subject (interviewee) and interviewer is the imaginary line. Both cameras must sit on the same side of that line. No exceptions.

Mix in a camera from across the line and the edit jumps — the eye-line stops matching, left/right positions appear to flip, the viewer briefly loses orientation.

Three Standard Two-Camera Layouts

Three setups that consistently survive contact with reality:

Pattern A: Near-Frontal Tight + Side-Angle Wide

A-cam: Slightly off-center to the right of the subject (just enough to avoid full eye-line). Distance 1.8–2.5m.
B-cam: 45° to the side, framing 3/4 of the figure. Distance 3.0–4.0m.

The most versatile layout. The default for corporate and YouTube interviews.

Pattern B: 30° + 60° Same-Side

A-cam: Subject's right at 30°, tight.
B-cam: Subject's right at 60°, wide.

Cuts cleanly. Documentary-friendly.

Pattern C: Frontal + Side Profile

A-cam: Roughly head-on, direct eye-line.
B-cam: Straight to the side at 90°, profile.

Cut between an "addressing the camera" register and a "lost in thought" profile. Reads like a magazine feature.

Tips

Pre-rig your two-camera layout in 3D — the day gets dramatically easier.

Trying to nail "a touch left?" and "the desk's in shot" on the day while the interviewee waits is brutal. Lay out the room, table, chairs and both cameras in Shot Planner ahead of time, and the per-camera frame previews give you the answers before you walk in.

Block out two cameras in 3D →

Mind the Eye-Line Vector

A subject's gaze needs space to look into ("nose room"). If A-cam shows the subject looking right, leave space on the left of the frame. Hold this convention across both cameras and the eye-line continuity survives every cut.

Mic Position vs Camera Frame

The classic boom-mic-in-shot problem. If a shotgun mic drops in from above on B-cam's wide framing, the boom stand position has to be agreed before the shoot.

When audio and camera are different people, no blocking diagram = arguments on set. Show the camera frustums in Shot Planner with the mic stand placed, and you align faster than any verbal explanation.

Checklist

Are both cameras on the same side of the imaginary line?
Are the tight/wide roles clearly differentiated?
Is there room in the frame for the subject's eye-line on both cameras?
Is the wide camera clean of mics, stands and monitors?
Are white balance, frame rate and colour temperature matched between both cameras?

Finalise the two-camera setup before the shoot.

Block out the room in 3D in Shot Planner and check both camera frames at the same time.

Try a setup →