In this article, we move on from passive historical research to look at more proactive ‘on the ground’ research, including research trips and interviews…

Research Trips

What is a research trip?

Research trips help you to get close to the world in which your story takes place and allow you to gather specific details relevant to your script. They might include:

• A fact-finding trip to a specific location
• A drive or train ride through a landscape or area
• A visit to a landmark or point of interest
• A walk through a neighbourhood
• Sitting in a café or park observing the locals
• A visit to a museum or archival collection
• A period of travelling overseas
• Spending time living in another country or community
• Undertaking a specific activity to gain experience
• Taking a temporary job in a relevant industry

Planning your research trip

The extent of planning required will depend upon the extent of the trip. However, here are a few things to ask.

• What do I actually need from the trip/s?
• Is this my only opportunity to take this trip?
• At what point in the research process should I take the trip?
• What preparations do I need to make?
• What is my budget?

How to get the most from your research trip

We call this element of the research process ‘journalistic research’ because it requires you to act like a journalist. This includes doing some background work on the places ahead of your visit, so you have an idea of what to expect.

If your story is a period piece, your research may be focused on specific neighbourhoods, collections and landmarks that represent the episode from the past you want to fictionalise.

In this case, it is even more of an imperative to plan ahead to ensure you get what you need from the trip. This is especially true with visits to archives and special collections as these are usually not freely available to the public without advance negotiations with the librarians and archivists.

One of the more important considerations is ensuring you have the means to record what you experience, whether that’s a note book and pen (or pencil if you’re going into archives) or a camera.

Interviews

Why are interviews important?

Interviews are useful in several ways. They can add important colour and detail to your story, as well as offering first-hand accounts of the events you’re fictionalising.

Interviews can also help you to understand specific subjects with which you might not be familiar, while supplying targeted background information. Most importantly, interviews can offer insight that is not available elsewhere and which can significantly help you to shape your screen story.

For example: For the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line (2005), it was only through interviews with the musician and his wife June Carter Cash that co-writer/director James Mangold and producer Cathy Konrad uncovered what became a key plot development.

As detailed in this CinemaBlend article, the couple revealed a long-held and very tightly-guarded secret that they had had an affair with each other at the beginning of their relationship when they were each married to someone else.

Had the filmmakers stuck to the information contained in the two Cash autobiographies – Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography – which are credited as the source material, they would not have uncovered what Mangold called an “emotional history” that became an integral part of the script and the finished (Oscar-winning) film.

Who should I interview?

For a fact-based film, the first candidates are likely to be the real-life figures you want to fictionalise, shortly followed by their relatives, friends, and close associates. Other candidates might be:

• Academics who specialise in your time period
• Journalists and authors who have written on the event and/or time period
• Professionals in a relevant industry who can provide background detail
• Individuals unconnected to the specific event but who lived through it
• Experts in a certain field who can help with technical or specialised areas

How should I approach a subject?

The first contact is ideally a short, succinct email, direct message, or snail mail letter to the potential subject that acts as an introduction, with some brief background on your project and a simple request for a little of their time to answer a few questions.

If you have commercial interest in your project or have any other relevant credentials, feel free to share them with the subject. However, don’t lie. If Hollywood hasn’t called, don’t tell subjects that Spielberg is attached to direct!

Planning and conducting an interview

It is always advisable to draw up a list of questions ahead of time, even if the interview goes off track. Take time to think about what you really want from the interviewee and develop questions and follow-ups that illicit that information.

Always phrase questions in an open way that avoids a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to keep them talking and adding authentic detail.

Also, leave your lines of communication open, so if they think of something relevant to your research at a later date, they feel free to contact you. Likewise, be sure to end by asking their permission for you to contact them with any follow-up questions (but don’t take liberties with their time and generosity).

It’s always a good idea to record the interview. Firstly, it means you can listen to the subject and not worry about scribbling notes. Secondly, you ensure you capture the whole interview accurately. You might pick up on something post-interview that you missed at the time.

Always make it clear to your subjects that they are being taped. If they object, don’t be tempted to record them anyway. If they do give you permission to tape the interview, transcribe it as soon as possible when you get home – either by hand or through the use of transcription software.

If you want to fictionalize any of the people you interview, you might need to think about getting them to sign a Life Rights Agreement. We talk about this in our guide to legal rights.

Finally, when it comes to interviews, think about your safety – over the phone or Zoom are good options. Unless you know the subject well, in-person interviews should be in a cafe, public place or in a busy office during business hours.

Taped interviews and oral histories

Finally, if you can’t interview the people involved directly, the next best thing is to hear (or watch them) talking to someone else.

If you’re planning a story that involves a high-profile figure, an internet search may well throw up some interesting archival material, in the form of taped or videoed interviews with them, or with those who have intimate knowledge of their lives.

For example: While Judy (2019) is based on a stage-play (End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter), much of the background came from tapes of entertainer Judy Garland speaking.

As screenwriter Tom Edge told Vanity Fair: “She was commissioned to write her biography and kind of endlessly missed the deadline, so they ended up bringing her a tape recorder.” The resulting tapes revealed Judy’s “deep-seated anger” at her treatment over the decades. This gave Edge plenty of first-hand source material with which to work. 

Another option is oral histories. There are lots of projects out there which aim to capture the memories of those involved in significant events. These projects memorialise the memories in the form of recorded (and often videotaped and transcribed) oral histories.

The idea is to preserve as many recollections as possible while the participants are still alive. These oral histories can provide a treasure trove of information for anyone researching a particular event or time period, especially wars. Search online or on YouTube for interviews and oral histories relevant to your story.

In the final article in the series, we look at collating research and moving into the writing process.