I have always wanted to try the Interrotron. If for nothing else, just to say the name repeatedly to beef up my nerd cred: Interrotron, Interrotron, Interrotron… There, I feel more akin to the singularity already.

Named and supposedly patented by the famed Errol Morris, to allow his interview subjects to look comfortably into the camera, the Interrotron is basically a souped up double teleprompter system. Instead of projecting up words for the subject to read, it projects a video image of yourself to the subject and vice versa. It gives the illusion that you are looking at each other, even though you are staring at digital pixels of each other. Now that I’m trying to describe it, I’m realizing the conceptual video artist, Nam June Paik, was probably the inspiration for Errol Morris to come up with this crazy system.

Of course, in core Kontent fashion — needing to do twice the line items for half the budget — we decided to create a DIY version for a UCSF Medical Center television campaign, currently on air in the Bay Area. The Hive creative team wanted the audience to connect to patient’s true stories of why they choose UCSF. It seemed like a natural fit to try the Interrotron, since eye contact allows for that deeper connection.

I was warned that it can be off-putting and hard to get used to, but I have to say there was an immediate comfort with the rig. I had no problem having my interview subjects respond as though I was speaking directly to them with real eye-to-eye communication. I still had to get up from time to time and check in with them in person, but it worked amazingly well. Especially for the speed we had to work. My DP, Rob Humphreys and Art Director, Darin Hunt, did an amazing job to create varied looks with less than 15 minutes between set ups. Did I mention we shot print as well? Insane day, but it was lots of fun trying out a new and handy rig. Thanks, Errol.

View the completed videos for the UCSF Medical Center television campaign and experience the deeper connection and eye contact with real patients as they share their stories.

I Chose UCSF Spot 1 >>
I Chose UCSF Spot 2 >>