Interview Questions Framework

Complete 30-question interview framework for gathering video requirements before writing a programmatic video script. Questions are organized by category with follow-up trees and interpretation guidance.

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How to run the interview

1. Ask one category at a time, in order
2. Wait for answers before proceeding to the next category
3. Summarize each category's answers before moving on
4. Skip categories that are irrelevant (e.g., Assets for concept-only scripts)
5. Total interview should take 10-15 minutes
6. After all categories, produce a structured brief for confirmation

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Category 1: Product/Subject (5-7 questions)

Core questions

1. What is the product, tool, or subject of this video?

   • Follow-up if vague: "Can you give me a one-sentence elevator pitch?"
   • Interpretation: Extract the product name and core category

2. What are the 3 most important features or aspects to highlight?

   • Follow-up: "Which of these is the single most differentiating?"
   • Interpretation: Rank features by priority for scene allocation

3. What problem does this product solve for its users?

   • Follow-up: "How were users solving this problem before?"
   • Interpretation: This becomes the "pain point" scene content

4. What makes this product different from alternatives?

   • Follow-up: "Is there a specific competitor you want to contrast against?"
   • Interpretation: Differentiators become emphasis moments in the script

5. Is there a tagline, slogan, or key phrase you use?

   • Follow-up: "Should this appear as on-screen text or narration?"
   • Interpretation: May become the hook or CTA text

6. What is the current stage? (launched, beta, pre-launch, major update)

   • Interpretation: Affects tone - launched products can show real UI; pre-launch needs mockups

7. Are there any technical details the audience needs to understand?

   • Follow-up: "Should we simplify these or keep them technical?"
   • Interpretation: Determines technical depth of narration

Summary template

Product: [name]. Solves [problem] for [who]. Key features: [1], [2], [3]. Differentiator: [what]. Stage: [stage]. Tagline: [if any].

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Category 2: Audience (3-5 questions)

Core questions

8. Who is the primary target viewer?

   • Follow-up: "Job title, role, or persona name?"
   • Interpretation: Drives tone, vocabulary level, and examples

9. What is their technical level?

   • Options: Non-technical / Semi-technical / Developer / Expert
   • Interpretation: Non-technical = benefit-focused, no jargon. Developer = can show code.

10. What pain points or frustrations do they experience?

    • Follow-up: "Which pain point is the most emotionally charged?"
    • Interpretation: The strongest pain point often becomes the hook

11. What would make them share this video?

    • Interpretation: Identifies the "aha moment" that should be most prominently featured

12. Are there secondary audiences to consider?

    • Interpretation: Secondary audience may need a brief nod but should not dilute the primary message

Summary template

Primary audience: [role/persona]. Technical level: [level]. Key pain point: [pain]. Shareability hook: [what].

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Category 3: Video Goals (3-4 questions)

Core questions

13. What type of video is this?

    • Options: Product demo / Explainer / Social clip / Announcement / Tutorial
    • Interpretation: Directly sets pacing template and scene count

14. What is the target duration?

    • Follow-up if unsure: suggest based on type (demo: 30-120s, social: 15-60s)
    • Interpretation: Sets total_frames and constrains scene count

15. Where will this video be distributed?

    • Options: Website hero / YouTube / LinkedIn / Twitter/X / TikTok / Instagram / Internal / Email
    • Interpretation: Determines resolution (vertical vs horizontal) and pacing expectations

16. What should the viewer do after watching?

    • Follow-up: "Is there a specific URL, signup, or action?"
    • Interpretation: Becomes the CTA scene content

Summary template

Type: [type]. Duration: [Xs]. Channel: [where]. CTA: [action + URL].

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Category 4: Tone & Style (3-5 questions)

Core questions

17. What tone should the video have?

    • Spectrum: Formal <-> Casual, Energetic <-> Calm, Playful <-> Serious
    • Interpretation: Affects narration word choice, music selection, animation speed

18. Are there reference videos you like the style of?

    • Follow-up: "What specifically did you like about them?"
    • Interpretation: Extract concrete style elements (pacing, color, animation)

19. Should there be a human narrator voice or text-only?

    • Follow-up if narrator: "Male, female, or neutral? Any accent preference?"
    • Interpretation: Text-only scripts need more on-screen text; narrated scripts need pacing for speech

20. How fast should the pacing feel?

    • Options: Relaxed / Medium / Fast / Frenetic
    • Interpretation: Maps to per-scene duration choices within the type's range

21. Any styles or trends to avoid?

    • Interpretation: Adds to the anti-pattern list for this specific project

Summary template

Tone: [descriptors]. Pacing: [speed]. Voice: [narrator/text]. Reference: [if any].

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Category 5: Assets (3-5 questions)

Core questions

22. Do you have a logo in SVG or PNG format?

    • Follow-up: "Any usage rules (minimum size, clear space)?"
    • Interpretation: Logo appears in intro and outro scenes

23. Are there screenshots, screen recordings, or mockups available?

    • Follow-up: "Are these current or do they need updating?"
    • Interpretation: Real screenshots make demos more credible than illustrations

24. What are the brand colors? (hex codes preferred)

    • Follow-up: "Primary, secondary, and accent colors?"
    • Interpretation: Sets the color palette for backgrounds, text, and accents

25. What fonts does the brand use?

    • Follow-up: "Web-safe alternatives if custom fonts are unavailable?"
    • Interpretation: Typography choices for all on-screen text

26. Any existing brand motion guidelines or animation library?

    • Interpretation: Constrains animation choices to match existing brand motion

Summary template

Logo: [yes/no, format]. Screenshots: [yes/no]. Colors: [hex codes]. Fonts: [names]. Motion guidelines: [yes/no].

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Category 6: Content (4-6 questions)

Core questions

27. What is the single most important message the viewer should take away?

    • Interpretation: This message appears in at least 2 scenes (hook + CTA)

28. Which features or aspects must be shown, no matter what?

    • Follow-up: "In what order of importance?"
    • Interpretation: Each must-show feature gets its own scene

29. What is the call to action?

    • Follow-up: "Exact URL, button text, or next step?"
    • Interpretation: Final or penultimate scene content

30. Do you have an idea for the opening hook?

    • Follow-up if no: suggest 3 hook options based on gathered info
    • Interpretation: First 3 seconds of the video

Additional questions (if time allows)

• "Are there any claims that need disclaimers or caveats?"
• "Should we mention pricing or keep it out?"
• "Any seasonal or time-sensitive elements?"

Summary template

Key message: [message]. Must-show: [features]. CTA: [action + URL]. Hook idea: [hook]. Disclaimers: [if any].

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Category 7: Visual Preferences (3-5 questions)

These questions are asked last because earlier answers inform better defaults.

• Animation style preference? (Smooth/eased, Snappy/spring, Minimal/subtle)
• Color palette beyond brand colors? (Dark mode, light mode, gradients, flat)
• Layout preference? (Centered, split-screen, full-bleed, asymmetric)
• Any specific visual elements to include? (Icons, illustrations, 3D, photos)
• Screen recording style? (Full browser, app window only, cropped to feature)

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Generating the brief

After completing all categories, compile answers into a structured brief:

brief:
  product:
    name: "Acme Dashboard"
    problem: "Building dashboards takes weeks of developer time"
    differentiator: "AI-generated layouts from natural language prompts"
    tagline: "Dashboards that build themselves"
    stage: "launched"
  audience:
    primary: "SaaS founders and product managers"
    technical_level: "semi-technical"
    key_pain: "Wasting engineering time on internal tools"
  goals:
    type: "demo"
    duration: "60s"
    channel: "website-hero"
    cta: "Try free at acme.dev"
  tone:
    descriptors: "professional, confident, minimal"
    pacing: "medium"
    voice: "male narrator, neutral accent"
  assets:
    logo: true
    screenshots: true
    colors: ["#1a1a2e", "#16213e", "#0f3460", "#e94560"]
    fonts: ["Inter", "JetBrains Mono"]
  content:
    key_message: "Build production dashboards in minutes, not weeks"
    must_show: ["AI prompt input", "drag-and-drop editor", "real-time data"]
    hook: "What if your dashboard could build itself?"
  visual:
    animation_style: "smooth"
    palette: "dark mode with accent pops"
    layout: "centered with browser mockups"

Present this brief to the user for confirmation before generating the script. Any changes at this stage are much cheaper than revising a completed script.

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Adapting the interview

• Repeat clients: Skip Asset and Visual Preference categories; reuse from last project
• Tight timelines: Compress to 10 essential questions (1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 27, 29)
• Multiple stakeholders: Run the interview with the primary decision maker, then share the brief with others for feedback before scripting
• Vague answers: Offer 2-3 concrete options rather than asking open-ended follow-ups