An office can help viewers understand the people and company behind a story. An outdoor setting can connect that story to the environment where the work happens.
Neither is automatically the better choice.
For a founder interview, customer story, or corporate video, the strongest setting is one that supports the message while giving the production team suitable conditions for clear sound, thoughtful lighting, and a comfortable conversation.
At 175 Productions, our interview work has taken us into technology offices and outdoor working environments. Two examples—the Rhoda AI office production and the HAVOC waterfront interview—show why choosing a setting involves more than finding an attractive background.
Start With What the Location Adds to the Story
Before choosing a room or outdoor spot, ask: What will the viewer understand from seeing this person here?
An office can establish a company’s identity through its workspace, architecture, products, and people. For a founder explaining the business, that context may be useful.
An outdoor working environment can make a different connection. For the HAVOC production, the waterfront and vessels helped connect the interview to the company’s maritime work.
The background should contribute something meaningful without drawing attention away from the speaker.
A visually impressive location is less useful if it makes the conversation difficult to record or adds little to the story.
When an Office Interview Makes Sense
It can also provide protection from weather and easier access to nearby people, products, and supporting footage.
However, an office is not automatically a controlled filming environment.
Large windows can create differences in brightness. Glass walls can reflect cameras and lighting. Air conditioning, nearby conversations, and hard surfaces can affect the sound.
Shure’s Audio Systems Guide for Video and Film Production explains how background noise and room reverberation affect recording, and why microphone placement matters. This is another reason to listen to a potential interview space before choosing it.
The room also needs enough space for the speaker, cameras, lights, microphones, and crew. A conference room that comfortably holds a meeting may feel much smaller once production equipment is in place.
Our Rhoda AI office-production article explores how background depth, lighting, reflections, sound, and available space influence an interview setup.
Choose the office because it supports the production—not simply because it is available.
When an Outdoor Interview Makes Sense
An outdoor setting is worth considering when the surroundings help explain the subject’s work.
A waterfront, field location, or other relevant environment can give viewers context that would be difficult to communicate through an office background alone.
That context comes with additional planning.
Sunlight changes during the day. Wind can affect microphones. Traffic, nearby activity, and other environmental sounds may interrupt the conversation. Weather and access can also affect the schedule.
RØDE’s guide to reducing wind noise outdoors recommends matching wind protection to the conditions and considering a more sheltered recording position when needed. A location’s sound conditions deserve as much attention as its appearance.
For the HAVOC interview, our behind-the-scenes material shows overhead diffusion, multiple camera positions, a boom microphone, and production monitoring. Those elements supported filming in an environment that was not inherently controlled.
Our outdoor interview setup article explains how those considerations work together.
Choose outdoors when the setting contributes enough to the story to justify managing those conditions.
Compare the Practical Requirements
Consideration | Office interview | Outdoor interview |
Story context | Can show the company’s workspace, identity, and products | Can connect the speaker to a relevant working environment |
Sound | Check HVAC, conversations, equipment noise, and echo | Check wind, traffic, nearby activity, and other environmental noise |
Lighting | Assess windows, overhead fixtures, mixed light, and reflections | Assess sun direction, changing daylight, shade, and light control |
Scheduling | Coordinate room access, staff availability, and quiet periods | Coordinate access, daylight, weather, and a suitable alternative |
Space | Allow room for equipment and separation from the background | Allow safe equipment placement and control of the filming area |
Information in frame | Check screens, whiteboards, documents, and unreleased products | Check people, signage, activity, and anything unsuitable for publication |
These are planning considerations, not a scorecard. A carefully selected outdoor location may work better than a noisy office, while a suitable office may provide exactly the context and conditions the video needs.
Which Option Costs Less?
The location alone does not determine the production cost.
An office may simplify travel or access, but a reflective, noisy, or cramped room can require additional preparation.
An outdoor location may need more light control, weather planning, equipment transport, or time to work around environmental conditions.
A useful estimate considers the actual setup, crew, filming schedule, access requirements, and deliverables. Assuming that an office is always cheaper—or that outdoors always requires a larger production—can overlook important details.
You Can Combine Both Settings
The interview and supporting footage do not need to be recorded in the same place.
One option is to record the conversation indoors and capture outdoor footage that shows the work being discussed. Another is to use different interview settings where each contributes a distinct part of the story.
For clients, this creates flexibility: a visually relevant environment can still appear in the finished film even when it is not the strongest place to record a longer conversation.
The decision should follow the story and the practical conditions.
What to Share With Your Production Team
Before committing to a location, send your production team:
- The video’s purpose and intended audience.
- Photos or a short walkthrough of possible filming areas.
- The number of interview participants and their availability.
- Any restrictions involving noise, access, staff, or confidential information.
- Examples of the visual style you prefer.
For an outdoor option, discuss an alternative location or plan if conditions change.
This information helps the team evaluate the setting before the filming day and explain the tradeoffs clearly.
Choose the Setting That Helps the Person Communicate
A successful interview depends on more than its background. The person speaking needs to feel comfortable, the audience needs to hear them clearly, and the setting should support what they are saying.
At 175 Productions, we plan interview production around those connected needs, adapting camera placement, lighting, audio, and logistics to the project.
Whether you are considering your office or an outdoor location, our Interview & Podcast Video Production team can help evaluate the options.
PRODUCTION INSIGHTS
Start With the Location, Not the Equipment
Controlling Natural Light Outdoors
Camera Placement Is About More Than Finding a Good Angle
Outdoor Interview Audio Needs Its Own Plan
Monitoring Helps Catch Problems While They Can Still Be Fixed
The Background Should Help Tell the Story
Indoor and Outdoor Interviews Require Different Decisions
The Person on Camera Still Matters
An Interview Can Become More Than One Video
A Professional Outdoor Interview Is a Complete Production System