PART IV CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY INTERVIEWS – BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER Before Preliminary field interviews are typically collected in less-than-ideal circumstances, but if you have a small amount of time to prepare your equipment in advance, do the following before you go: • clear any information off your camera or phone (contact information, files, photos, etc.) that you would not want an authority to have if confiscated; • charge your camera or phone batteries; • set the proper date, time, and location on your camera; • make sure your memory cards have sufficient space; • test to make sure your equipment is working properly; and • practice filming with your equipment to ensure you know how to use it properly and can easily do so in field conditions. Step 2: Identify and Minimize the Security Risks Carefully evaluate the security implications of conducting an interview on video. How might this impact you, your interviewee, or their community? Consult with the interviewee to help identify potential risks and options for minimizing them. Clarify and document what information the interviewee wishes to remain confidential. Consider how and where you will securely store the video files and documentation after the interview. Will you upload them to secure servers via an encrypted Internet connection and then delete the files locally? Will you pass the original files to a trusted ally? Consider if you need to conceal your witness’s identity during the filming process. Know that an anonymous witness can provide important lead information, but their testimony may be less valuable moving forward as a result of their anonymity, because an investigator cannot assess their credibility or complete a follow-up interview with them. Step 3 : To the Extent You Can, Know What You Need to Collect and Why Prepare a list of interview topics or questions with your objective in mind. If you don’t have time to prepare questions, know that you want to ask questions about safety in addition to the “who, what, where, when, and why.” 150 VIDEO AS EVIDENCE: FILMING PRELIMINARY INTERVIEWS V 1.0 FILMING Step 1: Prepare Your Equipment