Tuto: make a success of Fast & Curious in the workplace

While there are countless offbeat video formats, Konbini's "Fast & Curious" is the most popular corporate format. Here's a simple guide to making your own.

First, let's review the Fast&Curious principle.
The speaker is seated facing the camera. He is presented with a series of words to choose from, with no time for reflection: 

Edited, the interview lasts between one and two minutes. It is extremely "cut" and rhythmic, i.e. the editing is very "tight" to give even more dynamism to the subject.

On the other hand, all moments of hesitation, jokes and remarks (even when the interviewee is speaking to someone off-camera) are carefully preserved in the edit. This is what makes the interview so enjoyable for the viewer.

Why it works on social networks:

• Because it's snackable content: it doesn't teach you an infinite number of things, but it's entertaining and requires little effort to concentrate. Its speed makes it more addictive than traditional content.
• Because it's authentic: the aim is to provoke an amusing - and amused - reaction from the interviewee. Words are carefully chosen to provoke astonishment or the "killer" retort.

Why companies love it:

• Because it's flexible: you can put several people behind the camera in turn and mix their answers. Ideal for team interviews:

Depending on the focus of your questions, you'll want to distribute them internally or externally (or both).

• Because it's reassuring: The speaker's words are less likely to overstep certain boundaries when the words are chosen by the communicators.
• Because it's part of "pop culture": today, Fast&Curious has become a classic (if not an ancestor!) of video format for social networks.

How to make it :

Over the years at EasyMovie, we've picked out the little details that will make your Fast&Curious video convincing and true to life. Here they are.

• • • For a one-minute video, expect to ask 20 questions. 

Divide your questions in half: 10 work-oriented, 10 much more general and "fun". You can find our 50 ideas for your Fast and Curious questions in our article.
There should be as many "Phone or e-mail", "Canteen or Greek across the street?", "Rihanna or Beyoncé?", "Jobi or Joba". During the interview, ask these questions in groups of 5, so that your rushes are neither too long nor too short. Segmented in this way, they will guarantee you optimized editing time: it will be much easier for you to find a passage.

• • • Target

N’hésitez pas à travailler vos questions en fonction du speaker et à vous demander si elles sont bien susceptibles de provoquer une réaction chez votre interviewé. Si vous faites partie du service RH par exemple, posez des questions RH — mais tenez compte de la personne qui vous fait face.

An apprentice may not react to the question "HRIS or Workplace?", because it's far removed from his concerns. You're much more likely to tickle him, for example, if you ask "School or company?".

What always works: the Cornelian dilemma. If you know he or she plays two sports, ask them to choose one.

• • • Respect the structure & rules of the interview

Your storyboard should consist of 6 main parts: an introduction, an exit plan (conclusion) and four "packages" of five questions.

1. The introduction is always the same. The person facing the camera makes a clap with his hands. She may say "here we go" or any other little exclamation that introduces the video.
2. The questions. When editing, alternate between short and long answers.
   Ask your first 5 questions one after the other. These will be cut off during editing and replaced by a question "card". In each case, the person must answer in a matter-of-fact manner - CAUTION: don't hesitate to explain that they can add a little phrase or joke to their choice. The whole point of the format lies in the mimics and little phrases. Alain Chabat, for example, has excelled in this area:

3. The conclusion should be as spontaneous as the rest of the interview. Take an amusing shot of the person who ends the interview.
This could be a closing clap, followed by the exclamation "CUT", or a reaction to the interview ( "that was fun - we'll never do it again - thank you very much, etc.").

• • • Framing: keep it simple

The video is more captivating if the gaze is always directed at the camera. Above all, film tightly enough to see the interviewee's facial expressions, as you can see in the thumbnails below. And if you want to know how to frame your collaborator, learn all about it in our article.

Emotions are essential here, so you need to be able to perceive them: a chest shot is therefore ideal. Don't go any further, and keep it that way from the beginning to the end of your interview. Don't forget that sometimes, even a close-up can be relevant, as in this interview with Romain Duris.

• • • Music: make rhythm

Choose a dynamic loop. In the absence of the original music, opt for percussion-based tracks. They'll energize the video all by themselves. See our article on the importance of choosing the right music for your videos.

That's all there is to it!

If you would like to create more videos, please contact us:

If you liked our article, don't hesitate to discover our tutorials:

Framing tutorial #1: the general shot 

Lighting tutorial #1: lighting your speaker indoors

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