Duration of a Vox Pop
1 min 30 secs. Or less, around 1 minute.
Definition of a Vox Pop
A Vox Pop is an audio report that groups, after editing, the answers of various people to the same questions.
Who speaks in a Vox Pop ?
«Vox Pop» comes from the Latin : Vox populi, “voice of the people”. Ordinary people are the ones speaking in a Vox Pop, not secretaries of state, lawyers, CEOs, army generals nor men of the cloth.
Where to do a Vox Pop ?
In the same places where you can find ordinary people: in the streets, in local markets…
How many people speak in a Vox Pop ?
Six people is a good medium. Each of them speaks for fifteen seconds. If you choose a shorter format, 4 to 5 people is enough.
How to do a Vox Pop ?
First you have to choose one question. Then you have to go on the field, in the streets for example, and ask that question to the people you come across. You mustn’t ask more than one question: you’re not doing an interview but rather a Vox Pop. Try to avoid going at the same place and the same time every time you do a Vox Pop, else you’ll always be asking questions to the same kind of people.
How to introduce a Vox Pop ?
A Vox Pop is no survey. It has no scientific pretenses. It’s a snapshot, a picture. Avoid formulaic sentences such as “People from this city/that neighborhood reject this initiative, as certified by these citizens”.
Like any other report, a Vox Pop is introduced by an anchor intro answering the 5 Ws and stating the question that was asked (the angle). The reporter writes his anchor intro and the anchor rewrites it so that it fits his voice.