RESEARCH 10 - VOX POP

VOX POP

Vox pop is the short version for ‘vox populi’ which also means the voice of the people. This is an interview with members of the public that are canvassed for their opinion, this usually happens on the street also random subjects are asked to give their views on a particular topic and their responses are presented to the viewer/reader as a reflection of popular opinion.  It is also cut and mixed very carefully to fit in all different views, because the talk should only last for 20-40 seconds maximum, also this represents the current views of the public and is not scientific information but 6 people who are willing to take part. While doing these interviews they get information from people’s opinion which could be based by their age, ethnicity, gender etc. Also when doing a vox pop it is better to have noises such as cars going past or the craziness from the city to make it sound more real and show that you have actually been out there. The best responses are usually the ones that are fast this is because it doesn’t give the interviewee the time to think and that way they haven’t got a chance to think of what other people may believe but their honest opinion about the issue. It is also best to say why you have come to hear their opinion and what broadcast they are with so that they feel comfortable enough to talk and don’t feel it’s for any other use.  Those that have the weirdest and outrageous responses allows the listeners to be entertained by the answers and enjoy listening and lastly whenever doing a vox pop the reporters voice should never appear because of the short time, this is why the questions get edited out and should always avoid complex questions otherwise it would be time consuming, but they should still be brief with their questions so that the interviewee’s know what to talk about.

Here is a video about some of the tips of a vox pop in action and is the link to a source used for this blog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/radio-vox-pops/12696.html