Fifteen minutes

You know the reason for my lack of ability to write anything over these last few days? I think it was my low level, subconscious anxiety over the interview M and I were going to undergo for a local tv current affairs type show on Monday afternoon. Yes, the short comment M left in response to that SMH article has really led off in all sorts of directions. I still don’t quite understand the media’s current interest in online games, and I’m still a bit peeved at the overly sensational approach they seem to be taking, but I’m quite amused at M’s and my contribution to the discussion.

On Thursday last week a producer for said current affairs show (which shall remain nameless for the time being) contacted M and asked if they could interview us. They were going to be interviewing “another couple” (hint: Cozalcoatl and her husband) and wanted to hear from us as well, as “highly educated and in their thirties which fits the profile of people who are spending lots of time playing these type of games”. I thought M would say no (he’d already refused the radio interview), but to my surprise he was quite keen. Who was I to say no? I decided that I would remember my new year’s resolution – to do my best with every opportunity I come across – so I agreed, with some trepidation.

You’ll laugh at my first response to the idea of being interviewed for tv, though. All I was worried about was: “Will I have to wear make up?” Then I started wondering what they would do, what sorts of questions they would ask, and how we would appear to anyone who watches the show: “Gee, what a pair of nerds!” And what if the camera man stepped on Baubles the Cat? Thankfully, that last worry snapped me out of it and I stopped running through worst case scenarios in my head. I had a fairly enjoyable weekend and didn’t really think about the impending interview, but I’m sure it affected me anyway, despite my best efforts.

Anyway, the reporter came over yesterday and it was completely not what I was expecting.

• I was expecting slickly dressed professionals, but the reporter, a guy called Graham, didn’t even introduce himself properly – and he was wearing a crumpled white shirt and crumpled black trousers, and his shoe laces weren’t tied. The camera woman was in shorts and sandshoes, as was her assistant (what do they call the person who does the setting up, and holds the piece of white card in front of the camera before they start filming?). I had a brief moment of suspicion that they were really home invaders and they would rush in once we were off our guard, and steal all the books and Baubles the Cat… but that was my imagination running away with me again!
• No one said anything about makeup or even commented on how we looked. They just put lots of lights everywhere and started filming.
• The reporter seemed to not have any idea what he was going to say at all! All he had was a piece of paper with some scribbled notes on it – the email M sent to the producer – and he didn’t even seem to know our names, or that we were ‘together’, asking “You guys are together, yeh?” He didn’t know a thing about games, and wasn’t particularly interested either (although the camera woman did tell us he was an avid gardener! hah!). I suppose he was just doing his job.
• Completely unrehearsed, the reporter just sat facing us (they filmed us over his shoulder so I guess viewers won’t actually see his crumpled state) and asked questions. I was quite amused by the really over the top facial expressions he pulled as he spoke to us. I almost couldn’t bear to look at him because I was worried I would burst out laughing, or worse, start mimicing him! “So, what’s fun about games?[grimace]”, or “Isn’t it really, well, nerdy, to be playing games? [grimace]”. It’s a pity I can’t really remember exactly what he asked us, except to say it was entirely what we expected. “Would you say you are addicted? [grimace]”
• I think I actually said more than M did! Who’da thunk? I kept making analogies to other hobbies/interests. “What’s so strange about getting engrossed in a game? It’s just like reading a good novel you can’t put down and spend all night reading. No one says that is addictive behaviour, you are just enjoying yourself!”
• After the actual interview, they needed shots of us being a couple (the reporter’s words), so we spent a good few minutes posing over one of my unfinished jigsaw puzzles while poor M was made to keep pouring Heineken beer into a glass for me. They have shots of us talking inanely while drinking beer and me peering at my jigsaw puzzle, which was not even the right way up (sideways)! Of course, they also filmed us in our games room playing WoW.
• No one stepped on Baubles the Cat, although the reporter did exclaim when he saw her: “She’s quite a sight!” and I think she kept him and the assistant amused while the camera woman filmed us running our characters around in WoW. I did notice her rubbing herself on the reporter’s shoe during the interview. I think he chose to ignore her. (Baubles the Cat has a thing for leather and loves rolling around on leather garments of any description. I won’t mention what she does to suede.)

The whole process took an hour. We have no idea when (or if) we will appear on telly. Apparently they’re going to have to send their footage over to Sydney, and it’ll all be put together there. The camera woman remarked that for every hour of filming and setting up, they usually end up actually using only a minute or so of the footage. I’m not going to worry about appearing on national prime time tv for the time being. After all, they might not even use the footage they took of us.

I’m relieved it’s over, and hopefully the producer of the other show who contacted us won’t decide that he wants to interview us after all. He really wanted “addicts” and M told him we wouldn’t fit the bill.

Categories: interview