Oprah and Barack Obama Film “In-Person” Interview Remotely
On the latest episode of The Oprah Conversation on Apple TV, Oprah and former President Barack Obama appear to be sitting in the same living room, speaking about tidbits from his new memoir, A Promised Land. Except they were not really in the same space at all. The pair conducted this “in-person” interview from opposite coasts.
Due to social distancing measures, the interview was arranged remotely, so Obama filmed from a studio in Washington, D.C., and Oprah from her home in Santa Barbara.
“Through the miracle of technology, we get to be face-to-face in the same room, and we don’t have to wear a mask,” Oprah says in the opening sequence. President Obama adds: “We have a fire going, apparently!”
Facing COVID-related travel difficulties, Oprah said that while she would have preferred a real sit-down, safety precautions led her team to get creative. “Nothing compares to being in person, but this was the next best thing,” Oprah says.
She was inspired, she says, by the first episode of Drew Barrymore’s new daytime talk show, which launched in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Guest Cameron Diaz seemed to be sitting in a chair near Barrymore—but she was actually in a studio in Los Angeles.
Oprah and President Obama weren’t speaking directly to each other, given the miles of distance, however, to allow for natural conversation, monitors were carefully placed at the other’s eye-line, to make it appear as though they were making eye contact.
“Certainly it’s far better being in person, but this was as close as you can get because you are looking at the other person’s body language. Rather than looking directly into the lens, you’re looking at the person’s full-body, their facial expressions, their movements, everything,” Oprah says. “Interviewing President Obama, it was really like he was right in front of me,” she adds.
To ensure a sense of total seamlessness, the two rooms’ identical furniture was arranged with “extremely precise” measurements. The production teams in D.C. and Santa Barbara used the same cameras, lenses, lighting, and audio equipment, to avoid discrepancies.
Barack Obama has been making headlines for his memoir A Promised Land. In this book, the former US President has made many revelations about his time as president. He has also discussed in detail his take on various political leaders across the globe. Recently, he spoke about his memoir in detail with Oprah Winfrey.
View a clip on how the interview was set up below!