BY Fast Company Contributor 2 MINUTE READ

In their candid conversation, Oprah and President Obama explore the transformative years leading up to his historic presidency, and reflect on the aspirations, perseverance and accomplishments that brought him to the White House, and the monumental expectations placed upon him during his pivotal time in office.

Courtesy of Apple

Oprah and former President Barack Obama appear to be sitting in the same living room, speaking about his new memoir, A Promised Land, in front of a crackling fireplace.

Except, they’re not really in the same space at all. The pair conducted this “in-person” interview from opposite coasts: Obama from a studio in Washington, D.C., and Oprah from her home in Santa Barbara. Due to social distancing measures, the interview was arranged remotely—but thanks to modern innovation, you might not even notice that they are sitting in different locations.

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.

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.

Courtesy of Apple

The green screen technology played a major role to make this socially distanced interview possible. To incorporate the green screen technology, the 44th president was instructed not to wear any green or white garments, and steer clear of shiny shoes, according to the production team. Further, he couldn’t drink water from a clear glass, as it would “disappear” before the green screen, making it look like he was sipping water out of nothing. Oprah and Obama sipped from matching tea mugs.

Oprah said. “Interviewing President Obama, it was really like he was right in front of me,”

Insightful and deeply personal, the memoir reveals President Obama’s introspective and genuine humanity, which propelled and sustained his journey to the presidency and beyond.

The global community can enjoy President Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land,” on Apple Books. The memoir is available as an ebook or audiobook narrated by President Obama himself.