So, Monday marked the first real filming day for our final project, The What-If Football Talk Show. This first session was all about creating our trailer, not the first episode, but a small preview of what the show will become. The whole idea behind the preview trailer is genuinely fun: we’re filming the same interview twice, once now at the start and once again when everything is finished, so we can see how our answers change after weeks of filming, learning, and collaborating.
We also decided to record a “behind the scenes behind the scenes”, mostly for ourselves and for later memories. I’m already thinking about turning everything into a small documentary or video so we can look back on it once this year is over.
The Filming Experience
The first filming day was a lot of fun, but also much more intense than expected. The work began long before we even entered the studio. We had to finalise our concept, book the studio and equipment, and think about our appearance and the overall style of the trailer. Once in the studio, we spent a long time setting up the cameras, adjusting the lighting, fixing the microphones, and making sure everyone was sitting in the exact same position for continuity.
When everything finally looked right, we started filming. We recorded for about one and a half to two hours, and the rest of the time was spent preparing the studio and taking everything down again. All of this resulted in a trailer of only seven minutes, which says a lot about how much time the real episodes will take. Still, I think I can speak for all of us that we loved every part of it.
Meet the Team
One thing that makes this entire project easier is this specific team. Everyone is extremely motivated, kind, and supportive, and it takes away a lot of the stress of doing something completely new.
I am co-hosting the show with Neda. I’ll be interviewing fans in the streets later on, asking the same “what-if” question that our panelists will debate in the studio, and helping Fran with the filming when needed. Neda is the host in the studio and leads every discussion. Our panelists — Anton, Dani and John — will talk through the different “what-if” scenarios, each with their own perspective. And then we have Fran, our director, who creates the vision, organises the script, and oversees the camera work.
Together we somehow make this all work, even though none of us have ever done something like this before.
The What-If Football Talkshow Team: Anton, Me, Dani, John, Fran, and Neda (design created by Fran)
What’s Next
I’ll be documenting this whole process here on the blog, from the filming days to the editing to the final episodes. And if that isn’t enough, we also have an Instagram and YouTube page for the project. I’ve added some behind-the-scenes photos from our first day, and the trailer is already online if you want to watch it.
This is only the beginning, and I’m excited to see how far we can take it…
