Today was an exciting and a little nerve-racking day for me.
Before the match Real Madrid vs Levante, we filmed my section, the street interviews, for the very first episode of our final project: The What If Football Talk Show, right in front of the Santiago Bernabéu.
The first what if we’re exploring is a big one:
What if Messi had played for Spain instead of Argentina?
Y si Messi hubiera jugado para España en lugar de Argentina?
Out of My Comfort Zone
This was my first time ever doing something like this. Street interviews, on camera, approaching strangers and definitely not my natural comfort zone. And as if that wasn’t enough, Madrid weather was not great: freezing cold and nonstop rain.
We started by filming my introduction and then went straight into interviewing people around the stadium. The intro took around 3 takes, but as we like to keep my part fun and natural I improvised it for the better part. Most interviews were in Spanish, but we also managed to get a few in English, which added a really nice dynamic to the segment.
My Experience
I’ll be honest: I was a little bit nervous beforehand. I imagined awkward moments, people refusing, forgetting how to speak in Spanish, or freezing up completely. But the reality couldn’t have been more different.
People were incredibly friendly, open, and genuinely excited to be part of our project, even knowing the content would appear on social media. Once the first interview was done, everything started to flow. By the end, it felt natural, fun, and way more rewarding than I expected.
The Best Team
Neda, Fran, and John handled the filming and audio while I focused on my part in front of the camera. Having that support behind me made a huge difference and really showed how important it is to work with people you trust and want the same as you.
I’ll be adding two short interview clips below to give a better idea of what a filming day like this actually looks like. All participants gave their permission for these videos and images to be used for social media, this project, and other university-related purposes.
Interview with these sweet Spanish girls.
Interview with these sweet Spanish boys.
What's Next?
So now what’s next? This experience gave me a little confidence boost, not just for this project, but for future on-camera work as well. What felt intimidating at first ended up being exciting and fun.
Episode 1 is officially underway, and this is only the beginning. My part for this episode is done. Next week the boys and Neda will start filming their part of the first episode.
