The trip to the Excell Centre was very nerve wracking. Although all of us had attended workshops that dealt with interview techniques, hearing who we would have the chance to interview made it all a lot more real. However, despite our preparation, none of us would realise how uninviting the prospect of broadcast journalism could be! After being kitted up with our team hoodies, our first job was to film the introductory sequence to our short film about the two days that we spent on the project. Despite the sequence lasting fifteen seconds at most, it took us the best part of two hours to complete, which is no fun when the weather outside is as one would expect for November. However, when we did eventually finish, the end product looked very professional, as I found out the next day. When we finished our outdoor filming, we had the chance to see our head quarters for the duration of the Thames Gateway Forum. Normally a meeting room, it had been converted by the project team into a working film studio, complete with green screen and a backstage.听 The Studio was to be our base, where we could conduct interviews with members of the Thames Gateway Forum, prepare for our next piece of filming or interview, or just relax and discuss what was going to happen next. It was also where we found out where we were expected to be; or who was next up for interview, which was very surprising over the course of the Forum. My first interview using the green screen was not quite as bad as I thought it was going to be. However, it is still quite unnerving watching a screen and seeing that what is behind you
onscreen isn't behind you in real life! The most memorable interview that听 I had was definitely with Tessa Jowell.听 This was the interview that I got most nervous about, as I am quite interested in the Olympics being held in London. Although she wasn't there for that long, the Billboard Team had managed to create a short film showing exactly what Billboard was all about. She was very polite, and answered all of the questions that I had to ask her. She seemed really interested in the progression of the project, and very keen to know how it went. I think that the scariest thing about me meeting her was the amount of people that came to watch, along with all the photographs they were taking of us! Overall, I thought that the Billboard Project was an amazing success. The team involved met several ministers, all of whom gave their own unique viewpoints. Possibly the most funny thing was that by the end of the two days people were tracking us down to be interviewed by us!听 The Billboard Project is going to give a voice to the young people of the South East, and is coming to a town near you! | 
