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17 Aug 2010 16:09:20
A month-long film project has seen English and Russian students working far from home.
The quartet of students from the University of Bedfordshire spent a fortnight in Russia as part of an ongoing partnership which saw their counterparts from the St Petersburg State University of Cinema and Television then visit the UK for two weeks.
Students had previously written scripts and exchanged ideas over the internet and filming took place in both Russia and England. They shot two movies in each country, one of which was a short film and the other a longer one, on the theme of language and miscommunication.
The four - the Media Production trio of Conor Hughes, Olivia Paolucci and Kirsty Slade and TV Production student David Watts - were joined by Senior Lecturer and Course Leader MA Documentary Dave Green as well as technical support/tutor Igor Drozdov.
The four Bedfordshire students were selected from a competition in which they produced a one-minute film entitled Why I want to go to St Petersburg.
One of them, Conor, said: “The Russians were very welcoming and everyone was really friendly. It was a brilliant experience and we were shown all the sights of St Petersburg which was absolutely gorgeous and a beautiful, cultured city.
“It was in the middle of their hottest summer for years and there was a heatwave, with temperatures around 35 degrees centigrade. There was no air conditioning in the editing suite which made it quite interesting!
“All their film equipment in Russia was modern and up-to-date, although there wasn’t as much as we have here at Bedfordshire. They’re more technical there, and working with people whose first language is not English was great experience.”
The Russian students - Anastasia Stender, Ludmila Kutovaya, Nadezda Gorodetskaya, Maria Believskaya and Aleksandra Artemenko - have since spent a fortnight in Luton accompanied by tutor Vitaly Pavlov. They also witnessed the sights and sounds of cosmopolitan London.
Anastasia, who is an animation and computer design student back home, has been involved in editing the films. She graduates next summer and is considering returning to England to study.
She said: “I adore England and it’s very beautiful. Luton is a very cosy town and I like the University, especially its media and art departments. I would like to visit lots of different places in England in the future.”
Dave Green said: “It has been a great experience for the participants. I believe all the students have developed as film-makers thanks to this collaboration. It is something we hope to develop further in the future.
“The highlights for me were working with, and observing Russian academics at work, and seeing John Malkovich perform The Infernal Comedy in St Petersburg.
“Behind the scenes there has been a great deal of effort from colleagues at the University. I would especially like to thank Alice Luke’s team for all their work and the ongoing support of Peter Dean and James Crabbe.”
Latest news» 2010» August» Russian film student exchange was 'a brilliant experience'
