How we made a movie

The task of the second week was to film a movie that will indicate the stereotypes about countries. So, DIABS, the Korean team, was working on the film about Russia, while The Another Russia was creating a scenario to their short film about South Korea.

Approaches that teams chose were quite different. Korean team preferred to cover their identity by covering their faces with masks and playing frozen Russian beauties. A rather artistic approach could be sensed in the way locations for scenes were chosen, the dialogues were played and moustaches were travelling from the face of a Russian guy to one of the Russian beauties'. The final scene depicting national intolerance was like a fly in the ointment.  However, it helped the Russian youth recognise problems affecting the international image of Russia today.

The Another Russia took another road: the guys created a Russo-stereotyped video about stereotypes about Korea. Well, you just need to check out the video to understand this description. They also showed that among people who might know nothing or just a few about Korea, there are some individuals who are really into Korean (usually pop) culture. Witty and not without an irony about Russia, the movie gives us a short description of common stereotypes.

Enjoy watching and follow the project:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/STereotART
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/STereotART
Blog: http://stereotart.wordpress.com/

Just a little about differences.

I asked the participants to STereotART to jot down their most memorable feelings and moments while preparing their tasks every day. Later, I wanted to use these notes as a basis for the "Project's diary", the non-official chronicles of events.
When teams submitted their first notes, the difference in the way they wrote them was striking!

It is not a rigorous approach at all to analyse a small piece of writing and attribute traits of national character to it. However, you just need to take a look at them to spot the difference right away.

• Russians: creative thinking prevails. The way those notes were written insinuates a vivid mind, strive for social activity, and the ability to perform better when under a time pressure.
• Koreans: discipline, good organisation and responsibility are those traits that differ the team greatly from The Another Russia. However, the promptness in obeying the rules of the project strictly defines the borders of the action field, thus limiting the overall creativity and non-standard thinking of the team.

I leave the following notes for your judgement:

January 10 

Our team members are uploading their works on the Cyworld Club! [DIABS]
Panic! Panic! Panic![The Another Russia]

January 11 

Checked how we’re doing on-line! Can’t wait to meet the Russian Team  [DIABS]
Much to do. Do not have enough time. [The Another Russia]

January 12

 Worked on PPTs, final check! [DIABS]
The main goal for today is achieved: we freezed ourselves to death. [The Another Russia]

January 13

Russia, Siberia, Tomsk

 Finished the PPT and sent it! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  [DIABS]
Froze too much yesterday. Still moving slowly. [The Another Russia]

January 14 

Waiting for the meeting with Russian Team. Time scheduling~ [DIABS]
A couple of members of our group are balloons…[The Another Russia] 

January 15 

Finally!!!!! The meeting was really awesome. New participants, new friends. [DIABS]
silence or echo – perfect conversation^^ [The Another Russia]

Screening process is over

Soon the project I was designing for several months will start (if Russian participants are more active than they are at the moment)

Yesterday I was looking through the applications received from Korean students. Of course, it is not correct to generalise (especially in my case, because I am the one who is trying to work against generalisations), but still. Here are some interesting conclusions (generalised!!) I came up with after screening somewhat 30 applications:

1) The biggest achievement or failure for Korean students is getting/not getting into the university they were striving to get in.

No doubts, in the country where education is highly prioritised, and even brought to the level of mass hysteria, what else can you come up with but your academical achievements. The majority of people just bored me with their touching stories of struggle with memorising lengthy passages in text books and sleep deprivation in the entrance exams preparation period. Isn't there anything else left to achieve?

2) Lack of non-conventional creative thinking
 I don't really know what causes this, but it is a fact that students do not really show the sparkle of non-standard thinking. There was this question supposedly to check student's imagination's flaw.

"Imagine You have 1 kg of coins, a grandson of Cuban government leader 

as your friend and rubber shoes in bulk. 

What are you going to do with this all? "

Standard answer: sell shoes, give money to the poor Cubans.

Yes, and what's wrong with the poor? Many people wrote that they are wholeheartedly willing to help the poor and deprived of any opportunity and joy of life Cubans (well, I a bit exaggerated here.) 

The best answer award goes to a girl from Yonsei University, department of Politics and Diplomacy:

"I'd like to give rubber shoes to Cuban beggars and 1 kg of coins if they learn Korean. After that, I will ask Cuban government leader to visit Korea with those beggars and it can be a chance to exchange cultures with them." 

One 'cool dude' asked the following: "Do you think it would be possible to save world with these stuff above?" 

Hello! Did anyone here ask to save the world???

No doubt, people ARE different. With tons of similarities...

Catching up with the all-Russia movement

December 10, Saturday.
Predetermined time: 14:00 local time.
Place: Major squares in Russian cities.
Event: non-violent protest against falsification of the results at the latest parliamentary polls.
Participants: Russian citizens. Thousands and thousands.

In solidarity with the mass protests in Russia, Russian citizens abroad decided to join the political action and go out to the streets of the countries they currently reside in. Not all, not everywhere, not in the same identical fashion with uniform slogans and demands, but in the same common outburst, with the same feeling of being deprived of the essentials of modern democracy - the right for free elections, the right to cast a vote for the party one decided to be worthy voting for.

In Korea procedures of legally permitting the protest actions require time and specific way of registering the organiser, or the person responsible for the event. Not being able to get the permit for the mass protest on time,  a group of activists decided  to proceed anyway. Of course, individual protests are less spectacular, catchy, or anything, but they are still protests. 

Now about how it all went:

1. At 2pm we gathered at the Seoul Press Centre building to write the slogans and to decide the route we should take.

2. We went on the streets and ran into the squads of policemen, dozens of police buses and a few water cannons.

3. Down to Cheonggyecheon and then to Insadong, we went strolling with banners in our hands saying 'Free Elections to Russia!'

4. People on the streets were quite sympathetic, asking about the event, supporting, sharing their opinion with us.

5. We even gained attention from the local press.

6. By the end of the action we gathered in one of the dumpling places in Insadong area to chat, reflex, and upload the photos so to share them with other protestants.

Thank you everyone who joined, and those who wanted to, who supported ouк modest action here, far away from the main political scene. 

Response to the picture of Koreans

What do Koreans think about Russians? (based on non-official poll among people I know and several-years' exposure to the country and its people)

Russia is big and cold. Very cold! This is the reason all people drink vodka. Russian women are tall and beautiful. Russian men are just big, as well as Russia itself. The territory from Vladivostok up to the very Ural mountains is called Siberia (even if it is not.) There is also Moscow which is a capital city of the country. Everyone* dreams about crossing Siberia and going to Moscow, and if to open the rail way through North Korea, there will be nothing to dream about any more.

There is crude oil in Russia. Too much of it. However, not more than natural gas.

There is also one representative of the nation notable for a his 'career trajectory' - Fyodor Emeljanenko (who is he anyway?) He, as well as many others, was born during the Soviet period. But times have changed. Russia became stronger when Mr. Putin became a president. What? Putint isn't a president any more? Well, it doesn't really matter! Still Russian army is the strongest, and one should be really careful not to fool around with this autocratic giant. 

__________________________________________
* inexcusably rough generalisation