We survived another terrifying shelling on Monday. As I used to say when my friends ask me how am I: change diapers, take a shower and keep pretending a normal life. 😀
My husband is back in town this week. Most likely for a short term. So last night I booked 2 tickets on an excursion that he might like. It is dedicated to history of (Ukrainian) television with a visit to the TV studio of a real TV channel.
When I arrived at the meeting place, I was already very tired. I carryed a heavy backpack and it was terribly hot. The air these days is like warm milk in the morning, not only in terms of temperature but also in terms of density. When the forecast says +36 C, it means a special measuring conditions. But when you in the midst of hot asphalt, concrete and a endless rows of cars with running engines it turns +40-45. Ad to this the inability to turn on the fan or air conditioner due to mass power outages.
Anyway, the TV channel we were going to visit is located on the 3rd froor of Parus BC. Thanks godness, it was nice and cool inside, so our guide, a former TV presenter, just started her story...
When Nick, my hubby, received a call, and then he had to return to military service ASAP. WTF! It was my 3rd attempt (since winter!) to get him out, to give him a break from all the military bullshit. Again, not today. Well, at least they returned money for 1 ticket.
The thing that caught my eye first when I entered was the vintage interior. Expensive furniture, decoration and overall design. This was the less expecting thing.
Then, I realized that they work not in a 'studio' format but use open space. There were live show recordings. TV presenter and 2 male guests were sitting at the "pill" as they call big round table and talking about politics. Our guide had to whisper, and we were moving around so that not to be caught by one of the working cameras. This was a new and fun experience 😄
We sneaked into the room where the sound engineer and his team worked. Apparently, the glass door insulated the sounds well, because inside there was an incredible cocoon of sounds and images, and it was impossible to understand where these sounds were coming from and what was happening. In addition, staff constantly shouted something at each other.
Some cool gear and transparent (but isolated!) rooms for sound processing.
People were coming and leaving time after time, paying no attention to our small party.
However, open space on TV has obvious drawbacks despite its chic look. The TV presenter hear all the noise around, and I am sure that when there are more staff and more work she may not here her guests. 😃
What a TV channel without a green room? And all that stuff - marks on the floor showing you were to sand, green screen, which then turns into any background and teleprompter.
Now it's time for some girly things - the dressing room and costume room.
The employee, who is applying make-up, uses common cosmetics but must have her/his own tools - brushes, sponges, etc. There is a separate set of tools for guests, which is disinfected every time.
This elderly lady stood out among others with her comments and corrections. Sometimes only I heard (or paid attention to) her comments, and it was obvious that she is in the know. So we exchanged brief impressions during the tour.
As I said, our guide was a TV presenter when she was younger. She didn't look old though but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that her telling imbued with nostalgia for the Soviet era. Now there are such times in Ukraine that I inevitably recognize people as "friend or foe". And I couldn't understand what exactly I didn't like about all this. It turned out that my new acquaintance felt the same way.
We ended at this location and walked to the building of the very first Ukrainian Tele-center. So the lady and I have time to talk. I found out that she worked on TV a little, then lived in US, then worked as an attaché at the Embassy of Sweden in Kyiv. 😍 She was so nice, and we talked very well.
On the way to the TV center, I saw a small crew filming a girl in the middle of a street full of cars. They were standing on the so-called "island of security". It seems like everything is about footage this day.
Once, the National TV Center stood right on the main street of Kyiv. Later, the building of some ministry rose right in front, hiding it inside the enclosed space. You can get to it by going through the arch. All this has a rather gloomy appearance.
Aftertaste
The icing on the cake was what I read about this channel this morning. It turned out that this channel was opened by a rich and corrupt businessman who planned to use it for election propaganda. His candidate lost the election, and after a full-scale invasion, the channel was banned for spreading Russian propaganda. The channel formally closed, changed owners (it seems to be a front person), changed the name and now continues to work on YouTube. What a story! Damn, I wouldn't have joined if I had known that before.
Epilogue
Even before I knew the story of the channel, I could only recommend this tour if you really want to visit a real TV studio. Actually, that was exactly the hook I pecked at. It lasted 3 hours, and it was physically difficult for me to stand, my backpack was heavy, my body was swollen from the heat, my back and feet ached. But it was a very busy 3 hours. I learned a lot, including something interesting. Besides, I met an amazing person, and hope to meet her again during future tours around our city.
The most important thing is that I could not think about where I am and what is happening in my country. I am very sorry that my husband had to leave. I wanted it for him too. Well, maybe next time...
Being a military wife means being alone all the time. I want him to be home with me, but I can't ask him for it. Even when he is around, he is not with me, he is with his brothers. And I can't blame him for that. It's our choice, a hard choice.
Now, it's time to thank you, my dear readers, for your precious time and attention.
See you around.
Yours truly,
@zirochka