TV Programme shouldn’t be the host’s PR victim. Erik Barseghyan about the television transmissions.

Television host, producer Erik Barseghyan was born in 14th September, 1981 in Yerevan. In 1997-1999 he was the pupil of the “Sebastia” dance group directed by Vanush Khanamiryan. In 2002-2006 he studied at the acting section of the Theatre and Film State Institute of Yerevan (YTCSI). In 2005 he was a member of the Yerevan Mayor adjacent to the Youth Council, in 2006-2008 he directed the Student Council of the YTCSI. In 2006-2007 he was the general manager of the “Arvest” student magazine edition. In 2006-2010 he was a graduate student of the Theatre History and Theory Chair of the YTCSI. Since 2008 he is a lecturer in the Department of Cinema of the YTCSI. In 2008-2009 he was an international news commentator and responsible of the information department at the “TV5” Armenian Television, and in 2008 he founded and directs the “Gisane” Youth Theatrical Festival. Since 2009 he is the general producer of the “Theatre X” Republican Festival, and the curator and general producer of the National Theatre Creative Association of the Republic of Armenia. In 2010-2011 he authorized and directed the “Youth Centre” TV project, and in 2012 he is the director of the “Mim Studio” Production Centre, he is the author and presenter of the “Cultural Framework” TV project at the „Kentron” Armenian television, and the founder and director of the www.mshakuyt.info website. In our discussion with Erik Barseghyan he mentioned that he believes a TV programme must be free of superfluity of words and egocentrical presenter’s advertising mania.

Mr. Barseghyan, recently you’ve prepared an author TV programme. What is it about?

The programme is called “Cultural Frame”, which broadcasts on the “Kentron” (Center) channel. Through the speakers’ lips I notice and highlight those primary gaps and achievements, effective and beneficial sides for the Armenian nation in terms of the cultural policy, and the problems, issues which are registered or recorded in the field of culture in general. And the programme’s advantage, in my opinion, apart from the indicating and noticing the deficiencies, drawbacks, is that we also offer options, solutions in the direction of the correcting and solving  the resulted problems. I choose my guests ledding by the „free man, reasonable belief” principle. We speak about the human, citizen, life’s problems, which in the result becomes an honest conversation with the honest professionals. Here is the programme’s whole essence.

How should be an ideal TV programme?

I know how shouldn’t be a programme/transmission. The television programme shouldn’t be the author’s or host’s PR victim. You can often see programmes when the guest speaks, but during the whole transmission the camera displays the host’s idiot and delighted face. Or at the moment of the guest’s excited and speech culmination the host interrupts and expresses, for examples, like “yeees, I remember when I was a child…”. It’s over, the programme is failed. Or those “violated”, repeated “feedback” and applause parade. At the time of the more than half of the programme there a person say thanks to another and extort applauses.. for whom or why?! What refers to our project, during the transmission I give specific questions to the guest and get specific answers to them. I am almost not showed up during the transmission, and at the time of the installation I leave only the guest’s answers. Their thoughts are more important to me than the covertly longing of my appearance for the first twenty minutes.

But how should be an artist?

My teacher, Henrik Hovhanissyan, once said to me: when you read a book where you don’t find what you were looking for, don’t hesitate, becuase in that case you also knew something, you knew there wasn’t the material you looked for in that book. I don’t know how should be, but I know how shouldn’t be an artist. There are people who think they are artists, who like to prattle, complain, blame others for their own failures, to smoke and drink much, especially low-quality vodka and bitter coffee. The artist should not be unsuccessful.

The Media’s role is very influential in all spheres of life in order to make some changes. Do you accept the Media’s mode of action?

We all were talking about the serials forgetting about the media field. The real disaster is here. Mostly stupid topics are covered there, with the silly titles which are unrelated to the content, stylistic and semantic ugly formulations of the words devoid the sense of the covered topic. When the human sees everyday dozens of people throw themselves through the bridges, in his subconsciousness formes an idea, opinion that is the only way to solve or overcome the problems, and in the result the act of suisides increase and not decrease. The people have become nervous and don’t understand that the reason of all these is the media’s permissiveness and the obsession of becoming the author of the sick material. Under the pretext of the freedom of speech we write every perversion unwittingly becoming that negative phenomena’s “advertising agent”. We don’t understand that the society won’t become better hearing and listening news such as the “raped daughters-in-law by the fathers-in-law”, „raped grandmothers by a young manor” etc.. There is a journalist who continuously takes pictures of accidents and the people throwable through the bridges. I wonder if such phenomena had increased or decreased becuase of that news. That person might say his goal is different, that he just covers the real life. In that case cover positive things, brother! Are you a devil? Do so that your goal could serve to a good purpose. One more thing. The field of the Armenian TV and internet media is flooded with foreign, especially Turkish words. I don’t speak about the mania of the translations and reprinting of the information from the foreign sites. For instance, we often write „somewhere took place an explosion which killed so people, in the result were killed so people”. We don’t understand that the term „(in the) result” must followed by a positive word, otherwise there comes the word „consequence”, since the word „in the result” has a positive meaning, and the „consequence” is negative. But some journalists translate literally from the Russian: в результате взрыва погибло столько людей. This is today’s media, in all its charm.

So, which is the solution of solving or preventing that fact?

Greek philosopher Socrates said „I know that I don’t know anything”. Until we don’t understand that nothing will change. Only after understanding it there will be the desire to know wisdom and instruction.

Which is the path of success? What is the way to achieve success?

Paulo Coelho once said:  „If you really tend to something, the whole Universe helps you to achieve your goal”.

What should be the Armenian family model? 

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said very truly about the family and education model in his “The Little Prince” novel, but my formula is: if every single person living in this world thought about others, everybody would be in the limelight and under the ardent care. In that case no one wouldn’t have lack of attention, and that would regulate many other things which seem to be regulated by other means. The human needs only attention, nothing else. It must be the universal model of a large family which would be applied to all small families. In that vitalphilosophy underline “to give”, not “to take” idea, in my opinion, is ideal for all nations and religions.

And which is the spirit of a real Armenian music?

Armenian music is that which, nourishing the roots of an Armenian human, strengthen him to his land

and water.

What makes you angry in a human being?

I get angry with the palaver, but more than that the human inappropriate conceit and impudence do irritate me. Wise man is never too sure or delighted with his personality. But nowadays there are many “roosters” around. Professionals and people without language, there you are, how many you wish. When people stop doubting, questioning themselves they stop asking for an advice, and those are the symptoms of the mental illness. Such were almost all monarchs.

If you had a magic stick, what would you change in Armenia?

First, I would deprive some persons of the magic sticks.

What advise would you give to the young people, especially the career seekers.

Do you remember there was a Russian cartoon: Я самый самый („I am the most.. the most”), where is said: Never say that you are the bravest, strongest, most intelligent, becuase you’ll meet a stronger, braver and wiser one (Никогда не говори, что ты самый смелый, самый сильный, самый умный, встретишь более сильного, смелого, мудрого). I want them to remember this.

Elena Ciobanyan

Posted by redactia on Nov 7 2012. Filed under Armenia / Diaspora. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry