Analysis of Interview with Kira Shchukina.
Conducted by Spencer Small (interviewer) and Micah Butler (camera and sound) in July 2015.
Transcribed by Micah Butler, Julia Seeley-Hall, and Spencer Small in Fall 2015.
Analysis written by Micah Butler
Born and raised in Saint Petersburg, Kira Shchukina, teaches in the Philology Department at Saint Petersburg State University. Her mother worked as a psychologist for the All Russia Association of the Blind; Shchukina recalls her father worked various odd-jobs. Her parents divorced when she was three years old (1:25-2:10). Shchukina briefly tells of her movie-going experience as a young child (2:38-3:23).
Shchukina “took a break” from movie-going for about a decade in the 1990s. During this period she explains how movie theatres were generally run-down and rarely screened modern movies. Upon having a family, she returned to the theatre with her kids for the “Star Wars” premiere (4:19-4:59). Impressed by drastic changes in the movie-going experience, such as refurbished theatres, popcorn, and Coca-Cola, Kira now attends the movies once every two months (5:02-5:55). Additionally, Kira admits she is a huge fan of Bruce Willis (6:28-6:51).
Shchukina explains how social norms of movie-going have changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. She describes the quiet atmosphere of Soviet film screenings, which dramatically contrasts the modern ambience of soft chatter, popcorn crunching, and ringing cell phones (8:34-8:42). Unlike Soviet movie screenings, theatres now show various advertisements with each screening (13:06-13:40). Overall, Shchukina is more than pleased with these changes in Russia’s movie-going experience (14:35-14:55).
Kira Shchukina brings a casual, fun-loving spirit to her interview. She frequently chuckles throughout her responses and occasionally jokes with the interviewer. Her interview feels like a conversation between friends, as opposed to a more formal Q&A.
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