Traveling across the globe, members of TigerVision were presented a chance to collaborate with an exchange program in order to film and interview individuals during the FIFA World Cup. Submission to the Student Television Network (STN) competition resulted in their trip to Moscow, Russia, and partner with Russian film students.

“We entered into a contest with the STN,” TigerVision director Charles Aldridge said. “We will be developing monthly shows and video blogs as we collaborate with each other.”

STN’s exchange program pairs a U.S. student television team with a Russian student television team for one year. The program is sponsored by the Eurasia Foundation in association with the Student Exchange program. The team is covering a variety of angles for the event.

“These shows begin in September but it all kicks off with this trip to Moscow, where both teams will be working together covering stories,” Aldridge said. “The team’s story topics will be about Disabilities.”

Spreading awareness about disabilities is a goal that TigerVision is achieving through the resources of other students and film in the monthly shows.

“Our team is focused on every form of disabilities. From education, to work, to how accessible it is to get around places, what businesses and cities do to help them,” sponsor Victoria Pearcy said. “Most people don’t realize how many people have a disability.”

By utilizing videography to look beyond divisive politics surrounding Russia and the U.S., the students are able to gain new perspectives and respect one another through the Social Expertise Exchange Program.

“The reason it’s a combined team of US and Russian students is basically to help find a commonality between us, despite the politics and negative things that have happened in the past,” Pearcy said. “The SEE program is trying to bridge the gap between our countries using video and young adults.”

Members of the group have interviewed a plethora of individuals ranging from the UN Ambassador to the production team of Disney Channel.

“[The experience has been] fantastic,” senior Briley Court said. “I’ve met so many cool people and learning about the culture has been a blast. At this time, we’re interviewing mostly members of special Olympics and Russian citizens about their lives and what goes on around them.”

TigerVision’s collaborative project with the Russian students has strengthened their skills in relation to film and production throughout the trip.

“These are very talented students on the team. They are able to apply what they’ve learned in TigerVision in real world scenarios,” Aldridge said. “They are learning a lot about another very different culture as well as sharing their own culture with the students in Russia.”  

To be updated on TigerVision’s trip, visit their FaceBook page.