Project for half of a couple after project. What impressed you most? How did they look for “halves” for the main characters?
Show Halves
I learned about this show from friends, decided to watch a couple of episodes to give my own assessment of what I saw (and regretted my decision)
The meaning of the transfer
A romantic project and unique heroes whom society does not want to fit into generally accepted norms and thereby deprives them of the opportunity to find their soul mate and be loved. The creators of the project will correct this, find a truly soul mate for each hero and arrange a dream date that can change their destiny forever. Each episode features three heroes, each of whom will have two dates to see if the hero or heroine is suitable for each other.
There will be no leader in the project, but there will be experts whose task is to help them.
There will be a symbol in the show. Pendant in the shape of a heart divided in two. If the heroes find their love, they will share it with their chosen one or chosen one.
Well, everything seems clear - this is something like a marriage agency. They select a couple, go on a date and make a decision. There have already been many such programs. What makes this show different?
Let's start in order
Presenters, experts.
Natalia Kholodenko and Boris Pakhol
Their tasks: get to know the hero, find a mate for him, guide the hero throughout the program (help with advice, action).
Heroes
I think, that's the main difference. This program features disabled people, overweight people, albinos, and just modest people those with communication problems, and many others. Some episodes really turned out to be touching and bright.
But. I don't understand, Why was it necessary to invite people into the program who openly came there for fame? Great, they promoted themselves, but they make it almost impossible to watch “Halves.”
If the heroes find their love, they will share it (the pendant) with their chosen one or chosen one.
As a sign that they are ready to start a relationship with each other, they should exchange name pendants.
My opinion
The idea was good, but the implementation let us down. Somewhere you can see a frank production, somewhere it’s simply unpleasant to look at freaks and people who go to any program just to be on TV.
The amount of unpleasantness overshadows the good, touching moments in the program.
Music(!)
That's what's in this show Wonderful. The program has beautiful footage, which is accompanied by great music.
Overall, I don’t think the show is essential viewing; it may be suitable if you’ve had a difficult day and want to take your mind off it.
********* Update!**********
For Valentine's Day (02.14.16) they decided to please us and show us special edition of the show "Halves". Here they will tell us how the relationship between the heroes developed after the project.
Everyone was invited to the ball. You can only get there through a mini-red carpet lined with fans and through conversations with psychological experts.
Many couples stayed together, there are those who found their person outside the project. Several heroes began to meet with other participants in the project (that is, not with those whom the experts had chosen for them). I will consider the pairs that interested me:
The guys came to the program together. After the project, Oksana’s health has improved and she is becoming more independent.
This pair is an example of symbiosis from different series.
But things didn’t work out for this couple. Julia came to the ball with her boyfriend.
The most unexpected couple in my opinion
Maria, who suffered from anorexia, changed the most
The experts for the half project in 2015 were Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko.
I must say that the project turned out to be really interesting:
Halves - Special issue - 02.14.2016 (What was the fate of all the project participants? Why did “Halves” Pavel Mishin come to the party alone?) Expert psychologists Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko invite all participants to the ball.
At 24, Vanya had never been kissed. Will he be able to attract Yulia? Will extreme sportswoman Yulia be able to find mutual language with Buddhist Mark? Expert psychologists Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko help our heroes understand themselves and change their stereotypes.
Ivan is the son of rich parents in a wheelchair. Vanya faced a serious choice. How will Vanya's meeting with Yulia and Sonya turn out?
All his life Alexey was afraid of women. What lengths will Marina go to in order to awaken the man in Alexey? What decision will Alexey and Marina make?
Psychologists Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko will find an approach and do everything possible to find a soul mate for everyone.
Why does Masha weigh 31 kg with a height of 173 cm? Boris Pakhol's cruel experiment will force Masha to rethink her whole life. Will Masha and Dima exchange pendants?
Pasha was born without arms and legs. And he really wants to be needed by someone. What lengths will he go to to win Taisiya’s heart? What answer will she get from her?
What prevents Katya from being happy? How did Oksana end up in a wheelchair? For our experts Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko, nothing is impossible.
Main characters romantic show New channel Halves are not like everyone else in terms of external parameters or worldview. A Barbie girl and an asexual, a talented autist and an amputee fashion model, a former nun who returned to the world, and a gay man who decided to become heterosexual. Society does not want to fit such people into generally accepted norms and thereby deprives them of the opportunity to be loved. The halves will fix this, find a truly soul mate for each hero and arrange a dream date that can change their fate forever.
Sergei needs a woman-fire! Why is the beautiful Nastya so lonely? Experts Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko answer these questions.
The main characters of the New Channel's romantic show Halves are not the same as everyone else in terms of external parameters or worldview.
“Doll” Marina wants to remain a child, but is looking for Serious relationships. Nastya accuses the doctors that their mistake made her disabled. Psychologists experts Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko are finding out what is really happening.
Why did Lenya choose " dark side"? What does Julia want to see in a real man? Advice from Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko.
Why can't "cover girl" Elena find love? The mysterious Arius is looking for the perfect girl ally. They are assisted by project experts Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko.
Why does singer Alex Angel need a soulmate? Albino Sergei and cheerful Anet need warmth. Boris Pakhol and Natalya Kholodenko help them understand themselves and change.
THE EXPERTS OF THE “HALVES” PROJECT WERE NATALIA KHOLODENKO AND BORIS PAKHOL
They will help participants in the unique romantic project of the New Channel find a couple
The heroes of the touching and heartfelt show “Halves” find it difficult to find love and believe in themselves. After all, they do not fit into generally accepted standards of beauty because of their physical characteristics or worldview. But experts will help the heroes overcome their fears. This is Natalya Kholodenko and Boris Pakhol.
Natalya Kholodenko – psychologist, trainer personal growth. Areas of work: family therapy and personality harmonization. More than 12 years in the profession. Conducted trainings in more than 40 countries around the world.
Boris Pakhol – psychologist, business coach, consultant. Provides training and consultations on issues of psychosocial human development, management consulting. 10 years of management and business experience, 20 years of teaching experience, 9,000 hours of training and lectures, 2,000 students.
They will become personal growth coaches, healers of souls and support for project participants.
– People come to our project for help, asking for love. They need to not only be supported, but also given real tools that will help them change and become happy,” says project manager Larisa Maltseva. – Natalya and Boris are the best in their business. Natasha is emotional. She says such words in such a way that they immediately hit the soul. These thoughts grow in a person’s heart and soon bear fruit. And Borya is a rationalist. He hits where it hurts the most, realizing that this will make the person feel better. Gives you bitter pills to make you feel better later. Each of them is a self-sufficient expert, but in tandem they are great. And based on the results of the first filming, I am surprised how accurate their forecasts were.
"Halves" is a new romantic reality that proves that real love knows no patterns or boundaries. Don't miss the premiere in the fall on New Channel!
There are two opposing misconceptions about halves.
1. Your soul mate is walking around somewhere and will meet one day.
2. There are no halves, everything is on its own.
Both myths stem from a misunderstanding that while a person is alive, he changes. The soul mate does not go anywhere, but it can appear in the process of love. And this will be a real soul mate, from the sudden loss of which a person will be literally words will feel like a stump. This effect is familiar to everyone who has loved. This effect is quite well studied and described. Having recovered, a person can again be alone for some time, or he can come into close contact with others and one day find his soul mate again. With another person, yes. Because man is a living system and is in constant movement and exchange with the environment.
Blood flows through the veins, electricity through the nerves, substances are absorbed, released and synthesized, the cells of the body are constantly renewed, born, die, unite, divide. Look around you: every spring new grass appears, and where a couple of years ago was empty, there may now be bushes or trees, a hole in the place of a hill. Why do you think that people don't change? Human evolution was precisely about increasing the possibilities of change.
A person changes under the influence of the environment and especially of his own kind, and this means that when entering into relationships, especially close ones, people greatly influence each other.
The closer the relationship and the more emotions there are, the more a person changes. Emotions are the fire that melts us. In affect, especially those infected with collective affect, most people instantly take on a different form and behave like others. This crowd effect is well known to sociologists. Once in a sect or simply in a close-knit group, a person can radically change all his views on the world and even his character. Having fallen in love very much, a person becomes just as fluid and just as flexible. Emotions drive change. Therefore, almost all spiritual practices see their goal in controlling emotions.
Unfortunately, what many people consider “emotion control” is their suppression and extermination. A person closes himself off from emotions and their more complex form - feelings, and thereby makes himself less plastic, more dead, dry and cold. He becomes apathetic: little surprises him, little seriously pleases him, and even less inspires him to act. It seems to him that he has gained control over his emotions, but in fact he has simply lost these emotions. It's like gaining control over your finances by simply burying all your money in the ground. Control is good when you can’t use it, you can’t invest and make a profit. And if you forget the place where you buried it, you can say goodbye altogether. The same thing happens to most people who are afraid of emotions and want to control them.
But let's get back to the halves.
Very often you read on blogs the reasoning of some romantic person about how she met “the right man”, but before that she had met the wrong ones. The worst thing is when women who are passive in life believe in the myth that their soulmate should suddenly meet ready-made. They do nothing, do nothing, live in dreams of meeting their soul mate. It’s a little better if a woman is active in life: she does something, is passionate about it. In this case, she really can find her soul mate. “The wrong ones” are men who did not share her hobbies, and “the one” has interests similar to hers. They “light up” from common emotions and can feel that sympathy for each other, which means the initial level of rapprochement and melting.
And then sympathy can develop into falling in love, then into love, if people have common affairs and interests and the paths of these interests do not diverge (as sometimes happens, for example, during maternity leave and therefore many couples experience crisis and default). But until the paths diverge, emotions will bring people together and melt. At the peak of love it turns out that this is the closest and dear person, a real, absolute soul mate. And this is the honest truth. He is such a. True, initially he was not like that. Emotional identity, resonance of feelings and mutual understanding emerged in the process of rapprochement. Tastes, views, everything became common, but at first it was not at all or almost not at all. Both have changed. But people, especially those who are not prone to self-reflection, do not remember themselves; they live in the momentary flow, confident that they have always felt and thought only this way. Therefore, it seems to them that their soul mate was wandering somewhere.
The myth about a soul mate, the only one who has always been somewhere, walked around, and then met, is harmful because if suddenly something goes wrong, the other half becomes a plus, loses traction, closes off and moves away, the other one experiences a real catastrophe, his world is falling apart. If you know that the process of love is dynamic, that the halves do not lie ready anywhere, but are prepared in the process of close interaction, although a person is sad about the collapse of the relationship and experiences pain, he knows for sure that he will have another half, it is much better, because This one at some point lost interest in him.
Why does one half lose interest in the other and begin to close down and move away emotionally (becomes a plus)? Sometimes this happens almost simultaneously with both, or first with one and then with the second, and we call this situation in a pair “default.” Default because everyone's investments depreciate while the value of one's own investments increases. If this happens to one, and the other burns just as much or even more intensely, we call it “imbalance.”
Pay attention to the vocabulary. “Burning”, “burning”, “boiling” are said about a person who experiences passion and strong love feelings. It melts, it is ready and can change, which is why it is so difficult for a plus to leave a minus. He sees that the second one seems to be sometimes as it should be, at some individual moments, and he also says all the time that he will change, and it sounds true. Unfortunately, despite all the plasticity, fire alone is not enough. If you have seen drug addicts who use cocaine or amphetamine or other stimulants, you have probably heard from them different ideas. This is the kind of business they will create, this is the kind of film they will make, this is the kind of grandiose project they will start. The stimulator warms up the brain and all processes in it are active. I want to move mountains. But to make a business, make a film and start a grandiose project, it takes very little heat alone. We also need abilities and opportunities. The effect of the stimulant soon ends and the person returns to his small resources, and is even overwhelmed by the waste. About the same thing happens with a minus in passion. He wants, he is ready, his eyes sparkle, but he usually doesn’t go further than that. And he, too, periodically falls into apathy, like a cocaine addict whose substance has worn out. He is looking for a new dose of love.
Love is fuel, it really melts a person, but new uniform He is given only some real deeds, they mold a new person. Therefore, if a lover, under the fire of his passion, runs to the gym, he gets a new body; if he runs to work, he can get new career, if he rushes to build a house, he will receive new house, if he runs to study languages or some sciences, he will gain a new mind.
But if he just dreams of happiness with his loved one and uses fuel for a high like a drug addict, he will soon find himself in apathy, with nothing. And then he will probably be abandoned, because he wants more and more dose of love, but doesn’t really do anything, doesn’t change, doesn’t grow, remains the same, even degrades from his love, because he devotes a lot of attention to it and other matters very little. And he can blame love for the fact that it ruined him, broke him, destroyed him. No, she gave him powerful fuel, fire for change, and he used it for a passive high and greedy illusions. I didn't put in a single bit of work. And he was left in the ashes of the fire.
And look at love frustrations in this light. These are the ones who say that love is evil or a lie. They most likely had some kind of love, but they lay there and let bubble, without using its combustion in any way for its own remelting. Or they melted, but tried to take the form of a comfortable chair for their loved one's ass, instead of being like him. In their eyes, the beloved was strong, smart, beautiful. And for some reason they decided to become his chair, a comfortable thing, and not as strong, smart and beautiful man How is he. In love, idealization always occurs, but it is needed in order to reach this ideal. In the very an ordinary person When you fall in love, you can see a hero or even a deity, but it is important not to turn into a sacrificial altar for this deity, but to become an equal partner with him. Reach for it, upgrade yourself, strive.
Even if it later turns out that the person is not suitable for many objective parameters or for some reason does not reciprocate sufficiently, any person who used the burning of love correctly will thank him for all the positive changes that have occurred in him. Thank you, because of love I have become physically more beautiful and stronger, thank you, for the sake of love, I learned new language, thank you, I managed to move so many mountains and now I am richer and stronger. It's a shame the fire ended. But it’s okay, I’ll find it in another person.
Needless to say, if both relate to love in this way, the chance of becoming each other’s true soul mates and going through life together to the end is much greater than if both are just fish who met a tasty bait, swallowed it, got high and opened their mouths again in waiting. But the high quickly ended, monotonous stimuli dulled the receptors, and they, disappointed, swam in different directions, scolding each other for “cheating”, for the fact that the high had stopped and did not continue for an eternity. If you are a passive fish and look for a buzz with your mouth open, it will always be very short, and then there will be hunger or pain again in a hot frying pan.
Although maybe in the next world someone will give you a passive buzz without end and edge? But most likely these are fairy tales for stupid fish. No passive thrill fits into the logic of existence.
A question for you, almost on topic.
I have already written that men and women get hooked on the drug of love, on average, a little differently. Women try to get high by feeding their self-esteem with drugs (I am the best), and men get high by expanding their boundaries with drugs (I own it). Accordingly, love, even unhappy, but meaningful from an internal locus (without blaming scoundrels and fate), is an opportunity for a woman to make her self-esteem more independent, and for a man to make his boundaries well understood. Instead, many people simply become offended by love and become disillusioned with it. Women become Rapunzels (there is no one who is worthy of me and will appreciate me as I should), and men become Onegins (there is no one who will give me pleasure and power, so I don’t want to bear responsibility). Rapunzel needs to understand that no one should evaluate her, then her self-esteem will become adequate, and Onegin needs to understand that he should not be responsible for another person, then his boundaries will become normal.
But if you take a closer look at the above-described bugs of Rapunzel (the classic bug of frustrated women “there is no one like I want, but there is no need for someone like this”) and Onegin (a classic bug of frustrated men “there is a lot of hassle with women, little pleasure”), then you will write the basic techniques for defrosting them. Eco-friendly (fishing) and non-ecological (poaching or predatory). But keep in mind that most of the predators’ techniques are quite fishing and quite environmentally friendly; there are few non-ecological ones. Even predators will not survive on continuous non-ecological practices; it’s like pouring toxic waste into your river every day, and you yourself will be poisoned. Or spit into the well from which to drink.
(22 years old) - Aries (Rat)
Sofia(22 years old) - Sagittarius (Rat)
If you believe that the year of birth is Chinese horoscope is defined incorrectly, read. (January, February - concerns you)
You have a good one astrological compatibility. This type is favorable for creative creation and is considered highly compatible.
Fire Yang Man
Fire Yang Woman
Union of equals. They will never cease to surprise each other with novelty and activity, which means that the relationship will be childishly cocky, but not boring. These partners can jointly create many projects, the only pity is that they will be short-lived - after all, working hard on something once created will be boring for both of them.
Birth number 9 for a man This is an intellectual, romantic, very erudite man. He is sociable, frank, lives with an open heart. Intellectual and spiritual communication becomes the main thing in relationships with him. He strives for people who have decided, who have found their self-expression. Strictly adheres to his beliefs ideological differences can become an insurmountable obstacle in a relationship. Love is something that happens more in his head than in his heart. He tries to control his own and his partner’s feelings with his mind. Makes high demands on his chosen one. She carefully plans meetings, thinking through all the details, and tries to use seduction methods that were used back in the 18th century. Values respect and honesty with each other. Usually confident in his own rightness and high quality your knowledge. His main problem is separation from reality and lack of restraint. He tends to avoid real intimacy in intimate relationships. It is important for him to maintain his freedom and the feeling that he belongs only to himself. Believes that sex is a physical continuation of intellectual communication between the sexes. Love is most often found while traveling. He is very sensitive, and can sacrifice his own needs for the sake of his partner. A relationship with him can turn into a delightful romance, but he needs to learn to see a real person in his woman.
Sofia
Birth number 6 for a woman Outwardly she seems calm, cold and even aloof, but underneath this lies sensuality and sexuality. In her youth she is often naive, sentimental and shy. As an adult, she becomes reasonable. She is dreamy, has a rich imagination and high intuition. Can be soft, timid, modest or seductive, flirtatious, playful. Her unpredictability gives her a special appeal. Prone to romantic relationships. Cherishes every moment of love. He gives himself over to his feelings with all his heart and soul. She needs a sensitive and responsive partner; only such a person will make her happy. She does not tolerate half-heartedness in relationships: all or nothing. Wants to love and be loved, and to the end. Can be quick-tempered and touchy. She wants security, understanding and care. Although she herself is able to withstand any storms in life. When parting with a partner, she tries to maintain friendly relations. Marriage and children are top priorities. Chooses a husband of equal social status and with similar interests. Relationships with relatives are of paramount importance to her, and she devotes a lot of time and effort to them.
A wonderful union of idealists. The “Six”, like air, needs the love of a partner and manifestations of feelings, and for the “Nine”, in general, the whole meaning of life is in love. “Nine” will compose poems and songs, and if there is ear for music and the voice will sing a serenade. And that’s all the “six” needs - isn’t this proof of love? It will be much more difficult to find convincing evidence of love for the “nine”, but, fortunately, she is inclined to idealize love.
In such a union, true spiritual intimacy most often arises.
The Destiny Number and the Soul Number of a person are called the “basic numbers of the name.”
Ivan(compatibility/destiny number - 2 2 )
Sofia(compatibility/fate number 1 , number of emotionality/soul - 5 )
Forecast in the field of personal relationships:
1 and 2 - If the pressure of 1 is not too strong, a harmonious, complementary union is possible.
Forecast in the emotional sphere:
2 and 5 - A good relationship possible, but doubtful. Most likely, such a union will be emotionally unstable.
* Important: Relationships are a very complex and multifaceted topic, so the proposed calculation is not simple. Consider and take into account all the results obtained. Potential is present in every type of relationship, and there are also exceptions to the rules (in particular, it is better to make personal horoscope compatibility). Corresponds to the potential of an individual to independently decide his own destiny. We always have freedom of choice, and this can help us overcome the difficulties that astrology warns about.
We are not used to talking about our problems “in public.” We do not bare our souls to everyone, since the world around us is often unkind to the weak. This is a component of our mentality. What then can we say about people who have lived for years with a source of pain inside, mental and physical? Laura Maltseva, head of the “Halves” project, which premiered on the “New Channel” on September 22, 2015, says that all the heroes of this program went through “spiritual nudity.” We talked with Laura about what its creators wanted to say with this project, about breaking stereotypes, the participants and the team, and also about how many couples formed in the end. In the interview, as in the program, there are many touching moments, so we ask you to remove people with callous souls from the monitors.
Project information: The authors of the new romantic project “Halves” promise to help heroes who do not fit into generally accepted norms find love. modern society. Every week, an experienced and all-seeing expert presenter will invite three participants to join her. And after meeting, he will try to find a couple for the heroes and arrange the first meeting. The authors of the show “Halves” will do everything possible so that young people together get the most vivid impressions, having been on a dream date that could turn into love.
Original name:"Halves"
A country: Ukraine
Year: 2015
Genre: dating show
Number of episodes: 12
Channel: « New channel»
Project Manager: Laura Maltseva
Chief editor: Marina Gostra
Creative Producer: Maria Bila
How did it happen that you took on this project?
I came to the New Channel for this project. Initially, it is based on the British format “The Undateables” - “undateable” (not to be confused with the American comedy television series of the same name “The Undateables” - note by Mediasat) . This format prompted the channel’s management to make a project about such people. I joined the project at the filmed “pilot” stage.
The Undateables is a British documentary reality show. The show's participants are people with physical or mental disabilities who ordinary life They cannot build relationships, but they really want to love and be loved. The show premiered on April 3, 2012 on the British public television channel Channel 4. This year, viewers saw the fourth season of the project, which started on January 5, 2015. The first, second and third seasons had four episodes each, the fourth - five. The third season of Undateables became the broadcaster's second highest-rated program at the end of 2014. Raising the controversial topic of building relationships between people with disabilities, the show caused a storm of emotions on social networks: up to 38 thousand (!) tweets during one episode. British newspapers they wrote that, despite the signs of banal matchmaking, the courage, humor and touching nature of his “stars” makes him “untouchable” and is liked by the viewer. However, during one episode, people changed their opinion from “this is indecent and offensive” to “this best show, which one cannot help but admire."
When I came to talk about this project and my work on the channel, I saw some kind of faith in goodness in the eyes of people. I can honestly say that it is very rare for television people to talk not about the commercial side of the issue, but about people. I didn’t believe it at first, but I sat down comfortably in a chair and began to listen. And it was amazing what they told me. I stayed, and we ended up with a bright, but completely different project, not the same as in the UK.
As far as I know, the British at first did not react very well, to put it mildly, to the very name of the project – “Undateable”. You probably took this into account when calling our product softer – “Halves”.
We struggled with the name for a very long time. The format is British, therefore the audience has a different mentality, a different economic situation, different presentation, style. We will not have a project called “Undateable”, “Not suitable for dating”. We needed something warm, close to everyone, and “Halves” somehow immediately caught on. Every time people talk about a love that has taken place, we say that such people are truly halves.
To what extent were the formats otherwise strictly adhered to, or did you deviate significantly from the given maternal standard?
Our project is so different that listing the differences, talking about timing, or things like mixing and splitting stories within the same episode is simply ridiculous. I will repeat that this project is unique, there is probably nothing like it anywhere in the world, at least I have not heard about it.
First of all, we have other participants. If in England we were not talking about people like everyone else, and these were people who were exclusively sick, even if they were not in a wheelchair from birth, then our participants are different in spirit, they do not give up, they live a full life. They don’t consider themselves sick, you know? Even those who were born with cerebral palsy or without arms. For example, one of our participating girls with cerebral palsy is a multiple swimming champion. A hearing-impaired girl is a cross-country skiing champion. If the participants do not have sports regalia, then they are still unique: someone without fingers knows how to knit, embroider, hammer nails...
Never in your life will you see a person with cerebral palsy doing banjo jumping in another project. You will never see a girl who is hard of hearing water skiing a jock bodybuilder. Or a girl who was brought up in a boarding school, who has the peculiarity of one leg being shorter than the other and no fingers on her hands, has become a mega-sexual model. And there was such a photo shoot with her that many models who have five fingers on their hands never dreamed of this. There is so much sensuality, emotionality and some kind of deep, deep beauty in her.
And we see them like this: bright, interesting. When you talk about people who are not like everyone else, you really want there to be no such veil of heaviness that usually surrounds them and weighs them down, which comes with specialized festivals and stories. Usually, social project– a holy, kind thing, but, unfortunately, sad.
Did you manage to make the project different, not sad?
The project is, first of all, about love, and the program turned out to be bright and even cheerful. There is a feeling that “Halves” is like a sip clean water. They also make those who touch it cleaner, be it those who work in its production, be it spectators or participants.
Regarding the name of the British "mother" format - The Undateables - a storm also erupted on Twitter. Moreover, even before viewers saw the first episode of the program, the British Daily Mail wrote about it. The audience was outraged that people with disabilities the creators of the project classified her as “unsuitable for dating,” which is quite humiliating. To which representatives of the TV channel stated that the name simply reflects the attitude of society towards such people and it is deliberately provocative and aimed at challenging stereotypes and stimulating debate.
How many people are working on the project, and how difficult was it to form a team?
The project team today numbers about 120 people. They approached gradually, people crawled from everywhere, moved in, some dropped out. But now I am ready to subscribe to every word of this sentence: random people there is no.
Who dropped out?
Those who were uncomfortable, uncomfortable. Who doesn't live by this project? There were those who could not sleep, not eat, not drink, who lived by filming and for whom this was a normal regime. It was very difficult to find people, really. And not by skill level or track record. I understood with whom and under what conditions editors and directors would have to work and compared them with what I saw in the candidates who came. There are very few people on the market who are still able to believe in goodness, who love people. It’s not customary to talk about this, we don’t discuss “how we love people!” But it either exists or it doesn’t. When one of the candidates for director of this project told me: “Well, now I understand, what do we do next with these disabled people?”, I thought and told her: “Goodbye!”
The day we started this project, our team had no idea what we were up against. We were in such high spirits: “Eh, guys, let’s help them!” But to whom - to them? There are such people... what to call them? Not like everyone else? Yes, perhaps not like everyone else. This rather common definition has stuck most of all, because “people with special needs” somehow doesn’t sound very good. To be honest: in our country this definition has a special stamp, a special connotation, which is truly unpleasant.
Why did they decide that there would be no traditional presenters, only expert psychologists?
There is no place for traditional presenters in this project. What to say? What to present if we decided to help people in this project? Here, in fact, every minute there is help on camera and behind the scenes. It is not only the expert who prepares the guy for a date (although he also holds his hand all the time and calms him down), but also the guys with film set- cameramen, directors - they also advise something. For example, they shaved one before a date. It’s impossible to film everything! And when one guy says to another: “No, dude, this is a mess, I’ll comb your hair now!”, and combs your hair, although in fact he is an assistant or cameraman and is not obliged to do this, he is simply worried about the participant in the program as a human being, this is worth a lot.
How did you look for “not like everyone else”? This complex issue, because such people on television, and even in a program about love... not everyone will decide.
I can’t even count how many paths were taken to find our heroes, because they were looking for the whole world. When we entered the project, the casting department, which is on the New Channel, rushed to help us. They are very smart people and put all their efforts into helping us. They searched through social networks, published a profile on the website and gradually, little by little, found people. And then they searched the entire TV channel and found them in McDonald's, on the street, at bus stops, in the neighbors.
What were the criteria?
Very blurry. If you are not like everyone else, and because of this it is difficult for you, because of this you are alone - come here to us! This is the most main criterion. And we realized that we are not like everyone else here - on every corner. So ask yourself: are you like everyone else? And you don't White crow? Maybe you are hiding it carefully?
Many of the people who have become our members have physical disabilities, but this is not required condition. They are not like others, it is more difficult for them to find love, they are not always understood and accepted, but they have not given up and are amazing by the very fact of their existence, by the way they live. The richness of life. Now, if they haven’t folded their arms and are really ready to fight, we take them.
In parallel with such people, we have others. One episode of “Halves” is 90 minutes, which is quite a lot of time for a television project. There are two stories in the episode. And next to those who have physical characteristics, in the same program there are people with psychological characteristics.
For example?
For example, you can see in the project one line about a man who was born without two legs and without arms. Nearby is about a guy who is 23 years old and has never been kissed. Special. Or someone who really wants to be noticed. And the best thing I came up with was to take pictures of my butt and post it on social networks. It is not customary to talk about this, but it happens in society. These are our people.
Your colleagues said that more than 3,000 people took part in the castings.
Casting is a separate epic. Our participants are great smart people because they come and they are ready to talk. I am grateful to everyone who became a participant, and to those who came but did not. It’s a big, big step to talk openly about your problem, not wanting, in general, publicity and stardom, and despite the fact that this project exposes everything. Moreover, we have “nudity” both in direct and in figuratively. Everyone bares their soul; it is impossible to remain “dressed” in this project. They strip naked and go deeper. But opening up to our people is very difficult.
Did psychologists help with this?
Yes, psychologists worked on the project. They really pitched in and helped. But I take my hat off to our editors. The editors of “Halves” are the people who interviewed the casting participants and then guided them all the way to the set.
The castings were emotionally difficult. Periodically, the cameras were turned off and the casting was stopped, because the editor got up from his seat, came close to the person, knelt down and explained - I am also alive and feel the same as you, I want to hear you, I will not hurt you. And during the filming of the project, at first the cameras were turned off quite often because people were uncomfortable. One teaspoon at a time, the editors taught our participants that they need to open up and boldly face the situation, even if there are some shortcomings. This must be done so that the dream becomes a reality, so as not to be a loner anymore.
Probably, this is also a difference, because Western people are more liberated.
Certainly. In the West, the mentality is different, for example, in our country we have only heard about ramps. And you take a walk around New York - people with hearing aids share the road with ordinary passers-by, wheelchairs. And these people in wheelchairs can fully move around the city themselves. They do shopping, sports, there are a lot of them on the streets, but here we don’t. And not because there are fewer such people in our country, but because there are no conditions for them, and they sit at home.
At the same time, look how beautiful they are, both physically and spiritually. They just don’t have living conditions. Here's a simple example: a guy, inviting a girl to a restaurant, stays downstairs because there is no ramp, and he can't climb the steps in a wheelchair.
How were the dates organized? Were the wishes of the project heroes taken into account?
They took into account all of them, including the most impossible ones. We generally understood here that the impossible does not exist. A huge staff of people - I'm talking about creative team, and about administrators, location managers, operators, sound engineers, technical support - people all over the world fulfilled the wishes of crazy lovers. You can’t even imagine how these people know how to love! Their imagination knows no bounds. But what did it cost us to realize their dream of perfect date, only the people who made these desires come true know. There were underground meetings, where, under the threat of life and the integrity of the equipment, a huge amount lighting equipment, wet cables, cameras in the rain, film crews barely squeezed between the pipes so that the boy could have his dream digger date. Dates on airplanes, under airplanes, with parachutes, at night... There was almost everything you can think of.
There was a date where, for the sake of love, a man with prosthetics instead of legs climbed the bell tower of the St. Sophia Cathedral. This Holy place, an observation deck from where only physically trained photographers take pictures of Kyiv. When you look at this, you want to do the impossible. In this project, everyone did the impossible. The word “no” did not exist. We have a project about love, which cannot be approached formally - we do this, but we don’t do this. It's not just butterflies and rainbows, although they were also present in abundance, both rainbows and butterflies.
What impressed you most?
Much. But, probably, what was important was the feeling that it was as if we were being helped from there, from above. For example, there was a story about a guy who remained a virgin well into his thirties. This is an absolute problem; he needed to change something in himself. At the moment when his possible soul mate spoke about this problem for the first time, it was raining like a wall. As soon as they started talking and got out of the car, there was a rainbow in half the sky. How can this be?
How did you find the “halves” for the main characters?
We posted participant profiles on the website and people who would like to try to build relationships with them came to us, called us, and so on. Somehow we got in touch. We even talked to people from other CIS countries. But at the same time, we understood that we have enough of our own potential heroes, this is the first thing, and secondly, due to the situation that has developed in the country, it is physically difficult for people from other countries to come to us for filming. But we still filmed our own, no matter what - the Crimeans, and the guy from Donetsk region. How much effort did their arrival cost? How much nerves, effort, and time was spent by the project team? This is a different story.
The results of attempts to make a pair were sometimes very unexpected. For example, a girl who had a problem with her face participated in the program. One part is normal, beautiful, and the other... the other, as if two different people. This topic is incredibly painful for a girl who is truly beautiful, who plows over her body, who is focused on success, who is pulled down into the abyss by this part of her face and does not allow her to be happy.
This girl spoke completely sincerely about her problem and her loneliness. When she was offered to build a relationship with a completely nice guy, who, in fact, was the last thing she was interested in external feature, the couple did not work out - they did not get along in character. It's not about the physical moments, but what happens in our heads.
There were a lot of couples that worked out, can you brag?
But very little time has passed since we met?
Yes, a little time passed. The guys essentially had two big dates, but each one was like a small life. Such a meeting could last a day and turn into night. After the dates, where they were guided by experts, after communicating with the group, people with or without a couple came out of the project different. Even their manner of speaking, gait, and posture changed. It was no coincidence that I cited this girl as an example. A stroller or a prosthesis is something superficial. What makes people lonely is the cockroaches in their heads. Therefore, this project is not about people with special needs. This is a project about each of us.
As far as I understand, the project has already been completely filmed?
Today (September 21 – note by Mediasat) last day of filming. But work on the project continues, castings do not stop. I don't know if we can talk about a second season or if we will talk about it, but anything is possible. Filming ends, work on the project does not. If you think that after filming our editors stop communicating with the heroes of the project, then this is not so.
People sometimes get the impression that this is exactly what happens – the project has been filmed and that’s it.
I can say for sure that when filming ends, the film crew does not let the participant go, and the participant does not let the film crew go. This project is related and you know what it is general holiday when someone loudly announces: “Oh, Vanya wrote that they kissed again!” This became our main victories and medals.
What was the most difficult or unexpected thing for you?
I don’t want to talk about difficulties. What's unexpected? I knew that this project would be a revolution, but I didn’t think it would be this much. To be honest, I didn’t expect that I would be able to completely break the ice and reach people. I never thought that our participants, people who had to defend themselves all their lives, would be so grateful, so open to love and good relationships. And this breakdown, when a girl who always spoke in a whisper, already in a well-trained voice, says: “I am beautiful!”... I thought that this only happens in the movies.
It was very difficult for me to be in all places at the same time. We had six film crews, three of them, alternating week after week, filming their stories in parallel. And when something urgent happened to everyone at the same time, and this something - upending the world and blowing away the brain - it was not easy. For example, the police came to visit someone on the set, or somewhere the film crew refuses to leave the set at three o’clock in the morning, because the characters became romantic, which means that we won’t sleep for another day. And the film crew does not drink champagne with the heroes, declaring their love and soaring on wings. But they understood that it was necessary. And in the third film crew, for example, suddenly the hero decided that he needed a parachute. Yes, he must jump for the sake of his beloved and definitely tomorrow morning! And this is a guy with cerebral palsy, and this is at night. It’s impossible to do this so quickly. But this project concentrated so much desire to make love real and change lives that, I repeat, anything was possible.
I am very glad that such a project happened in my life, because it is happiness for a television worker to do what you want, and the way you want.
