Travelling across Uzbekistan over the past month has brought many surprises, but none more striking, as a filmmaker, than the country’s extraordinary emphasis on video production quality: from student-run social media accounts to educational institutions, music videos, and flight safety videos.
Our initial visits to various universities hinted at the trend of professional media production early on, where even student-organized events like Model United Nations or debates are captured by a multi-person media team with professional broadcast-grade cameras and lighting equipment. For some of the university events that we visited, there was also the presence of state television network stations. As we travelled to regions outside of Tashkent, visiting language learning centers, the trend continued. Even in the less well-funded centers with fewer students and visibly limited teaching resources, the tour always included a visit to the “media corner” with new generation mirrorless cameras, two key lights with softboxes, a set of lapel microphones, and RGB light tubes. These setups, albeit elaborate and requiring a level of professional knowledge to operate, are surprisingly consistent across the regions, despite the clear differences in the centres’ scale and aims.
A collage of stills sampled from various learning centres’ Instagram
Where does this homogeneity in video production come from? Is this the result of smaller businesses following the playbook of established centers to attract businesses? The answer seems to stem from both culture and economy.
Unlike North America, where polished professional content posted on social media, especially vertical video content, is deemed inauthentic, curated, and therefore eschewed, Uzbekistan’s approach to video content mirrors the attitude of East Asia. In China or Japan, people are used to seeing professional cinematography along with livestreams aiming to promote goods, and associate the refined video quality with trust in the product. Prosumer-level cameras produced vertical videos are much more prevalent in Asian countries. A similar logic applies in Uzbekistan: learning centers dedicate considerable energy to their online image, catering to an algorithm and population that favours short-form videos.
Unlike the public schools that we visited, where the administrators and managers are mostly people who are over the age of 30, the newly established language learning centres and private schools are increasingly run by young people. One English educational facility that we visited in Qarshi was independently run by two sisters aged 21 and 17. For them, social media is the primary channel for outreach and enrollment. Multiple owners of these centres attribute most of their marketing conversion success to their professional media presence. Branding is paramount, and with an ever-growing online course market that is offered by these centres, social media promotion will not go away soon. Once a specific formula of enrollment is proven to work, in this case, a professionally-lit person standing in front of an RGB light tube-lit bookshelf explaining the tricks of getting acceptances from selective US universities, others will follow. Through these videos, we can get a peek into the role that social media will play in the future of Uzbekistan’s education system. The entrepreneurial drive is unmistakable, with youths sharing information to help others going through the same challenging paths. Though the potential “generation loss” from over-replication of content production, a phenomenon amplified by the social media platforms, is especially worth watching out for when informing others about education.
Music videos we saw similarly echoed the sentiment of youth to move closer towards American culture. As opposed to Asian, European, and Latin American music videos with distinct feels, most contemporary music videos that currently top the Uzbek chart are produced very much in the same aesthetics as their American counterparts: Grains, film emulation, bold colourful typography, and filled American pop cultural references. But such a trend in youth may not represent the overall cultural leaning of Uzbekistan.
For our return journey to Tashkent, we boarded a flight on Uzbekistan Airways. Flight safety video is always an interesting point of comparison, especially for the flag carriers of nations. The videos form a singular; specific comparison point that condenses the larger cultural direction of the country while telling us how the country wants to represent itself on the world stage for foreign travellers. Comparatively, the style of Uzbekistan Airways’ video sits at an interesting middle ground.
The majority of the wealthy Middle Eastern airlines’ videos, like their country, cater towards a Western cultural sensibility. Qatar Airways includes Kevin Hart as the narrator of their video, with Qatarian cultural elements only as a mosaic in the background. Uzbekistan Airways’ video is still close in style to Western carriers. Like the videos of Air Canada or Air France, each different segment—seat belt, recline, life jacket—is filmed in a different region of the country to showcase the breadth of the country. Demonstrations of the aircraft's safety features are blended into other elements or settings. The overhead bins are handmade Uzbek baskets outside a bazaar, and the illuminated emergency lights are worked into the alley of Shah-i-Zinda.
While Western in form, the video’s core is still deeply Uzbek. Uzbek costumes and music dominate the video throughout. Air Astana’s video offers a very close point of comparison. The safety demonstration film is similarly shot in various locations across Kazakhstan, with demonstrations of safety features integrated into a hybrid setting. However, it feels more Western-focused. As opposed to the traditional music that Uzbekistan Airways uses, Air Astana remixes the cultural music motif with electro-pop, removing a layer of cultural pride felt in the video of Uzbekistan Airways. Sceneries like the Registan Square and the Ayaz Kala draw people in to learn about the culture of Uzbekistan, rather than portraying the country as a hospital wonderland for Western tourists.
Uzbekistan is evolving rapidly. From anecdotal observations and informal conversations on this trip, we can clearly see an overwhelming attraction to American culture in the youth population. Nonetheless, like the larger conversation surrounding the country’s international relations politics, navigating external influence while preserving internal identity will be key. In its media, education, and cultural exports, Uzbekistan stands at a crossroads—and how it chooses to tell its story will shape not only how it is seen by the world, but how this and the next generation sees itself.
* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.
