Interview on The Brothers Karamazov

So, this is something I filmed 5 years ago.  I've been sitting on it all this time because I wanted to give Russian TV a chance to use it before I published it myself.

What am I talking about, you ask?  Allow me to explain.

I was contacted on Facebook on January 9, 2021:

Dear Joel!
The Russian TV channel Russia 1 with the support of the Ministry of Culture is preparing a documentary film about Dostoevsky. The film is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the writer.
The filmmakers focused on foreign researchers of Dostoevsky's work. We have carefully read your blog and found your passion to Dostoevsky's work very interesting. We would be very happy if you would take part а participate. Could you make a little interview for us?
You can record a video interview on your phone. Because of the pandemic we can't do it ourselves.
The questions for the interview we can send  by e-mail.
Also сan we use a litl part of the video in our film, in which you talk about Dostoevsky?
Thank you in advance!

I know.  I know.  Bizarre.  I wasn't quite sure what to make of it either.
I think I've arrived at a stage in my life when I have an accurate view of my limitations.  (Delusions of grandeur are for younger men.)  So let me assure you there's no false modesty going on when I say I'm perfectly aware that neither the video nor the blogpost are suitable for any sort of professional project.  So why were they asking?  In the end, after trying to think through what the scam was, I couldn't come up with any reason not to reply.  I mean, what was the harm? 

It occurred to me then that this may be some sort of bizarre catfishing scheme, although for the life of me I can't figure out what the angle is. 
My best guess is that they were trying to do this project on the cheap, and so couldn't afford to contact the real experts.  I'm guessing they were just contacting everyone they could find who made a Youtube video about Dostoevsky.  Perhaps they sent out a hundred different versions of this email in the hopes that they could get as many videos sent to them as possible and perhaps they could find some useable footage somewhere in there.

So I replied:

Thank you for the message.  Quite frankly I'm flattered that you would find my blog of any value.  But I'm happy to help in any way that I can.
You have my permission to use the blog and the video in your film.
I'm also willing to do the video interview.  I should, however, give you forewarning:
1) I'm not an expert or a researcher.  I'm just someone who reads books and writes down my thoughts on a blog
2) The blog post and the video are from almost 4 years ago now, and I've not given Dostoevsky a lot of thought in the intervening years.  It isn't as fresh in my memory as it was when I made the original blog post and video. But I'll do my best.
3) I'm not a natural public speaker.  (But then, if you've seen my video, you already know what to expect.)
Those caveats being stated, I am happy to help in any way that I can.  If you send me the questions, I will do my best with them.

At the time, I was thinking to myself, "I have a duty to make it clear to them that I am not an expert on Dostoevsky.  But once I've made that clear, if they choose to use me regardless, well, then that's on them."
At least, that was my thinking at the time.
Having thought about it a little bit more, however, I think I probably still failed in my moral duty.  What I really should have said, was: "Look, I'm very flattered that you found my blog post and the video  of any value, but I can't in good conscience represent myself as any sort of authority on Dostoevsky.  I'm very sorry, but I'm going to have to decline your offer, and wish you the best of luck."

...that's probably what I should have said.  But I didn't.  I offered to film the video.
And then they sent me  the questions.

Dear Joel! Thank you very much!
Send you questions
1. Read your favorite fragment from "The brothers Karamazov" (no more than 1.5 minutes)
2. Why do you love this fragment?
3. Which of the heroes of Karamazovs do you associate yourself with? Who is more in you-Dmitry, Ivan or Alyosha?
4. and which is more in modern society today in your  opinion? Which of Dostoevsky's characters do you meet often: Dmitry, Ivan and Alexey or  Smerdyakov, Grousha, Karamazov-older?
5. the main question of the novel "there is a God – there is no God"? How would You respond to it?
6. Dostoevsky was very religious in his books. There is no such thing in modern society. Maybe it's outdated. Why read it today?
7. In Russia, Dostoevsky is considered a complex and depressing writer. And in Your country? how is the novel  "Karamazovs" perceived in your country? what is important in the novel for the Western reader?
Technical features of video recording:
Video format: full HD 1920 Х 1280 25 frames per second
Blogger looks at the camera, the camera is put in the middle plan to take the microphone from the phone could record sound with high quality
In the hands of the blogger book "Brothers Karamazov". Preferably

 For better or for worse, I got this request at a time when I was very busy with work and with looking after a toddler.  It was difficult to find time to make this video, and even if I had time, it was difficult to find any peace and quiet in the apartment to film the video.  So I didn't really have a lot of time to devote to this interview, and I wasn't really sure how legitimate this project was.  (I mean, how legitimate could it be?  Who in their right mind would want me to appear as an expert on Dostoevsky?)  So, I didn't put a lot of time into filming the video.  I had about 40 minutes of free time to film the video one Sunday afternoon (before the wife and toddler got back from the playground).  I printed out the questions, and tried to stumble my way through them.  I didn't really have any time to rehearse or to film multiple times.  I was assuming (hoping) that they would edit the video to cut out all my ramblings, and maybe just take one or two parts.
Also, because they wanted full HD 1920 Х 1280 25 frames per second, I used my smartphone instead of the camera I normally used during this period, but at the time I wasn't used to filming myself on the smartphone, and didn't know where to look.  
So, yeah, it's not really my best effort, I know.  But I didn't have much time to devote to this, and I wasn't quite sure how legitimate this whole project was anyway.

Google document with the questions and with the full quotation here (docs, pub)