Organizing a city quest for freshmen at the School of Design

Objectives:
— Develop the directorial script for the teaser
— Shoot and edit the promotional video
— Create props for the teaser shoot
— Publish posts in the mentor Telegram channel
— Write a script monologue for the Anna Akhmatova station and perform the role
— Coordinate freshmen across the quest stationsMission:  — To explore the center of St. Petersburg with freshmen through an interactive city quest, helping them familiarize themselves with the city and each other in a gamified formatKey Focus:
Varvara Kulazhenkova — Develop the directorial script for the city quest teaser, participate in filming, prepare props, and coordinate freshmen across the quest stations
Kristina Kruglikova — Develop the directorial script for the city quest teaser, operate the camera, and prepare props
Victoria Timofeeva — Design the text content for the posts, participate in scriptwriting, and perform the role of Anna Akhmatova

Two grandmothers discover the diary of their late friend Svetlana, which contains poems, photographs, and entries about remarkable women, though some names have been forgotten. They ask first-year students to help restore the memory of these heroines. Participants divide into teams and navigate stations where they complete thematic assignments related to the lives and work of Anna Akhmatova, Elena Guro, Olga Bergolc, Sophia Kovalevskaya, Anna Pavlova, and other distinguished women. After compiling all the names, the teams return to the grandmothers, who thank them for their help and award the winners. The main idea of the quest is to preserve historical memory and demonstrate that the names and achievements of great women must not be forgotten.

The main objective was to create an enigmatic female persona and convey the atmosphere of the upcoming event through visual storytelling, without revealing the content of the quest itself.

At the core of the narrative is a mysterious heroine who traverses dimly lit spaces, engaging with handwritten notes and portraits of historical figures. These very elements become the primary tools of storytelling, gradually revealing the theme of the event.

The handwritten text holds particular significance in the teaser. It fulfills not only an aesthetic but also an informative function: through these notes, the viewer learns key details about the upcoming quest. The central narrative focus becomes the phrase, «St. Petersburg remembers great men, ” which is then contrasted and complemented by the question, „And women?“ This technique draws attention to the female figures in the city’s history and unveils the core idea of the quest—getting to know the outstanding women of Saint Petersburg.The portraits of the quest’s heroines supplement the handwritten notes, establishing a connection between historical figures and the contemporary viewer. Thanks to the combination of these elements, the teaser transcends being a mere event announcement; it becomes a brief visual narrative that gradually reveals its central theme.

Props Created:
For the video teaser shoot, the necessary props were gathered and prepared: candles, books, paper, a quill, and ink. In addition, portraits of the quest’s main heroines were hand-drawn, as were poems, newspaper headlines, and letters relating to historical figures. Special attention was paid to creating handwritten texts for the video’s protagonist, which became a crucial element of the visual narrative, gradually unveiling the teaser’s plot and the theme of the upcoming quest.

Editing techniques used in the montage:
Dynamic cutting, alternation between close-ups and wide shots, synchronization of the video footage with musical accents, and specially mixed sound design to create a mysterious and unsettling atmosphere.

Station Mechanics:
Teams visit themed stations, each hosted by one of the distinguished women. Participants must complete a task related to the woman’s life, creative work, or accomplishments. Upon successfully completing a station, the team receives a photograph of the heroine to place in their itinerary map. The first team to collect all the portraits wins.

When writing the heroine’s monologue, it was necessary to consider historical facts, the overall quest plotline, and the author’s individual speaking style.

Assignment Overview:
First-year students must deduce which words or phrases are missing from the poet’s verses.For a correct answer, they receive a portrait of the writer to glue into their route map.

To organize the city quest, first-year students were divided into teams, and an individual route through the stations was developed for each. This system allowed for effective logistical planning and prevented teams from crossing paths at the same locations.

Separate group chats were created for quick communication, allowing participants to receive updates about the next stations. This enabled real-time tracking of the teams' movements and coordination of their routes. Thanks to thoughtful logistics, the quest proceeded without unforeseen issues or organizational complications.

As a result, we managed to maintain a sense of mystery in the promotional video and spark the freshmen’s interest in the event (Continue writing)During the process, we were able to make a creative contribution to organizing the quest, work on the script, and try our hand at a character interacting with the participants. While the quest was taking place, the freshmen were able to get to know the city, walk through its streets, and complete challenges for which they eventually received a discount on initiation.