"In the moment": PSU film and photo studio returned from Ufa from the Volga Media Forum

Secrets of a successful shot, creating a content plan and active practical work - Penza State University delegation returned from Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, from the media forum for university students of the Volga Federal District "Moment". Students of the Faculty of Computer Engineering Igor Medvedev, Makar Savitsky, Viktoria Shevyakova, Kanykey Nurgazy kyzy and a student of the Institute of Economics and Administration Daria Timaeva attended lectures and workshops for three days, worked in teams to create content and exchanged experience with more than 80 participants from all regions of the Volga Federal District. The forum included workshops in five areas of training: media team management, graphic design, photography, video filming, maintaining social networks for the student media center.

The media forum was held at Eurasian Research and Educational Center and was organized by Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USPTU). At the opening ceremony, USPTU Vice-Rector for Youth Policy Anton Glazkov addressed all the participants: “When the guys, the forum organizers, came up with this idea, we supported the initiative and had no doubt that everything would work out for them. And so they defended their project before the commission and gathered students from the Volga Federal District here in Ufa. I hope that these three days will remain in your memory forever. Good luck!"

After active work at the forum, the students brought to Penza not only new knowledge, but also impressions. Makar Savitsky and Igor Medvedev were pleased with the point system and extracurricular activities: “We would like to note a very cool idea with points, especially for nonresident participants. You get points for taking photos with each monument and compete for forum merchandise - stickers, notepads, flash drives and even hoodies! And on the very first evening we won a themed tea photo shoot and received chak-chak as a reward.”

While the young men rejoiced at their first victory at the forum, Vika Shevyakova and Kanykey Nurgazy admired the beauty of Ufa. “This is my first time here, and everything seems so beautiful and mysterious. Everything here is so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing that we photographed everything that moved and did not move. I saw something similar to Kyrgyz yurts and even noticed that I understood their language,” Kanykey emphasized. “Already on the first day, despite our early arrival, Ufa won my heart! I didn’t want to leave at all, but, unfortunately, everything ends someday,” Vika agreed.  “And the forum itself left excellent impressions. It was really useful to gain new information about photography, to look at completely ordinary things from a different perspective. We even managed to work with the light and analyze shooting techniques. I was also able to attend a lecture on texts, which was not included in the programme at all. But it was cool, and most importantly, useful.”

One of the most experienced participants in the PSU Film and Photo Studio, head of the video department, 2nd year master’s degree student at the Institute of Economics and Administration, Daria Timaeva, summed up the results of the three-day educational programme: “Ufa gathered young people who are engaged in shooting video, photography, and are interested in design and SMM. We managed to gain a lot of new knowledge, bright emotions and useful contacts. Now we know exactly how to set up the light and camera correctly, and have learned to plan the team’s activities. One of the most interesting things at the forum was working in a team, where each person performed their own function. In a short time, the guys and I managed to generate a lot of ideas and bring them to life. And all this thanks to the help of the organizers and mentors.”