Narvians played in the comedy sitcom “Borders Key”, which will advertise Narva Castle

2023-09-22 15:00:01

Director Artem Tyulenev, cameraman Yuri Zhiltsov and actors of the sitcom “Borders of the Key” at the pre-show at Narva Castle. Photo: Irina Tokareva

How could you “pay with a card” for a cup of coffee in medieval Narva? Go on a date with a beautiful lady? Take part in a show featuring an inquisitor and a witch? You will learn about all this in October, when the premiere of the sitcom “Borders Key” will take place at Narva Castle.

“Borders Key” was filmed in the genre of a sketch show and talks about the life of townspeople in the fantasy medieval Narva. The preview of the sitcom, to which all the actors involved in it, as well as journalists, were invited, took place yesterday, September 21, and “Narvskaya Gazeta” also attended “

Sitcom to popularize Narva Castle

The main characters of the sitcom are a knight, a fair lady, a minstrel, an executioner, an inquisitor, and a blacksmith who constantly find themselves in various funny situations, and the main filming locations are Narva Castle inside and out in all its originality. It was precisely in order to stir up public interest in Narva Castle after the pandemic and other trials that this media project was conceived.

At the same time, the creators of the sitcom had no problems with medieval outfits for the actors, since the Historical Costume Theater operated in Narva for decades and its entire inheritance went to the Narva Museum. “Thanks to this project, we were able to reveal the potential of our collection of historical costumes. We are currently preparing an exhibition to coincide with the premiere of the sitcom,” said Daria Boyarova, head of programs at the Narva Museum.

The sitcom is currently being dubbed into Estonian by professional Estonian actors. The series will also be available in English and Finnish. “We are now working to ensure that the series is watched by viewers not only in Narva, but throughout Estonia,” said Daria Boyarova. “This is a wonderful example of well-coordinated teamwork, which, I hope, will advertise not only Narva Castle, but also our city,” noted museum director Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova at the pre-show.

How the series was filmed

“The main task that the museum set for us is to make it interesting,” the author of the idea and director of the series, Artur Tyulenev, tells NG. Since this is a sketch show, where there is no overarching plot, short videos – individual episodes and even individual gags from them – can be shared on social networks, on Tik-Tok, which are one of the main engines of advertising these days.

Arthur Tyulenev is the author of many reports for ETV+, the author and director of several historical serial projects, but this is his first time taking on a comedy sitcom. “I really wanted to try something new. This story began in the spring – the development of ideas and graphics. Filming took place in June, and then the editing process began,” he told NG.

The actors in the series were Narvians – professionals, such as Russian Theater actor Alexander Kuchmezov, originally from Narva, and amateurs – actors of the city theater “Miks mitte?”, which is directed by the famous artist, teacher and theater figure Tatyana Sonina. Tatyana also starred in the new sitcom in several episodic roles, and was also responsible for makeup.

“Filming began early in the morning and ended around eight in the evening. And so every day. I can’t say that everything went smoothly, but what supported me was that all the actors, without exception, even the extras, tried to fulfill their task to the maximum,” said Arthur Tyulenev.

“I’ve been to Narva Castle more than once before, but as a cameraman it opened up a new side for me – it’s a wonderful texture, a great place for filming. The biggest discovery for me was the enthusiasm of the Narva actors, who easily withstood long filming, even if they had to act in metal knightly armor,” film cameraman Yuri Zhiltsov told NG.

After the premiere at Narva Castle in October, all episodes of the sitcom “Borders Key” will be available on the Youtube platform.

Our information

The implementation of the project was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Department of Development and Economics of the City of Narva and the Narva Museum Foundation.
The project is being created with financial support from the Estonian EU External Border Program 2014-2020. The same program supported the renovation of the Narva promenade and the western courtyard of Herman Castle. The project is implemented within the framework of the European Neighborhood Instrument and is co-financed by the European Union.

The project budget is 77,000 euros, self-financing of partners is 7,700 euros, program support is 69,300 euros. The project is being implemented from May 1 to October 31, 2023.

Photo: Irina Tokareva

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