DEMET ADIGUZEL, Graduation Project, Trimester 5, 2013

Graduation Project (No Title Yet)

Progress Steps So far

From 26th January till 18th February I was in Turkey for filming, this period can also be named as three weeks of journey to the past in which I shoot almost everyday with the main idea being to identify the bricks that built my identity.
The return from Turkey was painful not only because of facing many neglected experiences and facing my “source” but also because of returning with footage of many many hours which can make maybe five different projects!
After taking two weeks of a breather, I started to index those footage with the information what they held as audio and video that can help to create the story I was aiming to make with the exact timeline in every video. I am still working on this process because to compose the backbone of my project is based on what I choose to use in order to achieve a desirable storytelling manner. The list of the filming occasions and how far I made a progress on them are as follows:
- Arriving in Istanbul – 100% - necessary audio were chosen
- Interviewing my Cousin – 95% - most of the audio and visuals were analyzed and indexed
- The Chest – 15% - somehow know which scenes should be added to the story
- Cem 1 + Interview with Dede – 50 % - The interview was analyzed, the Cem rituals are still need to be analyzed further for appropriate visuals (since it was shot from two separate cameras and angles, it should be well synchronized if used together – it is true for almost every shoot)
- Cem 2 : the ‘court’ Cem – 0% - this will be analyzed really carefully, it has distinctive elements
- Interview with my friend at school – 20% - the visuals are somewhat analyzed but should be sifted through for the right audio to form the story – the school environment also gives a lot
- Cem 3 : 0% - sort of mixture of Cem 1 and 2, different environment
- The making of the Baglama (the sacred Instrument of Alevism) – 10% - should be checked thoroughly
- Interview with three friends with the authentic making of Turkish Coffee – 0%
- Cem 4 : 0% - Another Cem should be checked for nice visuals and audio
- Interview with the Author Kaleli, L. at the back seat of a car – 0% - There will be many things that this particular day will add up to the project, should be checked carefully
- Going to the town where my father was born – in a way going to the “source” as Anatolia is the source of genuine Alevism. 5% - there are many nice visual that may metaphorically carry and show a specific voice in the story since it is being on the road to a destination.
- Cem (5) in a village in Anatolia - : 0% - This Cem rituals are the source of many since they did not change for centuries. I am at the “source” really
- A nice Anatolian village morning with making of bread – 0% - authentic and cultural things can add so many things to the visual language that I am aiming
- Agcasar – our village after so many years – 0 % - really personal and sensitive – find a way to integrate those images
- Agcasar – relatives’ house – 0% - hospitality, more bread making, a typical Anatolian village home with its sweetness and warmth.
- Agcasar – Interview with my father in the very house he was born in – 0% - the story of my father can make another piece but here, for obvious reasons, should stick to the main theme maybe.
- Coming back to Istanbul – 50% - I think ‘going to’ may make good story than those very tired ‘coming back’ shots
- I also have photo and video footage from years ago in which I perform the sacred dance rituals and a photo that was published in a mainstream newspaper beginning of the 90s.
I have also shot more material which I think definitely help to form the language and concept of the piece. It was both very experimental and interesting to shoot myself perform the sacred dance rituals on my own after years. I think it serves the figurative visual purpose too.
Trying to compose a story line maybe based on the twelve services of Alevism, that can be interesting, deciding on the way to do it while indexing my large library of footage.
AND of course trying to work on the thesis, as I am reading on this culture, describing it, sharing my thoughts and experiences, describing what I have been doing and how it affects the project at a larger scope and defining my methodology.