by Jamie Hogan
Wednesday came around in the blink of an eye once again. At 4pm we packed our belongings and headed for the company van. The full production team joined us and we headed to the Medipol University in Unkapanı The University can be seen from the entrance to CNN Turk, however it is too far to walk with the amount of gear we had with us.
We walked into the vast university and were greeted by security staff who escorted us to the lecture hall where the show was to be broadcast from. It was a lavish space with teared seating, a state of the art sound system and a large platform which would act as the stage The set design crew were in the lecture hall when we arrived setting up the backdrops.
We walked into the vast university and were greeted by security staff who escorted us to the lecture hall where the show was to be broadcast from. It was a lavish space with teared seating, a state of the art sound system and a large platform which would act as the stage The set design crew were in the lecture hall when we arrived setting up the backdrops.
We were taken to the OB Unit to the rear of the University by director Ozlem Efe. The space was extremely small but it had all of the same gear that was in the control room back at CNN Turk.
The OB unit had a full operational sound desk, camera control centre, titles computer and audio visual software. There was also six screens some broken into four so that all camera angles could be seen at one.
The OB unit had a full operational sound desk, camera control centre, titles computer and audio visual software. There was also six screens some broken into four so that all camera angles could be seen at one.
At around 7pm we headed to the University restaurant where the producer had booked us all a table. We had told Bayza during the week that we were missing potatoes, the group heard this and insisted on ordering us a traditional potato dish so that we could try. Itach also insisted that we try some of his Ayran which is a staple with food for most here in Turkey. It was an acquired taste but Dylan and I happily drank it to be polite.
When we headed back to the studio the set was nearly complete. All that was left to do was a sound, camera and light check. Dylan and I had to sit in the presenter and quest chairs so that the camera operators and the control room could focus and autocorrect the cameras correctly. The lighting crew also made sure the lights were correct while we sat in the chairs.
When we headed back to the studio the set was nearly complete. All that was left to do was a sound, camera and light check. Dylan and I had to sit in the presenter and quest chairs so that the camera operators and the control room could focus and autocorrect the cameras correctly. The lighting crew also made sure the lights were correct while we sat in the chairs.
With 30 minutes to air the large audience started to file in. There was about 250 people in total in attendance. The place was buzzing, even though we couldn't understand what they were saying we could feel that they were having a great time. Mr Abbas walked in to a rapturous applause from the audience, he shared a joke and a laugh with the people and they seemed to love it. The guest for the night was the Minister for Health in Turkey, Mehmet Müezzinoğluh, he too arrived to an applause from the audience.
The show went very well, we got to witness Ozlem Efe do an excellent job directing, Dylan commented on her ability to multitask, Mrs Efe could direct the show and talk to the others around her with no problem what so ever. She was a pro who has many years experience under her belt.
We left the university around 3am with the crew who insisted on seeing us to the door of our apartment complex. It was a brilliant opportunity to get to see how the show works outside of the studio building in CNN Turk. I am falling in love with CNN and Istanbul and I am not looking forward to leaving it all behind next week.
We left the university around 3am with the crew who insisted on seeing us to the door of our apartment complex. It was a brilliant opportunity to get to see how the show works outside of the studio building in CNN Turk. I am falling in love with CNN and Istanbul and I am not looking forward to leaving it all behind next week.