Onur Karakuş, a second-year student at the Radio, Television, and Cinema department, who took part in the shooting team of the TAYF International Short Film Festival organized by Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (FAF), answered the questions we asked about his experiences during the festival process.
1. Hello, can you tell us briefly about yourself?
Hello, I am Onur Karakuş, a second-year student in the Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema. Ever since I was a child, I had a keen interest in photography. I decided to combine this talent with my interest in cinema. Currently, I am the cinematographer and cameraman in the short films that I shot with my teammates on my journey by combining both of my interests. At the same time, I take part in the shooting team of our school's Communication Coordinator.
What role did you take at the 2nd TAYF International Short Film Festival? Can you share the festival process with your own experiences?
I was a part of the shooting team during the festival. Until the day of the festival, we held meetings with our teachers and the whole TAYF team. In these meetings, our teams were determined, our task distribution was made, we were divided into teams of three, and we had a long and exciting preparation process. On the first day of the festival, together with my team, I shot the action that took place in the hall where the films that made it to the finals in the fiction-documentary category were screened. At the closing of the first day, I shot our interview titled 'An Actress's Journey' with Hande Kaptan as a guest. On the second day, I continued to shoot the movie screenings with my team. I attended interviews whenever I had the chance, and watched the films that made it to the finals in different categories. On the third day, I attended the Stained Glass Making Workshop. Later, I shot our interview titled 'A Woman Director/Director of Photography on Sets' with Cansu Büşlu as a guest. On the gala night of our festival, we went to the hotel where the gala will be held early. We distributed tasks with my teammates and got our equipment ready. With the arrival of the guests, first, the cocktail and then the opening speeches, the night started. Awards were given to the film owners who won awards at the festival. I filmed all the action that took place throughout the night. At the end of this beautiful night, we had a small celebration among ourselves as our teachers and the entire TAYF team.
3. Have you taken part in another festival before? What kind of gains did being involved in the festival bring to you and your career?
I have never taken part in any festival before. Taking part in the TAYF International Short Film Festival taught me the tricks of working in a professional organization. In such an intense process, I learned how to be fast and practical as a cameraman in spontaneous events. During the festival, I had the opportunity to meet and network with important names in the industry. Having the opportunity to watch many short films during the festival gave me ideas about what I should and should not do as a filmmaker. The festival lasted for 4 days, but the knowledge and experience I gained will guide me for many years.
4. What advice would you give to your friends who are considering taking part in festivals and such big events?
I think, first of all, they need to like to work at an intense pace. They must like teamwork because such events are held with really big teams and hard work. When necessary, they need to be able to manage the moment of crisis, keep up with spontaneous developments and act accordingly.
We would like to thank our student Onur Karakuş for his devoted work and contributions.
