As part of its career day program, Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School held a videoconference with the director of the “Dağ I” and “Dağ II” films, Alper Çağlar (GRA/’04).
Mr. Çağlar first described the steps that went into producing “Dağ” (The Mountain), a military film that has typically aroused feelings of patriotism and pride in its viewers. While summarizing the process, he offered students interested in filmmaking insights into such aspects as visual effects, sound effects and the naming of characters. He also answered questions about his educational background and the scenarios of “Dağ I” and “Dağ II.”
In addition, Mr. Çağlar discussed the Turkish cinema industry in general and the issues involved in shooting a military film in Turkey, quoting statistics that indicate the relative rarity of Turkish films in this genre.
Mr. Çağlar noted that his first documentary film, “Not So Far Away,” was shot when he was in high school. He encouraged BELS students to think about the future, suggesting that they “go after their dreams and put aside social pressures.”
Toward the end of the conference, Mr. Çağlar shared his own future plans as well as his personal ideas about the “Dağ” films. He concluded with a popular quote from “Dağ II”: “We rise to be a thousand!”