Crossing roads in multiple media: The case of Alper Çağlar and Borii 2039 Franchise on BluTV

Abstract

The Turkish TV series production process has long been separated from filmmakers who have achieved success in both the creative and economic aspects of the film industry in Turkey because of the workflow of traditional Turkish television networks. Due to the long-running nature of primetime television series, as well as the pressure to complete the production in a short amount of time, many projects have lacked an artistic touch, in other words, auteur filmmakers have shied away from taking on these projects. Alper Çağlar, the director of the year 2016 most-watched film, Dagli (Mountain 2), has become somewhat of a talking point after assuming control of the comedy and horror film genre's throne that had been dominant for years in the Turkish cinema industry. He has captured the audience's interest by closely following current political happenings in Turkey and incorporating them into the background of his films. He recently collaborated with BluTV on a science-fiction project. BluTV, Turkey's first indigenous digital platform and producer of the first online series Masum (Innocent, 2017), has established a reputation for pioneering several firsts since its inception. Following Innocent, BluTV produced Turkey's first (on an SVODs) horror series Sahipli (Owner, 2017), the first vampire series Yasamayanlar (Immortals, 2018), and the first sensual series Çiplak (Naked, 2020). Borii 2039 (2021) first science fiction series shot in cooperation with the BluTV, which has implemented many original projects, and Alper Çağlar, who is especially famous for his military action movie, is the focus of this study. The purpose of this research is to investigate the causes of Alper Çağlar and BluTV collaboration from the perspectives of aesthetics and economics. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.