Orkide Ünsür

About My Name

Writing May 25, 2009

ORKİDE, ORCHIDACEAE, ORCHID, ORCHIDEE, ORCHIDÈE, ORCHIDEA…

As I heard from my parents, when my mother was 6 month pregnant, my father told her if the baby would be a girl he wanted the give the name Orkide. They didn’t know if the baby boy or girl yet but they both liked the idea because of their love to this exotic flower and also its different symbolism and meanings.

Let me give you some interesting details about orchid; in western world, orchid represents love, rare beauty, strength and luxury. The orchid has deeper moral meaning in Chinese history and literature. It’s known as a symbol of purity and noble virtue due to its fragrance. With the plum, the chrysanthemum, and the bamboo, orchid is one of “the noble four”. In China orchid also signifies refinement, and the innocence of children. The color of the orchid gives strong messages. For instance a pink orchid signifies pure affection, Cattlea symbolizes mature charm.

In ancient Greece, women believed they could control of unborn babies with orchid root. If the father of their unborn child eats large, new orchid tubers, the baby would be a boy. If the mother eats small orchid tubers, she would give birth to a girl. In the Ancient Roman era orchids bulbs were being used for making aphrodisiac drinks.

Orchids have been said to represent many different things through the years in Christian theology, but the most popular and commonly recognized symbol is the spots on orchids representing the blood of Christ so they commonly found in many churches as altar decorations.

Orchids have been the object of many kind of arts in years such as cinema, music, literature (novels, poems…) photography, painting etc. with referring different kind of symbolism and their inspirations. In painting, orchid is the symbol of perfection. The shape of orchids has been mentioned as geometric in comparison to the curvier forms of other flower.

As a plant; Orchidaceae (or Orchid family) is the largest family of the flowering plants. There are at least 25,000 different species of orchids, with probably thousands more that remain unknown or unclassified.

The vanilla orchids, form a flowering plant genus of about 110 species in the orchid family. It is the only orchid widely used for industrial purposes in the food also in the cosmetic industry.
As far back as the 1500’s, Aztecs in Mexico made a chocolate drink from cocoa beans called Tlilxochitl which was flavored using ground vanilla beans. They believed it gave them power and strength.

Orchids are cosmopolitan, adaptable flowers occurring in almost every habitat but deserts and glaciers. Antarctica is the only continent where orchids do not grow naturally. The great majority are to be found in the tropics, mostly Asia, Central and South America.

Turkey is one of the most biodiversity-rich countries in the world. Approximately 150 orchid species exist in Turkey and 40 of these are endemic that is found in Turkey alone. Mostly orchids grow in the Mediterranean and the Aegean region. In the Black Sea coastline, some orchids species exist too.

Orchids were very popular in the Ottomans era for producing sahlep/salep (which is a flour produced from the tubers of dried, several wild orchids ) and they believed it’s a powerful aphrodisiac to increasing sexual power. Salep is offered as a winter beverage with milk and sugar and it is also used as medicine for cough and bronchits. It is being used for making ice cream too and the ice cream industry is threatening a major collapse in the number of orchids. And the popularity of salep in Turkey has led to a decline in the populations of wild orchids. Sahlep/Orchis (dust, tablet or any forms) is forbidden to export from Turkey. And Doğa Derneği (Bird Life in Turkey) has formed a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry to establish a national fund to halt biodiversity decline it’s called “Zero Extinction Fund” for 10 prioritised projects and Lykia Orchids are one of them. There exist only last 200 Lykia orchids are living in Mersin, Antakya and Kahramanmaraş.

I love orchids as many people do. And personally this flower is more meaningful for me as I am carrying the name of it. I hope some rare species of this flower family will not be the victim of human greedy and they will last forever as a beauty of the nature and the planet earth…

Others

Writing May 24, 2009 Leave a comment

shiny

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned
and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we can’t eat
money.” (The Native American Indian Cree proverb)

We are all belong and connected to mother nature. And we, human beings are not the master of the planet earth. What we have to do is learning to find a way living in a harmony with the other species and nature respectfully.

black cat I love animals, it’s important for me to protect their right of living. A cat, a dog, a cow, a bird or any kind of animals do not deserve to die just because they were not born as a human. But I believe the rules of the nature. So if any animal has to kill the other one for its own surviving we should respect it too. The world is full of violence of the humans.

Human race not only harm i’s own species also animals and nature. Unfortunately, animals are being hunted, tortured, killed, abused in every minute just for primitive pleasure of the humans. Same nature… For instance hundreds of trees have been cutting just having a golf area. Do we really need it? And do we have a right to do it? We are polluting, destroying, abusing our planet and it’s habitat just for our own benefits, just we want to do it like that. I think it’s not fair…

15,5 years ago me and my family’s life completely changed the day we had a little white puppy like a snowball. We gave the name Bıçkın (though, brave, roughneck) him for nice and funny conflict due to he was looking cute and nasty rather than roughneck. With Bıçkın, I learned to be more sensitive and respectful about animals’ life. I took a life lesson from one little white dog while he was alive and after he passed away last year. Me, my parents and our friends even the ones who afraid of animals loved him too much, he lived peacefully life with us and died almost in a sudden without suffering.

But not all the dogs are lucky like him. Some dogs are suffering all over the world. Strays are already born with no luck and some pets abandoned by their owners just because they are old, or these people do not want to take care of them anymore or bored with them. Parents buy puppies for their children to play with and for a while release them to the streets.

Thankfully, here in Turkey we have nice organizations and platforms whose members have tender and mercy for animals such as HAYTAP, DYBD, YHS, BGD, DOHAYKO etc. Their members or volunteers hardly work for animal rights and their protection. We have our Animal Rights Law and under this law, it’s municipalities’ duty to taking strays (including cats) from their environments, bringing them to animal rehabilitation center for vaccining, sterilizing (castrating) and tagging them from one ear. And after couple of rehabilitation days the people in charged in municipality bringing them back again to the area they lived before and let them live there. This is called “vaccined, sterilized (castrated) and let them live”. And during these procedures mostly the volunteers of shelters/ rehabilitation centers help the municipalities. They care and follow the dogs bring back to their habitat rightly. These people indeed devote themselves to helping animals. They are always working to find these dogs warm nests with owner who will love them.

So although it sounds not so good at first sight (interfering the animals) still this law is not bad despite of it’s lackness especially about punishments for the people who abuse heavily or kill animals.

That’s for sure this is more compassionate, more tenderhearted approach comparing to many other civilized countries. But we need all the municipalities do their jobs in a good way and successfully. Strays have been killing almost every day or they abandoned to the forests and nobody takes the blame. In some touristic areas in Turkey like the Aegean and the Mediterranean sites, strays are being poisoned by people just because to make their town tidy and clean (!) for foreign tourists. Is there any common idea about tourists do not like animals? On the contrary I guess. Any normal person likes animals I guess at least respect their life even does not like them.

According to some sources dogs were domesticated 14.000 years ago and cats 10.000 years ago. So, humans have been living with them for a very long time. Because of we domesticated dogs and cats it’s our duty to take care of them. They like to be in communication and play with us. They are sensitive, emotional creatures with their specific way of feeling like many kind of animals. And speaking about the wild animals; humans let them free to in their own habitat. Zoo is a prison. Circus is abusing for all animals for pushing them work like a slave, including poodles, elephants, lions, monkeys and many more. I wish they would have a chance to live in a proper place which they feel themselves happy and free…

The morality of a nation can be judged by the way a society treats at its animals. (Mahatma Ghandi)

Orkide Ünsür

Short Documentary Film, Hidjaz Houmayoon (2002)

Film Production May 21, 2009 Leave a comment

Hidjaz Houmayoon / Documentary (2002) ( 3th 1001 Documentary Film
Festival/Alanya, 1st Eastern Mediterranean International Underwater
Photography And Film Festival/Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, 9th
Biennual International Festival of Underwater Photography /Switzerland)

Producer and Director: Okan Ünsür

Executive Producer: Orkide Ünsür

Underwater Camera: Okan Ünsür

Music: Murat Tuğsuz, Reed Flute Performed by: Eyüp Hamiş, Flute Performed by: Murat Çelik
caretta gif
I find the life under the sea is astonishing. The creatures which are living in a harmony with their nature rules in their habitat are so impressive for me. Although I am not a diver and not planning to become one in the future, this magical atmosphere effects me heavily and I respect it.

In 2002 my brother Okan and I were in Kaş for making a promotional movie
of a diving center. Kaş/Antalya is a wonderful town famous for its diving
sites. We had an idea in our minds for some times to make a short under
water documentary about Kaş. So we planned our shootings and chose the most popular and interesting diving sites like Cave, Flying Fish, Canyon, and began to shoot. The most dangerous site was the Plane Wreck which only high plane gif professional divers like Okan are allowed. The plane had crashed for unknown reasons during the Second World War. The engine of the plane becomes visible at a depth of 57 meters; the other parts and the tail go down to the depths of more than 70 meters. Sometimes Okan followed a unique creature, or experienced the underwater exhibition with ceramic objects. And the night diving was done too. We decided to edit the movie with lyric style with the music but text. It would be reflection of the divine, holy and mystic atmosphere of the under water world of Kaş and the Mediterranean Sea.

Turkish classical music consists of different kind of music tunes, a system of melody type called “makam”(maqam). Each makam specifies a unique intervallic structure and melodic development. Whether a fixed composition or a spontaneous composition all attempt to follow the melody type.

cave gif

Hidjaz Houmayoon makam belongs to Hidjaz family. Hidjaz (hijazz) makam is one of the oldest, most be loved and most common makam in Turkish classical music which gives the soul modesty, humbleness.

This tune infuse into divine melancholy too. So referring the beauty of the under water world and feeling the divine love and melancholy Hidjaz Houmayoon makam and it’s tune was a meaningful and nice choice. And of course, many thank’s to Murat Tuğsuz and Eyüp Hamiş…

Orkide Ünsür

Working at News Department…

Writing May 2, 2009 Leave a comment

If you are working at news department in a TV channel as a reporter, a cameraman / camerawoman, producer or director; it means you have to be ready and adapt all unexpected, spontaneous situations with quick mind and movement. For instance if you are a reporter, in limited time you have to shoot your news, write it clear, brief and striking way, record your text mostly with your own voice, edit the material in a short time and present it to your chief. All have to be done in the limited time with the right way. Really hectic times!

checking the footage

Because of I worked as a reporter (and for couple of news as a camerawoman) as a Child News Coordinator and as a producer in TV channels, I can say mostly I lived the whole procedure.

I have unforgettable memoirs about my works at news, some of them made me feel myself lucky or funny or sad. As an example, I had a chance to interview with world famous French theorist, philosopher Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) while he was in Istanbul for a meeting . I was using a heavy SVHS camera and my colleague Banu Gökçül was a reporter. After his speech we interviewed with him. He was little surprised about to see 2 young women in Istanbul, Turkey in 1993 for interview him and he made nice compliment us. It was a great honor for us benefit from his intellect and his thoughts about media criticizing.

While I was making culture & art news, I had an interview with world famous Turkish jazz musician and jazz drummer Erol Pekcan in his backstage after some recording for his concert. He was a cult figure in Turkish jazz history. He made the first jazz album in Turkey with jazz musicians Tuna Ötenel and Kudret Öztoprak (1947-2008) which called “Jazz Semai”(1978). And very soon after my interview he passed away in 1994. I think this interview I made with him was his last footage.

Giving for a funny (actually it was absolutely not funny for me in that time) example, I can not skip this case: I was planning to shoot an art gallery opening with a painting exhibition at night time and I came to work with elegant outfits. But in the middle of day we heard the announcement about a big fire in Halkalı city dump which is close to our tv station. I was one of the 2 reporters who is available at that moment because others were all in charged and outside for their news. So our chief picked me to shoot the news, I was very disappointed and upset. I found myself in the city dump on fire and garbages and ashes around me. It was the first time in my life that I saw hundreds of seagulls around us in the dump area. Till then I had seen them only around the seaside or just flying in the sky. I felt that like I’m in the “Birds“ movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I think I will never forget this disgusting smell. So after that day I tried to avoid having certain plans about my news.

Another difficulty of working at news, you have to watch many different rough footage like a tragic traffic accident, a violent murder or a disaster like the earthquake we had in 1999 in Marmara. While we had this earthquake I was a producer at CNNTURK, we were all working like crazy and as an emotional and sensitive person, it was really hard for me standing to watch incredibly, sadly rough footage and edit them. But you have to wipe your tears, skip the hard ones which is not possible to broadcast, find and choose more normal shootings, make your news and broadcast it as a professional. Your job is informing the people all around the world.

Although it’s neither my priority nor my ambitious or passion working at news department; I must admit I’m thankful about what I’ve learned while I was working at ATV and CNNTURK. Professionally, I like to control events, actions and follow my shooting plans. But I have my flexibility and ability to adapt myself unexpected situations and shootings. I like to find different angles spontaneously too on the other hand. Especially while you are shooting a documentary this is very important and necessary. So I think these special experiences I’ve had at news departments will always helpful for my future projects either documentary or fiction.

Orkide Ünsür

Masterclass: John Malkovich

Masterclass April 19, 2009 Comments: 2

I attended to Masterclass of world famous, unique actor John Malkovich in 28th International Istanbul Film Festival. I must say it was stunning experience for me. Even I was the first one asked him a question, just before workshop finished he gave me the chance to ask another questions which I forgot to ask because of my excitement ? So I am thankful to him.

Since the movie “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988) which has been the first encounter with him for Turkish audiences we loved J. Malkovich at first with his distinctive charisma that is still same and seems will never diminish in the future. It was quite enjoyable and interesting to listen his anecdotes about his professional life and cinema and also exploring his high intelligence, sense of humor, humble side of his personality which is hidden under the surface of his little arrogance and distance.

First I asked him that he is one of the idol actors on this planet every director wants to work with, if he has any idol director or directors. And I asked what the “good director” concept meant for him as an actor, as a director and as a producer (By the way I would like to congratulate the translator guy who was very successful about clear and net translations without skipping any details). Malkovich said he had no criteria about “good director” concept. But he considers himself lucky to finding a chance for working with very important directors. On the other hand he also missed the chance to work with some directors he really wanted to work with because they were already dead. According to Malkovich, a director’s past works and working style can not give him certain reference about the same director would have the same quality of work and working style with him.

malkovich2

While he was mentioning his thoughts on the relationships between his directors as an actor and also the relationships between his actors/actresses as a director; he already replied my “good director” question.

“ My duty as a professional actor is feeling a director’s vision. All in all it’s his/her dream not mine. Making or directing a good movie is very hard job. It’s me who is working for a director, director is not working for me. Director is the boss. When I am working as a director, I set my actors/actresses free as much as I can. I ask them questions, I try to communicate them and I try to find a way together with them. For instance I don’t care what they did at the rehearsal 4 months ago but today’s performance. I observe where they did please me where they don’t. If I feel something is not convincing about their acting, I say them immediately. Directors know the technique, framing, lightning but lots of them do not know how they can work with and motivate the actors/actresses. You can feel yourself as a puppet or as a monkey while working with them as an actor. Sometimes they express themselves with very interesting or strange gestures and you have to decode them. As a result, I have learned a lesson which is it’s you have to adapt to director not vice versa.”

malkovich5

Malkovich said Michelangelo Antonioni and Manoel de Oliveira have priority and importancy of him and he is very pleased to work with them. Whenever they meet Manoel de Oliveira who is 101 now and still trying to make movie, blows up Malkovich’s mind with his talent. He says Oliveira is a wonderful director and tells us a little story about him.

“ One day me and Oliveira were together for talking about a movie project of him. I don’t know Portuguese and he doesn’t know English so we speak French. He has no script in his hand but the idea in his mind. He talked about the project for 1,5 hours. I was very tired and sleepless. So I said I accepted the project. He said “o.k.” and just began to talk about his second project. I couldn’t believe my ears! But he is very intelligent, talented and also brave director, it’s impossible for me being disrespectful or saying no him. Amazing guy…”

He said in 1976 he joined Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, newly founded by his friend Gary Sinise. During those days he had an actress girl friend and her influence had a great deal for him as choosing his career as an actor. Malkovich added that there was no role so far that he loved most or the closest to his real personality but he feels most comfortable himself in his character at “Of Mice and Men.”

My other questions to Malkovich were about his director and producer parts which are not known so much in common. “ Mr. Malkovich I know you are interested in fashion. You made 3 short fashion movies ‘Strap Hanging’, ‘ Lady Behave’, ‘Hideous Man’ collaborated with Bella Freud who is fashion designer and great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud. And I had a chance to watch the ‘Hideous Man’ which is very interesting and cool movie. Do you have new short fashion movie projects with Bella Freud? And my last question is: Your last movie as a producer is a documentary about the migrant children who cross illegally Mexican border to get to the U.S. How did you come up with this idea? And what are the reasons to drive you to make a documentary?

malkovich4

He was surprised a bit about I had watched “Hideous Man” and he said he didn’t know yet if he was gonna make another short fashion movie. But he knew he could not make with Bella Freud because she was no longer working as a fashion designer now. About “Which Way Home” documentary, he said that he’d watched with his director friend Rebecca Cammisa 10 minutes documentary about migrant children. The video and the humanity tragedy of the children have inspired them to make this documentary movie together. He wants to make other documentaries in the future with Rebecca Cammisa who’s gotten the best documentary director award in Sundance Film Festival in 2002.

“You generally end up choosing one of the roles that were designated for you. Till today I played almost every different kind of role. But nobody asks me if I want to play a ballerina?” It would be marvellous experience if we could see this brave and stunning actor acting as a ballerina…

An Exceptional Swedish Vampire Story: “Let The Right One In”

Movie Review April 16, 2009 Leave a comment

The Swedish film “Let The Right One In” was one of the most remarkable movie I’ve seen this year in Istanbul Film Festival . The movie was adapted from a novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist and both the book and the movie got the same title. This exceptional and interesting vampire movie is telling the story about a strange relationship between 12 years old boy and 12 years old girl who will stay for ever at the same age. The movie itself has a stunning visuality and minimalist expression style on the other hand.

“Let The Right One In” is beyond the fantastic vampire horror movie which has fun elements from time to time; mainly focussing the concepts “adolescence, being a man, violence tendency, lack of love, communication problems in family, loneliness, and discovering romanticism and love .

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a 12 years old lonely, asocial, pale beauty boy living with his mother in Stockholm suburb. His parents are divorced and he misses his father ever. He has no friend at school. He frequently experiences verbal and/or physical violence by bunch of aggressive and spoiled students. Yet he can not resist back or complain about it. But he has a strange violence tendency inside. He has a scrapbook with full of newspaper articles about bloody, wild murders. Some nights he fights with his imaginary enemies in his room.

Oskar’s boring life during day time at schools and night time at his room or at the cold, snowy white back yard changes completely right after he meets with –more or less- 12 years old mysterious Eli (Lina Leandersson)l who has just moved to his apartment with a man. She is a night walker, barefoot in the cold winter time. These two lost souls somehow create their own language like Mors Alphabet. Their encounter of each other happens in perfect timing. Though there’s a doubt how long this would last…

The guy she lives with Håkan (Per Ragnar) (might be her guardian or her slave or a pedophile but definitely not her father as she mentions in the movie) kills people reluctantly and collect their blood with his special method for feeding Eli. One of his murder attempts he fails and he is being captured. He burns his face with acid (may be for punishing himself or being not recognized by Eli) Eli finds him at the hospital. Attacks and kills him in cold blood.

Having no hesitation to kill innocent people for her survival, Eli has vampire talents such as climbing the walls. She teaches naive and intelligent Oscar to protect himself, attack to enemies, awaken his violence which sleeps inside of him and at the end of movie she becomes a “bold and strong princess” who saves his life with inversely heroic mission.

Eli lives in dirty and untidy apartment and with her less pale skin (compare to Oskar’s), shabby and tasteless outfit very far away from the aristocrat, rich, elegant look which we often see in lots of vampire movies. On the other hand, she has money. She even offers to give money to Oskar and shows him an enigmatic gold object which is very valuable in her opinion.

Award winner cinematograph Hoyte van Hoytema presents us horror and cold atmosphere of the film locations with stable and beautiful frames as painting. And sometimes he is focusing his camera on the different prettiness of two children with a nice contrast which Eli’s innocent yet scary and dark beauty and Oskars too naive and fragile blond beauty for a boy.

Especially the pool scene at the final has an impressive and astonishing visuality with its wonderful underwater shoots has hidden violence and atrocity feeling.

Ostensible “Happy End” comes, Oskar leaves home and has a train journey with Eli who is in the box for avoiding from sunshine. But it would be an illusion considering this as a “happy end”. Because it’s fake. Oskar probably would become the “next father” of Eli and same final would wait for him in the future. Perhaps “Let The Right One In” is just the romantic and mysterious story made up by a lonely, unhappy boy who has adolescence problems for avoiding hurting realities. Who knows?

Orkide Ünsür

On the set… Acting

Acting, Film Production, Front of the camera March 30, 2009 Leave a comment

ABOUT BÜYÜKADA (BIG ISLAND)

AND THE TOY FACTORY SHORT MOVIE

This short movie produced in Büyükada (Big Island) / Prinkipo which is one of the Princes’ Island in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul. Büyükada is a wonderful place for it’s specific position which is so close to Istanbul (it’s only 2300 metres from Maltepe coast to Büyükada ) but also far away from the city crowd and noise. This place is famous for its beaches with cool and clean water.

from my childhood memories

As on the other islands, motorized vehicles – except service vehicles –are forbidden. Visitors can explore the island by foot, bicycle, in phaeton (horse- drawn carriages) or by riding donkeys. The famous monastery Aya Yorgi (Hagia Yorgi) standing on the island’s highest point. There is a ritual to climb and you should strictly follow the old rules without talking, only praying. Orthodox believers climb barefoot. But it’s a holy place for people from all religions. Some muslim Turkish people mostly visit Aya Yorgi especially 2 times in a year April 23 and September 24. And with an old tradition, some people tie ropes or rag on to the bush and trees for their wishes come true. And this short movie is inspired of this old tradition.

“Oyuncak Fabrikası / The Toy Factory” Short Movie, Producer: Michael Armstrong & Münire Armstrong, Director: Münire Armstrong & Didem Erayda,

In my opinion, a drama director must have empathy actors/actresses’ world and have knowledge and/or instict about acting. I like acting and same improving my knowledge and understanding about this area. So it was a nice chance for me to have a role in this short movie, I found the opportunity with work wonderful actresses as Sevim Çalışgir, Tanju Tuncel (like we worked in Pamuk Prenses / Snow White short movie) Hasibe Eren. And even I kept my contact in my private life with Sevim Çalışgir since 1998 while we were working in TV drama Ateş Dansı/Fire Dance, it was the last time for me to had a chance working with her. Unfortunately this remarkable woman passed away in 2008.

In this short film set, I was also working as a Production Coordinator and collabrated with İsmet Karalar. Due to motorized vehicles forbidden in island we had to take special permission for our movie set vehicles. And as a production coordinator I found the opportunity with work wonderful technical team too. Briefly, it was nice and enjoyable movie set in Büyükada with unforgettable memories…

Short Documentary Film: Powwow (1996, Canada)

Film Production March 30, 2009 Leave a comment

Powwow shortmovieset1

Selected for

IFSAK National Short Film and Documentary Festival (1997)

Hiroshima Film Festival (1997)

Producer and Director: Okan Ünsür | Co-Producer: Orkide Ünsür

Camera: Okan Ünsür, Second Camera: Orkide Ünsür

Powwow time is the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and make new ones. This is a time to renew thought of the old ways and to preserve a rich heritage.

For me, Native American culture is always interesting with their philosophy, way of thinking, and shamanic rituals.

In 1996 my brother Okan was in Montreal for education and I was working at ATV in Istanbul. We decided to shoot this short documentary about Powwow. I travelled to Canada and it was the longest trip in my life with 2 transfer destination. I had our Hi 8 camera in it’s case during all long hours by my side. When I was in Montreal I was very happy but totally jetlag and tired.

During the shooting procedure, we are welcomed from the community and spent nice time with them. I remember, it was very hot time in the middle of summer in July but second day of the event it rained cats and dog which was surprising. I was nice experiment to know these people more, with observing their ceremonies, dances, songs, foods and talking with them personally.

Orkide Ünsür