The story of ‘The One Note Man’

Almost all of these stories -- to which even those who do not have a special appetite for cinema have grown accustomed -- are about feature-length productions.

But another development from Spain earlier this month made news: Turkish director Dağhan Celayir's 2008 short film “Tek Notalık Adam” (The One Note Man) won the best film award at this year's Elche International Independent Film Festival despite the Spanish domination of the festival's 32-year history.

Starring screen and stage actor Şehsuvar Aktaş in its title role, this 14-minute no-dialogue film follows the changes a cymbal player -- who only plays a single note throughout an entire concert -- goes through because of his passionate love for a girl in the audience.

The international award-winning film has also won a number of prizes in national competitions. Upon news of his win in Spain, we had to speak with Celayir, who answered Today's Zaman's questions during an interview at his house in Maçka.

The roots of the script for “The One Note Man” are actually hidden in Celayir's childhood, when his family frequently used to take him to classical music concerts. “I used to get extremely bored [during those concerts.] Then I would see a person who would constantly appear and then disappear on the back of the stage. I used to assume it was a drawing. However, he was ‘the one note man.' [Years later] when I decided to shoot a professional short film, I pondered about the life of that man, his emotions and how he would act in case he discovered his own capabilities, and so this script emerged.”

    The next question that pops up is of course how the film was financed. Because, apart from professional actors such as Aktaş and Sanem Özge, the film also features an appearance by the Bursa Regional Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Naci Özgüç. Moreover, the sound design and cinematography are also highly professional.

From the outside, one might think the 31-year-old Celayir has good connections; after all, he grew up in a family of diplomats, had his primary education in Belgium, followed by seven years at İstanbul's prestigious Galatasaray High School and a master's degree from the Netherlands. But this information might be misleading, as the truth is Celayir really worked hard for this film. Right from the beginning, he wanted the film to be professional, so he started seeking financial support for his project around three-and-a-half years in advance. “To be able to find a sponsor, I met with representatives of 120 different companies. I prepared presentations for each one of them. Sometimes I even had to face such questions as ‘what is a short film'?”

Finally a foreign tobacco company operating in Turkey decided to support the film. Asked if he considered seeking the help of movie producers, Celayir says, “They don't even care.”

Celayir handled all the technical details by himself: the technical crew, the sound designer, the lighting designer, the director of photography, actors, transportation, accommodation, etc. For instance, he found the film's director of photography, Hasan Gergin, through information he gathered from the Internet, and then he talked to him personally and persuaded him to take part in the project; just like he did with Aktaş.

But there were many difficulties. At first Celayir's parents tried to convince him that his effort was worthless. They would say, “Why are you working so hard for just a short film?” Celayir somehow managed to persuade them, but after winning his family's support, he upset his future wife at a most crucial point, saying he wanted to postpone their planned wedding by one year because he had to spend the money he originally saved for the wedding on the film's production costs. At the time Eda, who's now Celayir's wife, strongly disliked this proposal. However, the future bride, who had been involved in the film project since its beginning, still helped her fiancé, and together they first wrapped the film and then tied the knot.

Never give in

After a painstaking production process of about three years, “The One Note Man” started out on its journey from one festival to another, clinching several awards in Turkey. However, short films have a wider chance of circulation -- and appreciation -- overseas, and thus “The One Note Man” achieved its main commercial success abroad. The film's TV screening rights were bought by Canal+ in France, while another company bought the film's rights for distribution on TV and the Internet in Portugal and Spain. Talks for distribution in North America are currently under way. Asked what the full potential of the film is, Celayir says, “We could not earn that much money, but the [North] American rights of [the Irish live action short film] ‘New Boy,' which, last year, was nominated for an Oscar, were sold for $70,000.”

Celayir submitted his film to around 250 festivals worldwide, and just like his story of making the film, he started from scratch. “I kept a list of my submissions. For the first 70 spots, the answer was ‘No.' But I was accepted by the 71st [festival on the list], and later the number of acceptances reached 40,” recalls Celayir, still with enthusiasm, adding, “You must never give up.”

The biggest mistake short filmmakers in Turkey often make is ignoring music copyrights, Celayir warns. “In Europe, this is not excusable. Since I used classical music [in my film], we didn't face any copyright problems.” Another problem is motivation. Celayir says: “Some [short filmmakers] have motivational problems. They submit their films to a number of festivals [in Europe], and when they're rejected they go, ‘They're living in a different world.' Well, of course they are; they do not even know you.”

Feature film in the works

Director Dağhan Celayir has already rolled up his sleeves for his first foray into feature filmmaking, “Papa Bilseydi” (If Only Papa Knew), a screenplay inspired by his own childhood in Belgium. Celayir has struck deals with producers from Belgium and the Netherlands as well as two powerful producers from Turkey: Ceyda Tufan of “Pazar: Bir Ticaret Masalı” (The Market: A Tale of Trade) and Gülen Güler of “İki Genç Kız” (Two Girls), for the movie. Filming will begin in the summer of 2010.