Shoeshine in the market … a stand-in for the presenter

Creating an interesting program intro segment…

Whenever you get into a situation where you have to produce a tv program that demands the interaction of the host or presenter with the subject of the episode or segment, the creative minds get to work, and all manner of quirky things are thought up. Sometimes the strange ways used to introduce a segment work, other times…. Well let’s just say we had our share of flops, which meant doing a boring stand-up intro in a studio against a boring background a few weeks after returning from a production trip. For Turkey, we didn’t really need to do that, as we thought up a few ways of getting our host to do some interesting interaction. Obviously the Turkish bath was interesting to viewers, so we had to improve on our delivery for the next segment.

A selection of carpets in the Bazaar

We were going to be talking about Turkish carpets; the process of spinning the wool, dying the wool, then the actual process of knotting the carpets. For anyone who has never really taken a close look at their rugs or carpets, particularly the ones that you think may have actually come from Persia or Turkey, keep in mind the following info on how they are made, then you’ll appreciate the value/price you pay for a quality carpet (and I don’t mean the ones made in a factory). There are different styles of knotting when making carpets, and the designs vary, yet what is similar in many carpets is the intricacy of these designs. Although we use the word ‘Turkish Carpet’ the name is a bit misleading, as the carpets we usually identify by this come from the area of Asia Minor, or the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire and its surrounding areas. The designs of the carpets carry influences from many different regions and ethnic groups: Turkic, Armenic, Caucasian, Kurdic, and more, with traces of Byzantine design and later, influences from Islamic art. What is also similar is the fact that each one of these carpets requires painstakingly long hours at a loom specifically designed to allow slender fingers to knot pieces of thread, one at a time, along the vertical ‘warps’ (the thread along which the knots are applied, and the horizontal ‘wefts’ (which are shuttled in after each row of knots is completed – this strengthens the foundation of the carpet). Traditionally the wool or silk or cotton used to weave the carpets is dyed with natural colours. I am not about to go into more detail than this, other than to say that when you look at your ‘handwoven’ carpet, the real carpets really are knotted by hand, one, small, knot, at, a, time. When thinking about that, you will undoubtedly appreciate the value of the carpet even more.

Dyeing the wool with natural dyes

For a story on Turkish carpets

So here we were, first in the huge Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, filming footage of the market and the products (including hookahs and what ever else there was to find), and stalls selling carpets. From here we proceeded to a large shop where we were shown the entire process, from dyeing to finish, and we had to come up with a way of introducing the segment… oh how we tried to find something suitable. We though about flying carpets and Aladdin and the Arabian Nights and a whole lot more, and then looked at the size differential between our host and the men running the shop, and at a certain huge carpet, and there appeared a small glint in the eye of our series producer. I saw the glint, the host saw the glint and frowned… a quick discussion in English followed with our guide, and he laughed. The carpet was hauled down from the wall. Our host was told to lie down, and before he could move, the carpet was rolled up, host inside. A microphone was passed into the rolled up carpet, and there was some muttering about getting even, but we were not concerned. Five huge men went down on bended knees, picked up the carpet and got ready. The camera started rolling, and the countdown began, and voila, on the word action, the carpet was more or less thrown toward the camera with the five men holding on to the one end, thus unrolling the host from carpet. With total aplomb he took a half spin, positioned himself for the camera in a split second, and made a perfect segment introduction.

Exploring the market and the produce

Having walked through the market and smelled the wonderful food, and having worked up an appetite at the carpet outlet, we were shuttled across the city to another unique destination on our itinerary. This was to be our last supper in Istanbul, and something special had been planned. We were about to enjoy a true Turkish meal, served complete with local anise-flavoured alcoholic drink, coffee the way it was meant to be brewed, and the main highlight, a belly-dancing performance. Throughout the meal I had a muted conversation with the series producer, and we agreed that something interesting had to be done to introduce this segment of the program, so we turned to our trusty guide, and asked him if what we had planned might actually be put into action. He disappeared, and we continued with our dinner.

A gorgeous dancer performing in Istanbul

And a gorgeous dancer in Istanbul

Although we call it belly dancing, there are different variations of this dance, from the more sedate and conservative movements of the dancers in Egypt, to the more wildly gyrating performers found in Turkey. There are no specific ‘moves’ that are internationally recognized, and what is considered belly dancing in the US is not very similar to that of Egypt or Turkey or any other similar performance throughout the Middle East. I am no expert on the dance, but apparently the Turkish form is more energetic than performances in other countries, and Turkish dancers are know for their great skill at using finger cymbals or ‘zils’.

Our guide returned, and he gave us a broad smile and wink, and we knew we would likely get the performance we had dreamed up. Our host caught the quick glance, and a momentary shadow of fear swept across his face, but he put on a stoic expression and ignored us.

The dancer appeared; she swept into the room and onto the stage where she put on a quick introductory performance. While the applause was still reverberating through the room she quickly reached out her arm to our presenter and nearly tore his arm out of his socket as she invited him onto the stage. I suppose that by now he had wizened to our ways, and once again he showed himself to be a true performer who blinks at nothing. The camera crew prepped their equipment, and soon the dancer was giving our host some fundamental lessons in the art of belly dancing. Of course, since it’s called belly dancing, you have to be able to see the belly and navel, and gamely the host pulled up his shirt and after a few more minutes of intense lessons, was able to show a few moves. To a great roar of laughter and approval, the two people on the stage bumped their hips and twisted their way around for a few moments before descending the staircase at the rear of the stage and disappearing behind the curtain, where the camera had been set up to get opening statement and the interview with the performer. Without missing a beat, both walked up to the camera, our host saying his lines, followed impromptu by a few moves from the dancer before settling into the interview.

Turkey had been a wonderful experience, and the meal and performance a perfect end to our trip. The following morning we were to board our flight for the return trip to Bangkok, but in the meantime, we returned to the dinner hall, and enjoyed a few more hours of great food, great conversation with new-found friends, and some excellent entertainment.