An article written for the Society of Television Lighting Directors quarterly Journal following the first phase of a 60 day working visit to TRT Turkey in the first quarter of 2001

Sunday January 14^th

The Turkish Airlines office confirmed my flight booking on TK1982. Twas a cold bright morning as I drove to Heathrow doing the usual 'Have I really got everything to run 16 days of lighting training/seminars/whatever?

Problems at check in desk where they have no ticket for me. Has not been delivered. What to do? Girl not very helpful-need to pay cash for single journey (£191) Panic phone call to Ebru (one of my interpreters) in Ankara-thank God she had her phone on. She asked me to ring back in five minutes after she had made a call to the Turkish Airways office.

Meanwhile, the girl on the check-in realised that there had been confusion because there was another Mr. Baker on flight, and money had been put against his name instead of mine. Smiles again, a few deft key strokes on the key board and the problem had gone away.

Plane late arriving from Istanbul, late taking off from Heathrow, 1300 instead of 1145. Good flight, but then rushed for my connection flight to Ankara, which was due to take off in just 15 minutes. A sweetly smiling stewardess assured me that the plane would wait for me. A plane, wait, for me?

Follow me, the man said, leading the ten or so transit passengers an enormous hike around the spanking new terminal to find an almost full 737 waiting for us.

Less than an hour later, I arrived in Ankara to be met by the lovely Ebru, and whisked through a grey cold landscape some 20 K's to TRT's headquarters high on the hills on the southern edge of the city. I was duly installed in the same suite of rooms that had been mine in 1999 during my involvement in 'Seçim 99' (the Turkish General Elections), and then out for a tasty traditional snack. Lots of meat with melted butter poured over! Very healthy. Then back to my room to unpack, and set up and check out the laptop.

Day2

Cold grey and misty. I configured the TV in my room for English instead of Turkish instructions; very pleased with that small success with mind over matter. I met Ebru and was dashed down by car to the studio near the centre of Ankara that puts on a daily magazine programme-kind of breakfast time with added Turkish music, you know the kind of thing! This place had been a bit of a Bète Noir on my last trip to Ankara. The very high lighting levels and lack of a lighting plan of any kind were once again evident.

As well as the sweat breaking out on my brow (3000+lux I subsequently measured) there was little evidence of using the barn doors to control the light in any way, multiple shadows told a sorry tale. The lamps were either too steep or too shallow or too far away or in the wrong place. Ageing Hitachi SK110A tube cameras only partially explained the high lighting levels.