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Ekosistemi anlayın

Hızla gelişen Web3 dünyasında yol almak için, temel teknolojilerini, merkezi olmayan uygulamalarını ve blokzinciri prensiplerini derinlemesine anlamak önemlidir. Web3'ün temelini oluşturan çeşitli platformlar, kripto paralar ve protokoller hakkında kendinizi eğitin. Son gelişmeleri takip edin, konferanslara ve web seminerlerine katılın, profesyonellerin bilgi paylaştığı online topluluklara veya yazdıkları bültenlere dahil olun.

Ekosistemi anlamakla birlikte, Web3 araçları ve teknolojileriyle deneyim kazanmak da önemlidir. Merkeziyetsiz uygulamaları kendiniz deneyin, bir cüzdan oluşturun, staking yapın, airdrop kovalayın, akıllı sözleşmelerli araştırın. Bu uygulamalı deneyim, sadece becerilerinizi geliştirmekle kalmayacak, aynı zamanda potansiyel işverenlere Web3 alanına olan bağlılığınızı ve tutkunuzu gösterecektir.

Bunu tek başınıza yapmak kocaman bir okyanusa ekipmansız dalıyormuş gibi hissettirebilir. Tabi ki bundan keyif alabilirsiniz, fakat daha hızlı yol katlamak isterseniz ve saatlerce araştırma yapmak yerine önemli konularda hap bilgiler almak isterseniz Twitter veya farklı bültenler size yardımcı olabilir. Burada hem Türkçe hem İngilizce olarak benim takip ettiğim ücretsiz bültenleri ekleyeceğim:

• https://milkroad.com/
• https://dappradar.com/blog/
• https://www.bankless.com/
• https://www.dailydropout.fyi/web3
• https://www.morningbrew.com/incrypto
• https://www.bloomberg.com/crypto
• https://www.cryptechie.com/

Etkileşimde bulunun & yeteneklerinizi sergileyin

Sadece pasif öğrenme, rekabetçi Web3 iş piyasasında yeterli olmayacaktır. Web seminerlerine, AMA’lara, hackathonlara, yarışmalara ve diğer topluluk destekli girişimlere aktif olarak katılın. Gerçek dünya projelerine dahil olmak, sadece becerilerinizi geliştirmekle kalmaz, aynı zamanda gelecekteki işverenlere yeteneklerinizin somut kanıtını sunar. Tartışmalara katılın, sosyal medya platformlarında görüşlerinizi paylaşın ve topluluk forumlarına yapıcı katkılarda bulunun. Pratik katılımınızla yeteneklerinizi sergilemek, uzaktan iş fırsatları için aranan bir aday olmanızı sağlayacaktır.

Nereye uyduğunuzu keşfedin

Web3, geliştirme, araştırma ve analiz, tasarım, pazarlama, topluluk yönetimi ve daha birçok alanda fırsatlar sunan çeşitli ve çok yönlü bir ekosistemdir. Yeteneklerinizi, ilgi alanlarınızı ve güçlü yönlerinizi düşünerek hangi alanda uzmanlaşacağınıza karar verin. Bu alandaki becerilerinizi geliştirmeye odaklanın, çevrimiçi kurslar alın, açık kaynaklı projelere katkıda bulunun veya benzer düşüncelere sahip kişilerle işbirliği yapın. Net bir alanda uzmanlaşmanız ve sağlam bir beceri setiniz, potansiyel işverenler için değerli bir varlık olarak öne çıkmanızı sağlayacaktır.

Zaman ayırın & sosyal kanıt oluşturun

Web3'ün merkezi olmayan dünyasında, itibar önemlidir. Toplulukla etkileşimde bulunmak, bilgi paylaşmak ve diğerleriyle destek olmak için zaman harcayın. Tweetler yazın, blog yazıları oluşturun, video eğitimleri hazırlayın veya atölyeler düzenleyerek uzmanlığınızı paylaşın ve seçtiğiniz alanda düşünce lideri olarak kendinizi tanıtın. Akranlarınızdan tanınma ve olumlu geri bildirim aldıkça, işverenlerin potansiyel işe alımlarda aradığı değerli sosyal kanıtlar oluşturursunuz. Güvenilir ve yetenekli bir profesyonel olarak kazandığınız itibar, uzaktan iş olanaklarının kapılarını size açacaktır.

Bir Web3 portföyü oluşturun

İyi tasarlanmış bir portföy, geçmiş projelerinizi, katkılarınızı ve başarılarınızı sergilemek için çok önemlidir. Çalışmalarınızı vurgulayan, GitHub depolarına bağlantılar, yazdığınız makaleler ve sunduğunuz ilgili sunumlar gibi içerikleri içeren bir web sitesi veya dijital portföy oluşturun. Portföyünüzü seçtiğiniz alandaki uzmanlığınızı göstermek için özelleştirin ve potansiyel işverenlerin becerilerinizi ve takımlarına uygunluğunuzu değerlendirmesini kolaylaştırın.

Network yapın

Web3 endüstrisinde ağ kurmak çok değerlidir. Konferanslara katılın, çevrimiçi toplantılara katılın, doğrudan mesajları etkili bir şekilde kullanın ve sektördeki uzmanlarla ve şirketlerle aktif olarak bağlantı kurun. Endüstri liderleriyle konuşmalara katılın, Web3'e olan tutkunuzu ifade edin ve iş fırsatları hakkında bilgi alın. Güçlü bir ağ oluşturmak, gizli iş piyasasının kapılarını açar ve proaktif adayları değer veren potansiyel işverenlerin radarına sokar.

Fırsatları kollayın

Web3 alanında uzaktan iş piyasası dinamik ve sürekli değişiyor. İş fırsatlarını gözden kaçırmamak için düzenli olarak iş ilanları sitelerini, şirket web sitelerini ve sektöre özgü platformları kontrol edin. Potansiyel açılışlara dikkatli olmak ve uygun bir fırsat ortaya çıktığında hızlı davranmak, Web3 alanındaki ilk uzaktan işinizi güvence altına almak için rekabet avantajı sağlayacaktır.

Kripto işleri her zaman geniş çapta ilan edilmez ve LinkedIn gibi geleneksel siteleri atlarlar. Bazen açık bir pozisyon duyurusu, sadece toplulukla ilgilenenlerin başvurması için basit bir Discord mesajı olabilir. Uyanık olun!

Aşağıdaki web sitelerinde ve ilan panolarında tercih ettiğiniz pozisyona göre iş uyarıları kullanabilir ve oluşturabilirsiniz:

• https://cryptocurrencyjobs.co
• https://cryptojobslist.com
• https://crypto.jobs
• https://angel.co/
• https://www.crypto-careers.com/
• https://laborx.com/
• https://talently.app/jobs

İlk elden deneyim

Kişisel olarak, üç yıl önce kripto ve Web3 alanına katılarak daha fazla bilgi edinmek ve yatırımlarımı genişletmek istedim. İlk başlarda, bir start-up proje topluluğunda gönüllü olarak çalıştım, burada daha fazla şey öğrendim, yatırımlarımı artırdım, sektör liderleriyle etkileşimde bulundum ve daha fazla teklif aldım. Sektörle ilgili herhangi bir sorunuz olursa bana mesaj atabilirsiniz.

It’s no secret that the Web3 space has witnessed tremendous growth. As the world of cryptocurrencies and decentralized technologies continues to evolve and redefine the way we interact with the digital world, the hype surrounding these emerging technologies has surged exponentially. The potential of Web3 and crypto has attracted a surge of enthusiasts, investors, and professionals from a wide range of industries, all eager to join this rapidly growing market. From finance to healthcare to entertainment, the impact of Web3 and cryptocurrencies is being felt across all sectors, and the opportunities for growth and innovation are limitless.

As this exciting new ecosystem continues to expand, there has never been a better time to get involved and explore the possibilities that Web3 and crypto have to offer. The challenge lies in the fact that most individuals are unsure of where to start. While they acknowledge the potential of this emerging industry, they lack the know-how or guidance to take their first steps. Thus, in this article, I’m going to unwind a “Zero to Web3 Hero” step-by-step guide that has worked wonders for many, myself included.

Let’s start right away!

Understand the ecosystem

To navigate the rapidly evolving Web3 landscape, it’s crucial to gain a deep understanding of its underlying technologies, decentralized applications, and blockchain principles. Educate yourself about the various platforms, cryptocurrencies, and protocols that form the backbone of Web3. Stay updated with the latest developments, attend conferences and webinars, and participate in online communities where enthusiasts and professionals share knowledge.

In addition to understanding the ecosystem, it’s important to get hands-on experience with Web3 tools and technologies. Experiment with decentralized apps, create a wallet, participate in staking, and interact with smart contracts. Familiarize yourself with blockchain development tools, there are dozens out there. This hands-on experience will not only enhance your skills but also demonstrate your commitment and passion for the Web3 space to potential employers.

Get involved & show off your talents

Passive learning alone won’t suffice in the competitive Web3 job market. Actively participate in webinars, AMAs, hackathons, competitions, and other community-driven initiatives. Engaging in real-world projects not only enhances your skills but also provides tangible evidence of your abilities to future employers. Engage in discussions, share your insights on social media platforms, and contribute constructively to community forums. Showcasing your talents through hands-on involvement will make you a sought-after candidate for remote job opportunities.

Discover where you fit

Web3 is a diverse and multifaceted ecosystem, offering opportunities in development, research and analysis, design, marketing, community management, and more. Reflect on your skills, passions, and strengths to determine which niche aligns best with your expertise. Focus on enhancing your skills in that area by taking online courses, contributing to open-source projects, or collaborating with like-minded individuals. A clear sense of your niche and a solid skillset will make you stand out as a valuable asset to potential employers.

Invest your time & build social proof

In the decentralized world of Web3, reputation matters. Invest time in engaging with the community, sharing your knowledge, and supporting others. Write tweets, blog posts, create video tutorials, or host workshops to share your expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader in your chosen field. As you gain recognition and positive feedback from peers, you’ll build valuable social proof that employers look for in potential hires. Your reputation as a reliable and skilled professional will open doors to remote job possibilities.

Create a web3 portfolio

A well-crafted portfolio is essential for showcasing your past projects, contributions, and accomplishments. Create a dedicated website or a digital portfolio highlighting your work, including links to GitHub repositories, articles you’ve written, and any relevant presentations you’ve given. Tailor your portfolio to demonstrate your expertise in your chosen niche, making it easy for potential employers to assess your skills and potential fit for their teams.

Network your way “IN”

In the Web3 industry, networking is invaluable. Attend conferences, join online meetups, make good use of DMs, and actively connect with professionals and companies in your niche. Engage in conversations with industry leaders, express your passion for Web3, and inquire about potential job opportunities. Building a strong network opens doors to the hidden job market and puts you on the radar of potential employers who value proactive candidates.

Watch out for opportunities

The remote job market in Web3 is dynamic and ever-evolving. Stay vigilant for opportunities by regularly checking job boards, company websites, and industry-specific platforms. Being alert to potential openings and acting swiftly when a suitable opportunity arises will give you a competitive edge in securing your first remote job in the Web3 space.

Crypto jobs aren’t always widely advertised and often skip traditional sites like LinkedIn. Sometimes an open position announcement will be a simple Discord message to make sure only those engaged in the community apply. Stay alert!

You can use and create job alerts based on your position preference on the website and boards below:

• https://cryptocurrencyjobs.co
• https://cryptojobslist.com
• https://crypto.jobs
• https://angel.co/
• https://www.crypto-careers.com/
• https://laborx.com/
• https://talently.app/jobs

First-hand experience

On a personal note, I became involved in the crypto and Web3 space over three years ago in an attempt to learn more and expand my investments. Initially, I volunteered in a start-up project community, where I learned more, increased my holdings, interacted with industry leaders, and received job offers. Feel free to DM me with any industry-related questions.

Remember that Web3 is a rapidly growing field with immense potential. Embrace the journey, stay persistent, and continue honing your skills. Your passion for the decentralized future and proactive approach will propel you towards a fulfilling career in the Web3 space. Good luck on your journey!

Günümüz dijital çağında, networking yapmak geleneksel yöntemlerin ötesine geçti. Doğrudan mesajlaşma veya DM, profesyonellerin, marka ve kurumların bağlantı kurmaları, işbirliği yapmaları ve anlamlı ilişkiler kurmaları için güçlü bir araç haline geldi. Ancak bu bazen çok yanlış şekilde yapılıyor. Bu blog yazısında, profesyonel olarak networking yapmak için etkili DM kullanımı stratejilerinden bahsedeceğim ve 3 yıllık sosyal medya deneyimlerimden oluşan örnekler ve ipuçlarını paylaşacağım.

1. Araştırın

Birinin DM kutusuna kaymadan önce onu araştırın ve potansiyel ortak noktalarınızı bulmaya çalışın. Bu ortak noktaların yüzeysellikten ne kadar uzak olursa o kadar iyi. Mesela ikiniz aynı sektörde çalışıyor olabilirsiniz, ama bu arkadaş olmanız için yeterli bir sebep değildir, o yüzden ilgi alanlarını, meslek geçmişini veya diğer ortak yönlerinizi keşfetmek için kişinin profiline ve paylaşımlarına dikkatli bir göz atın. Bu adım mesajınızı yazarken size çok faydalı olacak.

2. İletişimden Önce Etkileşim

Tanışmak istediğiniz kişiyi bir süre takip edin. İçeriklerini beğenin, gönderilere yorum yapın, kendi düşüncelerinizi paylaşın ve bunların üzerine tartışmaya çalışırken onların dikkatini çekin. Anlamlı ve anlayışlı gözlemlere katkıda bulunarak, adınız ve profiliniz, onlarla network kurmaya çalışan diğer kişilerin gürültüsünün önüne geçecektir. Bu şekilde, DM kutularına ulaştığınızda, yanıt alma olasılığınız daha yüksektir.

Mesaj yazma kısmına geçmeden önce mesajınızı yazarken yapmamanız gereken birkaç noktayı vurgulamak daha iyi olacaktır.

• Geri takip istemeyin.

Geri takip istemek insanların sizi çıkarcı, itici olarak görmelerine ve size karşı ilgisiz olmalarına yol açar. Birine DM’den ulaşırken bir beklenti içinde olmayın.

• Genelleyici mesajlar yazmayın.

Kopyala yapıştır ile 2 saniyede yazılmışa benzeyen mesajların cevap alma olasılığı çok düşük. Tek mesajınızla, yazdığınız kişiyi, ekranın diğer tarafında ilgi çekici, bilgili, iyi bir insan var olduğuna inandırmanız gerek.

• Garip davranmayın (emin olun bunu yazmam gerekti).

Bu noktanın altını çok farklı şekillerde doldurabilirim. Reklam kokan mesajlar, açıklaması bulunmayan davetiye linkleri veya herhangi bir link göndermeyin. Dikkat çekeceğim diye özel konulara girmeyin, flört ediyormuşçasına yazmayın, zor sorular sormayın. İlk mesaj olarak bir sesli mesaj göndermeyin.

3. “Craft Your Message”

Geldik merak edilen noktaya. Öncellikle, yalnızca “Merhaba!” demeyin demem gerekmiyor sanırım. Niye derseniz;

• Mesaj yazdığınız insanlar günde bir sürü “Merhaba!” mesajı alıyor olabilir. Herkese geri “Merhaba!” yazıp mesaj göndermenizin sebebini sormak için vakti olmayabilir. O yüzden ilk mesajınızda kendinizi tanıtın ve niyetinizi belli edin.
• Sadece “Merhaba!” yazan mesajları çoğu kişi itici bulabilir, profesyonel etik kodlarını bilmediğinizi düşünebilir ve dolayısıyla geri dönüş yapmak için motivasyonu olmaz.

Peki nasıl yazacağız?

Net ve Öz Olun

DM’ler aracılığıyla iletişim kurarken, mesajınızda açık ve öz olmak çok önemlidir. Kendinizi tanıtarak başlayın ve mesajınızın amacını açıkça belirtin. İster tavsiye, ister işbirliği arıyor olun, ister sadece network kurmak isteyin, niyetinizi önceden bildirin. Bu, karşı tarafın neden ulaştığınızı anlamasına yardımcı olur ve anlamlı bir sohbeti teşvik eder.

Doğal Olun

Profesyonel olmak kadar özgün ve samimi olmak da aynı derecede önemlidir. Mesajınızın formalite ve ciddiyet seviyenisini üzerinden iletişim kurmaya çalıştığınız platforma göre ayarlayabilirsiniz. Twitter ve Instagram çok formalite istemezken, LinkedIn daha ciddi olmanızı gerektirir. Yine de aşırı resmi bir dil kullanmaktan veya kulağa çok robotik gelen kalıpları kullanmaktan kaçının. Kendi sesiniz ile konuşun. İnsanların gerçek ve ilişkilendirilebilir hisseden biriyle bağlantı kurma olasılığı daha yüksektir.

Kişilerin Sınırlarına Saygılı Olun

DM’ler aracılığıyla network kurarken, karşı tarafın zamanına ve sınırlarına saygılı olmak ve dikkat etmek çok önemlidir. Profesyonellerin genellikle meşgul olduklarını ve hemen yanıt veremeyebileceklerini veya uzun konuşmalar yapamayacaklarını anlayın. Mesajınızı kısa ve öz tutarak zamanlarına saygı gösterin ve hemen yanıt vermezlerse onları birden fazla takip mesajıyla rahatsız etmeyin.

Buradaki önemli nokta: Söylemek istediklerinizi çok uzun olmamasına dikkat ederek tek mesajda toplayın ve gönderin. Sonrasında sabırlı bir şekilde bekleyin. Mail üzerinden veya genel olarak iş dünyasında etik kuralların belirlediği geri dönüş süresi 24–48 saat olsa bile, yeni biri ile tanışmaya çalışırken cevap beklemek için genelde 1 hafta uygun bir süre. 1 haftadan sonra kısa bir follow-up mesajınızı gönderebilirsiniz. İkinci bir follow-up olmamalı. Geri dönüş almayabilirsiniz, ve bu çok normal.

Olabilirseniz Yardımcı Olun

DM’nizde, uzmanlığınızla veya kaynaklarınızla uyumluysa karşı tarafa karşılığında hiçbir beklentiniz olmadan yardım edin veya yardım teklif etmeyi düşünün. Bu, sohbete değer katmanın ve onların başarısıyla gerçekten ilgilenen biri olduğunuzu kanıtlamanın değerli bir yolu olabilir. İlgili kaynakları paylaşmak, içgörü sağlamak veya kişinin paylaşımlarında fark ettiğiniz bir pain point (acı noktası) çözümü, veya gönderileri iyileştirmek için ipuçlarını sunmak olsun, yardım sunmak, katkıda bulunmaya istekli olduğunuzu gösterir ve olumlu bir izlenim uyandırabilir.

Mesajınızda herhangi bir yazım veya anlam hatası, veya belirsiz ifade olup olmadığını kontrol edin. Mesajınızın kısa, net ve anlaşılması kolay olduğundan emin olduktan sonra mesajınızı gönderin.

4. İletişimi Sürdürün

DM yoluyla network oluşturma, tek bir DM konuşmasıyla bitmez. Bağlantı kurduğunuz kişinin paylaşımlarını takip edin ve çalışmalarına ilgi gösterin. Gönderileriyle etkileşim kurmaya devam edin, yorum yapın veya profesyonel ilgi alanlarınıza uygunsa içeriklerini paylaşın. Bu, bağlantınızı canlı tutar ve gelecekte daha fazla işbirliğine veya fırsatlara yol açabilir.

Peki geri dönüş almadığınızda neler yapabilirsiniz? Profilinizi kontrol edin: Güncel mi? Gerekli bilgileri içerir mi? Mesleğiniz ve sizin ile ilgili bilgiler içeriyor mu yoksa sıradan RT ettiğiniz paylaşımlar mı bulunuyor sadece? Yüz yüze bir görüşmeye gittiğinizde nasıl dış görünüşe dikkat ediyorsanız, profilinize de aynı özeni gösterin. İkinci olarak, tanışma mesajınızı gözden geçirin. Düzeltebileceğiniz, iyileştirebileceğiniz noktalar var mı? Kişinin mesajı görmediği olasılığını da unutmayın. Etkileşime girmeye devam edebilirsiniz, bu çok sonra olsa bile cevap alma şansızını arttırabilir.

Bu yazıda paylaştığım noktalar ve stratejiler bireysel olarak başka bir birey ile (veya personal brand) iletişim kurmak istediğinizde geçerlidir. Eğer bir brand, kurum temsilcisi olarak iletişim kurmaya çalışıyorsanız, veya karşı taraf bir brand veya kurum ise farklı stratejiler izlemeniz gerekir.

Güçlü bir network kurmak uzun bir yoldur. Ama her adım önemlidir.

Siz yaparsınız!

Beğendiyseniz lütfen paylaşın! 🤓

Writing about films I love.

Dr. Isak Borg is a renowned physician. His life’s experiences have left him cold, distant and uncaring. He is traveling to be awarded an honorary decorate. Driving with his daughter-in-law Marianne, currently estranged from his son Ewald, he finds himself reminiscing about his past. He has also been having strange dreams, dreams that remind him of the person he has become, and potentially what lies ahead for him. During the film, you simply watch a man travel from his home to another city, but this is far from what the film is about.

Early in the film, Isak has an apparition within a dream and the small events leading up to it, within the dream, are quite brilliant. Firstly, the dream sequences serve to warn him of death, which, considering that the man is 78, could come any day. Ominous signs are used as symbols. The handless watch means there is no time left for him. The corpse wagon and the car that is carrying it, the angel and baby’s cry represent the journey of life. The last scene when he faces a man that looks like himself tells us about his inner confrontation with all the things he’s done in his life. Since there are no other people in it, the dream sequences may also serve to point out to him just how detached he is from other human beings.

The professor is well-respected for his work as a doctor. However, despite his success in his career, he is a failure in his personal relationships. In one scene, he is given a test, which he fails. The point is clear enough: he might be a professor and doctor, but that is nothing if he does not have an understanding of human beings, their emotions and feelings.

Secondly, the flashbacks serve to remind him of a time when he was connected with others, as well as of times when he was disconnected from his wife and others. The beautiful scenes of his childhood are marvelously retold. He stands in the dark at the threshold, an old man staring at the happy ghosts of the past mingling before him. There are moments during the movie where you become so enthralled by an image that you want to dwell on it.

Lastly, Bergman introduces three young people into the drama to introduce the question of the existence of God. One of the young men is thinking about becoming a parson; the other argues that God doesn’t exist. The old man offers no opinion to the debate. He is silent, but it is a loud silence. It’s a silence that reveals his insufficiency to come to terms with the question.

The wonderful Sara, connect with him on a deeply emotional and innocent level. The girl looks like, and has the same name as, the Sara who rejected the professor in favour of his brother when he was young. It’s obvious that we see here a kind of second chance. The professor asks Sara which of the two young men she likes the most. She does not answer firmly. At the end of the film, as the three bid him goodbye, she tells the professor that she loves him the most of all. He brushes it off, but once he gets in bed, there is a great smile on his face. The smile no doubt is a reaction to the whole day’s events, but I’m certain that one big reason for his happiness at the end is that Sara finally chose him, after having rejected him so long ago.

I particularly liked the subtle and intelligent storytelling in this film. He tells us before the credits that he is just a boring pedant. We slowly receive hints of the emotional truths that frame the man’s life. He is confronted by traces of how things could have been different. There is evidence that the professor is willing to change his persona, as he begins to open up more through the course of the movie. In one of the final scenes, Bergman masterfully closes in tight on the aged face of Professor Isak Borg. In that shot, we can see the whole universe in his eyes and all of its cares in the bags beneath them.

This is a deeply humanistic view of redemption, and one which is firmly grounded in reality. It is one of the few films I’ve seen that could possibly change the way I live my life. I’m always interested in listening to what aged people have to say about their own life because it can only give me tips about my own, and that’s what this film does in a way. The film in fact, it’s a walk in the park. It’s pleasant and rich and beautiful, and the title seems perfect after you’ve seen the film. It’s all about wild strawberries.

Writing about films I love.

The Seventh Seal, considered by some to be Ingmar Bergman’s greatest achievement, is the desperate prayer of a sensitive, introspective, and insightful young man confused by the horrors of the world around him. Ingmar Bergman’s films are often very deep, full of symbolism, philosophy, spirituality, emotion, and thought so that makes The Seventh Seal a Bergman classic. Expressing his fear of life with no meaning, death with no understanding, and faith with no validity, Ingmar Bergman takes us deep into the well of his mind.

A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time.

Antonius Block: “Who are you?”

Death: “I am Death.”

Antonius Block: “Have you come for me?”

Death: “I have long walked by your side.”

Antonius Block: “So I have noticed.”

In The Seventh Seal, Death is not frightening or sinister, just an old man performing his job with a wry detachment. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. Bergman uses this allegory not just to personify death, but to illustrate the lengths man will go to in order to avoid it. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.

Block is tormented by the fact that God will not outwardly reveal himself. He says to a priest during confession, `I want God to stretch out his hand to me, reveal himself and speak to me. But he remains silent, I call out to Him in the dark but no one seems to be there”. But Block still senses the God within him and is tormented. “Why can’t I kill God within me?” he asks. “Why does he live on inside me, mocking and tormenting me till I have no rest, even though I curse him and try to tear him from my heart’ Block asks Death if he knows anything but he knows nothing.

In Antonius’s search for answers, he encounters a variety of very unique characters, each with their own outlook on life, death, faith, fear and love. Their commentary on such matters is often dryly funny and always brilliant, continuously and effectively challenging our perceptions of the world around us. For me, the dialogue was definitely the high point of the film, as it was extremely thought-provoking and carefully constructed throughout. Almost every line spoken is, in one way or another, daunting and unforgettable. It was boldly poetic.

In my personal opinion, this film is a very successful integration of philosophy and film. I would even dare say that a better film dealing with the issues of the problem of evil, philosophy of religion, and existentialism will never be made. Hardly any other film is that direct in asking controversial and essential questions about God, religion and mankind as The Seventh Seal. Block states in his confession that “We must make an idol of our fear and call it God.” This reflects a common view in the psychology of religion that belief in God is initially sparked by fear of the unknown. Is there any truth to this and, if so, does this undermine religion? In Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, these mysteries are not only questioned; they are dissected, splayed, and scrutinized.

The film has unforgettable images such as a hawk floating in a cloudless sky, two horses standing in the surf, Jof’s vision of the Virgin Mary caring for her child, and a frightening procession of plague-infected flagellants. Another reason for the impact this almost 60-year-old film has still today is the acting: Max von Sydow’s face always seems to reflect what Antonius Blok is thinking, Nils Poppe’s performance as the naive actor and caring father is priceless and Bengt Ekerot’s Death became a part of film history.

The film ends on a note of affirmation including one of the most memorable scenes in the history of cinema, the Danse Macabre — a string of silhouetted figures dancing in a line with arms outstretched as they are about to enter the unknown. In the magnificence of his vision and the timeless beauty of his art, Bergman has answered the question about God’s existence simply in the act of posing it.

The Seventh Seal truly is a remarkable accomplishment in the world of cinema. It is a deep, mesmerizing, and darkly beautiful work of art. More importantly, The Seventh Seal is one of those rare movies that doesn’t just entertain, but also has the power to change the way one thinks.

Words cannot describe how great this film is. There will never be another one like it. A truly amazing piece of celluloid.

Writing about films I love.

After having neglected her children for many years, world famous pianist Charlotte visits her daughter Eva in her home. To her surprise she finds her other daughter, Helena, there as well. Helena is mentally disabled, and Eva has taken Helena out of the institution where their mother had placed her. The tension between Charlotte and Eva only builds up slowly, until a nightly conversation releases all the things they have wanted to tell each other.

As the story unfolds and the characters reveal a lifetime’s worth of repressed feelings, it becomes an emotionally devastating experience for the audience. Ingmar Bergman is a master of presenting life as it truly is and portraying it on the screen. It is his domain, and throughout his career he has veritably created almost a genre of his own by doing so. With a microscope of his own design, he scrutinizes the basic instincts of the human condition, what makes people tick and how and why they relate to one another as they do. Much of what he presents is startling, and always emotionally involving, because he penetrates so deeply and succinctly into the heart of the matter, as he demonstrates so superlatively with this film.

Ingrid Bergman portrays a mother who has neglected her children all her life and is confronted by this fact by her grown daughter whose adoration as a child has turned into an apparently irreversible hatred. “There is no forgiveness” is a line uttered by Eva after summarizing the crimes of her mother’s neglect and the results of that neglect. And yet, the character’s contradictory feelings are clearly seen in the moments when her need for vengeful expression of her pain has faded away. The daughter who has condemned her mother, quite honestly, wants to keep trying to resolve the conflict, to heal the gaping wounds in her heart and in her sister’s heart — a sister who has been physically crippled by the cold withdrawal of her mother’s feelings and her mother’s competitive need to be the leading female character in everyone’s life.

Charlotte has an awareness of her crimes of neglect but remains helpless, by choice and by need, to confront them within herself and make amends to resolve them. Her own childhood is the reason. The isolation that she felt, instead of inspiring her to not repeat the mistake with her own children, took the course of isolation, of seeking praise from the outside, of being the central character in the lives of people around her. Her insatiable hunger for love from others, though, remains forever unsatisfied.

Viewers might want to pick sides between mother and daughter to say which is the more at fault. I think that it is hard to say who Bergman himself found more at fault. Perhaps there is no fault, only human weakness and stupidity. Such scenes are usually followed by a greater understanding, forgiveness and a willingness to start anew. However, although Eva wants that, it is not clear in Bergman’s script that anything good will come of what has happened. The viewer is left to decide.

What makes a movie perfect is not only the intensity of emotion you feel when seeing it, it is the truth of feeling conveyed and the unrelenting attention to the details of the crafts of writing, acting, and directing, making certain that those details work together to create meaning, a view of life, and whatever forces are behind life, that are as varied, contradictory, and complete as a living being.

Watching the movie, I felt like I was watching a stage play, where the focus is on the stage actors. It looked like a movie with all the close ups and cinematography but it still gave you that theatrical feel with lots of static monologue. I think this is the best combination and interaction of theater and cinema. And I do believe that in the hands of less talented actors, the movie wouldn’t the same, not half as good I’d say.

The movie plays like a real sonata, it starts slow, builds to a high peak, and then descends in its finale. It also plays on another level, which I found the most resounding. Bergman’s films always deal with heavy emotions, but they are never sentimental. They never dress emotions up to be more affecting for the audience than they are for the characters. This honesty in the way he makes films is explored in Charlotte’s speech about the Chopin prelude. I see him speaking to us, saying that he tries hard not to be fake. Not to manipulate us in cheap ways that don’t exist in the real world.

Writing about films I love.

While waiting for the night rehearsal of the ballet Swan Lake, the lonely twenty-eight year-old ballerina Marie receives a diary through the mail. She travels by ferry to an island nearby Stockholm, where she recalls her first love Henrik. Thirteen years ago, while traveling to spend her summer vacation with her aunt Elisabeth and her uncle Erland, Marie meets Henrik in the ferry and sooner they fall in love for each other. They spend summer vacation together when a tragedy separates them and Marie builds a wall affecting her sentimental life.

The plot discloses through flashbacks a tragic and timeless love story affecting the life of the lead character that has spent the majority of her adult life building a wall around herself, her primary purpose in this is protection against the ghosts of her past. Although, we suspect, the wall may not have fully achieved this aim, it has succeeded in preventing her from truly making contact with the world, and, those who love her from ever reaching her. This is represented in her relationship with the young journalist. One gets the sense that Marie is doomed to drift through life, forever looking backwards, over her shoulder. When an ex-lover’s diary is mysteriously delivered to the theatre she is forced deeper into herself, to confront a past she has locked away for the last fifteen years.

We are then presented with these memories that the diary provokes and this is when the film truly comes alive. Alive is the key word here as Bergman paints for us, in a way that so few others are able, a vivid picture of the essence of young life and falling in love for the first time, stomach butterflies and all. Her relationship to Henrik is depicted expertly in such a way that Bergman’s dialogue dances, and his scripting skills truly shine. In this field, he must have been way ahead of many of his contemporaries: their personalities are quickly and efficiently drawn so as to be absolute, their teasing banter is playful, unpredictable and a joy to witness. However, this is a Bergman film and, as surely as autumn and winter must follow summer, the light must be balanced by an equal amount of dark.

When the film starts and before we know the secret she’s hiding, Nilsson puts on a wonderful performance of a woman coming to terms with the inevitability of aging. “Our faces look 45, our bodies 18, we’re 28, but girls call us ‘ma’am’”, says one of the other ballerinas, as Marie gives her a sad smile. The beauty of this moment isn’t that Bergman was always so clever at capturing women’s issues, but that he so clearly knew that women were not necessarily the damsels in distress literature and other art forms might make us believe.

This is not typical Bergman film, it is not nerve shredding drama on an epic scale, nor is it a challenging psychological abstraction that pushes the medium of cinema. Rather this is a moving little tale of remembered intimacy: small, but perfectly formed. His plot is rather simple and straightforward. In Summer Interlude, Bergman started using the stylistic themes and profound approaches to his characters that would become his own personal trademark. With this exploration of an artist’s soul, Bergman makes us wonder whether art is something that can come out of “happy” or content people. All of his movies where art is somehow involved, suggest that creation is never more potent than when we use it as a release from our personal demons. Bergman’s women always went beyond having completely superfluous problems; theirs are always problems that force us to give a closer look at those around us.

Writing about films I love.

Ingmar Bergman’s mystifying masterpiece, Persona, opens with an image of light from the lamp of a film projector and then the film running through the spools. This is followed by a series of images that includes a spider, a montage from silent comedies, a spike being driven through a man’s hand, and faces in a morgue. The film then cuts to an enigmatic picture of a young boy watching women’s faces appear on a giant screen directly in front of him. Are these strange images reminding us that we are only observing a film, not reality?

Persona may well be Ingmar Bergman’s most complex film, yet, like many Bergman films, the story it tells is superficially simple. A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabet Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabet constantly, never receiving any answer. Through the course of the movie, the two women, left in seclusion, seem to drift into one another’s persona. However, Bergman’s dialogue turns more to first person confessional and not a tale of two women. Eventually, the viewer comes to the realization that the two women are actually two sides of the same person.

The two actresses look somewhat similar. Bergman emphasizes this similarity in a disturbing shot where he combines half of one face with half of the other. Later he superimposes the two faces, like a morph. Bergman has stated that the human face is the great subject of the cinema. Everything is there. Their visual merging suggests a deeper psychic attraction.

Elizabet has an identity, she is an actress with a husband and son. She is quiet and contemplative because she is the external aspect of the person. Alma represents the inner turmoil, the self conflict. Elizabet is studying her, just like anyone experiencing introspection. Alma screams that she is constantly changing. This is because, while Elizabet will never change in appearance, her persona is constantly changing. Alma leaving on the bus indicates the transitive nature of that persona; Alma leaves, and, like an actress who has finished performing a role, Elizabet’s persona changes: Alma is no more. Elizabet is an actress, but it’s indicative of the personality of human beings in general — we are all acting, always fulfilling a role, and, in doing that role, we create a real, definable character of ourselves, through our actions — this is our persona. When our actions are altered our persona is altered; as we change how we act, our persona changes with us.

Alma delivers a long painful monologue about Elizabet’s child. It is told with the camera on Elizabet. Then it is told again, word for word, with the camera on Alma. I believe this is not simply Bergman trying it both ways, as has been suggested, but literally both women telling the same story. It shows their beings are in union. Reality here is what is so common to us: who we see ourselves as, how others see us, how self-identification becomes self-preservation through the experiences of others, good or bad or a combination of both.

Persona is filled with surreal images and dream sequences in which it is very difficult to distinguish between illusion and reality. I felt that Bergman had deliberately left all this storytelling to me to figure out. There are so many questions in this incredible film that are left unanswered. For more than fifty years, viewers and filmmakers alike have been trying to find the answers. I can’t say that I fully understood Persona. To me, this was too much of an abstract film to merit any analysis, which makes me think this is exactly how Bergman wants it.

After some viewings, however, I realized that Persona’s greatness does not lie only in understanding, but also in its unbearably intimate and poetically realized images. The best element of the film is the artistic, black and white cinematography. Lighting trends toward high contrast, with stark boundaries between light and darkness, a feature that contributes to the film’s cold, intellectual tone. There are lots of close-up shots, even extreme close-ups, of the two women. The film’s production design is ascetic, unadorned, austere. And this, too, enhances the analytic, abstract feel of the film.

The opening sequence suggests that Persona is starting at the beginning, with the birth of cinema. A film that experiments with the idea of cinema and the possibilities it offers; dealing with the nature of film itself, with the idea of representation and the power of the image, as well as the substance and quality of the material films are made on. Unlike any other film, this is a film about celluloid, about the material essential in making films. It begins with a projector starting up, ends with a projector shutting down, forcing us to think about film as a medium, something the overwhelming majority of other movies desperately wants us to forget. Persona breaks the fourth wall, even allowing us to see Bergman and his film crew at one point.

In other words, Persona communicates to us as much about Bergman’s mindset, and his ideas of reality. Bergman is telling us that, ultimately, the film is not real. It is “nothing”. It is an artificial human construct. That is, it is art, a perception that approximates, but does not replace, what we experience as reality.

Writing about films I love.

Alexander Ekdahl and his younger sister Fanny live a wonderful life. Their parents own a local theater and the extended Ekdahl family are close, spending Christmas together. Just a few weeks after the Christmas celebrations however, their beloved father dies. The children and their mother feel the loss greatly and Alexander occasionally sees his father’s spirit in the house. After a period of time, their mother informs them that she is to be married to Bishop Edvard, someone Alexander had already encountered over a lie he once told at school. The Bishop’s house is a dreary place and the Bishop proves to be a strict disciplinarian who insists on all house rules being followed. After being caught in another lie, Alexander is severely beaten and his mother realizes she must find a way to send the children away.

The film is divided into three very different parts, each of them showing a different aspect of family life. The story begins on Christmas Eve, and we are plunged right away into a fairytale atmosphere. The story told from the eyes of two kids worth a ton of gold. Despite the title, attention is focused much more on Alexander than on Fanny. She is there all the time but speaks little, while showing unconditional solidarity with her brother. This is probably because Bergman takes a semi-autobiographical approach to his storytelling, my views on which I will explain later on.

The opening is great. The realism is utter. Alexander had a typical upper class look, so did his grandmother, who looked extremely fresh and healthy and beautiful, for her age. No over-colorful costumes and silly dialogs, that is such a frequent element nowadays in historical plays, especially from America. The first hour moves at a slow pace but it really sets up the rest of the movie well and then it really picks up. Alexander’s character only really becomes of importance in the second act. The rest of the time, he seems to only wander into the narrative from time to time as if he were a secondary character.

Alexander, who is a child raised with all the enthusiasm to express himself as such by his uncles and particularly his theatrical father Oscar, is good but lending himself to not being too firm on what’s real and what is not. Emilie is a good person, wanting the best for her children and for herself, but she doesn’t know how to do that without someone to bring guidance when she cannot after grieving for her dead husband. The Bishop, on the other hand, is one who, as he says at one point “has only one mask”. His is a puritanical approach, who sees imagination in only one strict aspect, and has terms of love that are by his code of living and understanding of people.

In what’s probably the greatest moment in a film full of great moments, is Alexander’s encounter with a mysterious character named Ismael. I think this scene is the climax of the film as it brings closure to Alexander’s arch. There’s also a deep sense of the supernatural as it is suggested that everything, fantasy and reality, the logical and unexplainable, the material and the ethereal, the good and even the bad, is a manifestation of God. I feel that with those statements, Bergman is telling us that he probably managed to finally exorcise the demons that had been haunting him throughout his life, or at least come to terms with them, as his on screen alter ego Alexander has as well.

Most Bergman’s films leave me tepid or even cold. But Fanny och Alexander is a splendid production, beautifully made, so superb it makes me feel like I’m reading my favourite novel. Rarely I’ve felt the sense of familial warmth and love in a film or elsewhere as I have with Fanny and Alexander. If the cinematography is visual poetry, the script is philosophical and full of awareness or consciousness of things in life, but not at a pretentious, abstract and theoretical level, but at a real human dimension. It is his most optimistic and enchanting blend of romance, tragedy, comedy, fantasy, and mysticism.

It is obvious that Bergman brought out many of his childhood memories for this story but these were not his only influence. This is the strongest autobiographical film and Alexander seems to incarnate Bergman himself as a child. It includes his personal connection to the Christian church, in particular with his father being a Lutheran priest. Bergman had earlier confessed that he was raised in a very oppressive manner. Thus, it is quite possible that Alexander’s step family is a representation of Bergman’s real family, while Alexander’s real family is the family Bergman had dreamed of, unsurprisingly a family of actors.

The story is set in his “grandmother’s world”. Bergman recalls the apartment of his grandmother, an old and rich lady, filled with old furniture that had been there since she got married. The atmosphere he creates seems to come from there. Also, the Christmas atmosphere is quite the same with what Bergman remembers from his childhood.

“It was fun to recreate my Christmases, because they really happened that way. My mother was a very prominent director and we lived practically in the countryside. It was a huge vicarage with lots of relatives.” (The journalist Nils-Petter Sundgren interviewed Bergman on television on the day of the opening of Skammen (Sundgren, 1968)

Similarities to his past films can be seen in Helena’s character, who is upset before and after the Christmas party, because she is aware that she is aging and realizes that she doesn’t have many Christmases left. Alexander questions the existence of God several times throughout the movie, wishing He’d strike down Edvard and kill him so that the family would be free from the bishop’s torturous lifestyle and bitterness. Furthermore, as he’s done in many of his films, Bergman likes to express his most vulnerable thoughts and emotions through female characters. As Ismael is part of Alexander and the latest is Bergman’s alter ego, it is only fair for the actor that plays Ismael to be a female.

In his final film, one of the greatest masters of dark and sometimes morose psychological studies looks at the world with a child’s eye. The words he chose to finish his film with reflect the hope, the happiness and the magic that can be fully felt only in one’s childhood: “Anything can happen, anything is possible. Time and space do not exist. On a flimsy ground of reality, imagination spins out and waves new patterns.” August Strindberg’s introductory notes for A Dream Play. This end does not come by surprise as Bergman has looked up to Strindberg nearly all of his life.

The Christmas décor and deep green and red colors in Helena’s large apartment create such a warm and inviting atmosphere. Isak’s home–full of puppets, furniture, chandeliers, and other various collections–is both mysterious yet enchanting. Edvard’s gray and barren home is cold and sterile — which greatly enhances his character and the feeling Emilie and the kids have when they move in. The celebration near the end, that is almost completely pink and white with flowers and foliage everywhere, gives off the most delightful feeling of the entire film.

In conclusion, Fanny and Alexander is Bergman’s farewell to cinema. It’s an extremely rich masterpiece that contains a multitude of elements. He created a story that was influenced by several different figures and memories and the quality of the final product is something that is rarely seen. Every shot is beautiful enough to serve as a painting, the score is incredible, the mix of theater into the film gives it a wonderful feeling, the detail of the sets and wardrobes seems perfect, and the color tones greatly enhance the film.

Writing about films I love.

Me and my friend Bergman

From me and my friend Ingmar, hello everyone. How do you do? This is going to be very exciting for me and I hope you can sense this excitement too.

Before being introduced to the “History of World Cinema II” course I didn’t know who Ingmar Bergman was at all. I hadn’t watched any of his films and I have to confess that I used to prejudge him (which is a declaration I most probably shouldn’t make). Every time one of him movies would come up on TV, I would change the station, and every time I’d see an article about him or his movies posted on social media, I’d skip it. I used to think Bergman was just some hyperbolized director and his movies were probably boring and everyone loved him only because he’d created a myth of himself. I wanted to get rid of all this stigma I had in my mind and thus, grow as a person before growing as a director.

It was my beloved friend Julian that made me think this was the right thing to do, but what fully convinced me that Ingmar Bergman should be the director whose works I was going to study, is the letters two of my favourite directors, Akira Kurosawa and Stanley Kubrick, have written to Bergman while he was still alive.

“Your work deeply touches my heart every time I see it and I have learned a lot from your works and have been encouraged by them. I would like you to stay in good health to create more wonderful movies for us.” (Akira Kurosawa)

“Your vision of life has moved me deeply, much more deeply than I have ever been moved by any films. I believe you are the greatest filmmaker at work today.” (Stanley Kubrick)

These are the lines that affected me deeply. I trusted them. I knew that if Bergman had been an inspiration to them, he’d be an inspiration for me too. This is how I came to know the shocking fact:
Ingmar Bergman and I, were both born on the same date. I was born on 14 July 1998 and he was born on 14 July 1918, exactly 80 years ahead of me. The same date and the repetition of number 8 makes me superstitious (another ‘mustn’t be done’ type of declaration). The tendency and inner desire to discover human psychology and reveal the most bottled up emotions and thoughts through art is another thing we seem to have in common. Furthermore, I think I have the same ideas about how movies should be done and what makes cinema an art.
Additionally, the year 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of Ingmar Bergman. The Jubilee, starting in Autumn 2017 and continuing throughout 2018, will take place over the entire world with theatrical performances, exhibitions, documentaries, film retrospectives, book releases and festivals. The 37th Istanbul Film Festival, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ingmar Bergman’s birth, brings together nine Bergman-signed films selected by 10 directors.
Here starts a journey I am very excited about. This journey I’d like to call “Me and my friend Bergman”.