The Role of the Visual Narrator in Bringing Cultural Memory to the Screen: The Case of Osman Sınav KÜLTÜREL BELLEĞİN EKRANA TAŞINMASINDA GÖRSEL ANLATICININ İŞLEVİ: OSMAN SINAV ÖRNEĞİ
Milli Folklor, cilt.150, ss.74-85, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 150
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.58242/millifolklor.1724164
- Dergi Adı: Milli Folklor
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), MLA International Bibliography, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.74-85
- Anahtar Kelimeler: cultural memory, function, Osman Sınav, television, visual storyteller
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In the Turkish oral culture tradition, the narrator, who plays a decisive role in the transmission of cultural memory, assumes the function of producing, organizing, and carrying information across generations. The typology represented by Dede Korkut, a characteristic example of storytelling, has evolved over time into different forms, continuing its existence in representations such as bards, minstrels, storytellers, and short story narrators. In this process, changes in the means of cultural production and consumption patterns and contexts become decisive in the use of cultural memory elements in the construction of new texts. With the transition from oral culture to written and electronic cultural environments, the function of the narrator undergoes a transformation depending on the new means of production and transmission. In audiovisual media such as cinema and television, the screenwriter and director play the traditional role of the narrator through their positions. However, the cultural effects of the newly produced text and the screenwriter and director who assume the role of narrator/transmitter continue as seen in the basic functions of folklore. This article focuses on the establishment and transmission of cultural memory in audiovisual media; conceptualizing the narrator not at the level of a person or role, but as a function that structures cultural memory. It examines four television series directed by Osman Sınav, who has worked as a producer, director, and screenwriter in the Turkish film and television industry. The selection of these series was determined by the intensity of traditional codes and narrative elements, their ability to generate social impact during their broadcast, and their role as examples of the transformation of cultural memory into visual narrative. This research is a case study designed within the framework of qualitative research methods. In this context, O. Sınav's selected television series were determined using purposive sampling; the series Süper Baba, Deli Yürek, Kurtlar Vadisi, and Ekmek Teknesi were examined using qualitative content analysis and semiotic analysis techniques. During the analysis process, elements such as narrative structures, character types, cultural spaces, rituals, and value systems were evaluated. The main argument of the article is based on the thesis that the traditional narrator's function continues in the electronic culture environment in the form of a "visual narrator." In this context, Sınav is considered not only as an individual artist but also as a narrator who reconstructs and circulates cultural memory through visual narrative. This approach aims to contribute to the redefinition of the narrator concept in folklore studies within the context of visual culture. Thus, the original contribution of the article is to propose a theoretical continuity between the narrator typology in oral culture and contemporary visual narrative practices. The analysis reveals that in the television series produced or directed by O. Sınav, traditional narrative elements are reproduced not only thematically but also through visual storytelling strategies. In particular, character development, location choices, and visual aesthetic elements contribute to the reinterpretation of cultural memory within a contemporary context. However, the article also suggests that the boundaries of the visual storyteller concept are open to debate and need to be reevaluated in different production contexts. Indeed, interpreting the function of this new type of storyteller in different cultural contexts requires interdisciplinary studies.