TIMS&B Productions’ Timur Savci & Burak Sağyaşar

TIMS&B Productions’ founders Timur Savci—who previously ran Magnificent Century producer TIMS Productions—and Burak Sağyaşar, an actor-turned-producer known for shows like Hayat, tell TV Drama about how Bitter Lands came about and weigh in on their creative alliance.

In Turkey’s competitive drama sector, TIMS&B Productions has emerged as a go-to outfit for compelling, top-rated series. Among its latest hits is Bitter Lands, a lush period piece, set in Southern Turkey in the 1970s, that Inter Medya has been licensing worldwide. Made for ATV, the show has returned for a second season.

TV DRAMA: Where did the idea for Bitter Lands come from?
SAĞYAŞAR: This was actually an idea and story by our writer Ayfer Tunç. After she handed us this very short story, we were struck by it as soon as we read it and we believed that it could be a success if we were to realize it.

TV DRAMA: How is it different from much of the Turkish drama on air today?
SAVCI: The most important difference is it is the only period drama right now in Turkey taking place in that specific time period; and it has a distinct look to it in terms of the production design. Looking at the other series in the Turkish TV industry at the moment, this is a project with a rich ensemble cast, where most characters’ story arcs are essential and profound storylines are delved into. I think these parameters distinguish this series from the rest of the Turkish drama on air today.

TV DRAMA: What were the benefits of taking your story and settings outside of Istanbul? And what were the biggest challenges?
SAVCI: The biggest challenge is the fact that the cost of production is much higher because, as you might know, this means increased logistics and transportation expenses. Since most technical resources are in Istanbul, we need to ship everything to the shooting location and live there. But in essence, this has provided us with a very noticeable and distinguishing visual capability and an authentic look.
SAĞYAŞAR: This is a major plus. Another advantage is the fact that the cast and crew are 100 percent focused on their work when they are outside Istanbul.

TV DRAMA: Why do you think this story has resonated?
SAVCI: This is a project that contains a number of stories within. For starters, everyone was able to find characters that could appeal to them or they could feel empathy for. This is not only a very powerful love story. Yes, there is a powerful love at the core, but there is also the clash of rich versus poor, the sociological issues of the period, class distinctions, etc., as well as what the social life and situations were evolving into in a developing country at that time. This is all portrayed realistically as well as tapping into the idealistic nostalgia in the memories of the audience.

TV DRAMA: Amid a challenged economy, how did you manage the budget on this high-production-value series?
SAVCI: We and the broadcaster both had to make sacrifices, in the sense that we entered this project taking a great risk in terms of financing and investment. But our faith was so high in this project that we foresaw that we could lay this process over a period of time and reap the benefits in the long run. The current situation confirms that we were right with that forecast.

TV DRAMA: Inter Medya has made many deals on the show. How important are these revenues for Turkish producers?
SAĞYAŞAR: It’s quite important; and especially with a project of this scale, it becomes very important. But we still cover most of the cost of production on a series from the local market in Turkey.

TV DRAMA: Has the international interest in Turkish drama led to you changing your storytelling techniques?
SAVCI: Not that much, really. And the reason is, even before the presence of the international market, we were making Turkish series with our know-how and following our own path, and I think it was this originality that generated international interest. But of course, in the aftermath, since we have seen the great value in the global market, working in that industry has affected the production quality and the sustainability of our stories in general.

TV DRAMA: How did TIMS&B Productions come about?
SAVCI: We founded TIMS&B Productions in January 2017. I have a company called TIMS Productions, founded in 2006, which has had a number of successes, one of which was Magnificent Century, as you may know. And Burak is a producer with an acting background who managed to gain himself a place in the TV industry by producing not one but three series in the first year of his company, Bi Yapim. One of his most important successes is Hayat, distributed by Inter Medya as well.
SAĞYAŞAR: As rival producers, we decided to join forces and established a partnership in which we aim to be bringing new visions and objectives to the table. We use the following motto to describe TIMS&B Productions: “Pure, bold, original.”

TV DRAMA: How does your creative collaboration work?
SAVCI: We have characteristics that support each other. Whenever a new idea for a project is spawned or we are in the process of realization, we escalate each other because we are not that alike, actually. And this is a complementary aspect for us and creates a great advantage, even if we may bicker sometimes! [Laughs] SAĞYAŞAR: We may have differing opinions at times, but we always have a consensus at the end since we trust each other completely.

TV DRAMA: What are the major trends you’re seeing in Turkish drama today? Are there new storytelling techniques emerging? New genres?
SAVCI: Sure, new trends are emerging, especially in the increasingly more male and street-oriented ensemble dramas, which may be a disadvantage for the international market, I’m not sure. But now more than ever more genres are being experimented with on TV. Yet when we assess the current market conditions, 80 percent of production is still composed of the classical Turkish “dizi,” mostly in the melodrama genre.