Creating a Fairytale: Emre Kabakuşak on ‘The Nightfall’

The Nightfall, starring Su Burcu Yazgı Coşkun and Burak Deniz, has captured viewers’ attention from its very first episode. We sat down with the show’s director, Emre Kabakuşak, to discuss his directing journey from Remember Darling to The Nightfall and much more.

I’d like to start by talking about your new series. The Nightfall has been quite successful in the ratings so far. We’d love to hear more about the show from your perspective.

Emre Kabakuşak: The Nightfall is about the struggle of two people who fall in love at first sight and try to make the impossible happen. A police officer who requests a transfer to seek revenge falls in love with the daughter of the man who had his father shot, and our journey begins with the most genuine emotions and unexpected surprises.

The Nightfall has been very well-received, and it also has a strong cast. The story explores new directions with each episode. What do you think are the elements that make the show so beloved by the audience?

Emre Kabakuşak: I think the audience wants to see something relatable, genuine, and natural. We combined visuals that fit the story with a straightforward narrative. This approach was appreciated by viewers, they found our work sincere. They connected with the actors, took sides in the character conflicts, and that made what we created engaging to watch.

The series started in Denizli and is now continuing in İstanbul. Your choice of locations and use of music have also been widely praised. What can you tell us about these aspects?

Emre Kabakuşak: All of it is the result of extensive efforts. Before choosing Denizli, we visited and examined many places, including Adana, Mersin, Tarsus, and other locations in the west. We decided that Denizli and its surroundings were the most fitting for the story we wanted to tell and the atmosphere we aimed to create. I’m glad we went there; the working conditions were very favorable, and visually, it provided a setting that really satisfied us. Our music is by Alp Yenier, with whom I previously worked on The Ambassador’s Daughter. He’s an artist whose intuition and sensibility I trust deeply, and his contributions are clearly evident. He understands perfectly touch the scenes I shoot and grasps exactly what kind of scene I’m aiming to create with each shot.

Emre Kabakuşak: “Criticism of my work has always had a positive effect on me. The story we’re telling doesn’t need to have an exact equivalent in real life; we’re creating a kind of fairytale, selling dreams. We’re not here to present absolute truths, deliver public service announcements, or act as thought leaders. Of course, there will be criticism, as long as it’s within the bounds of logic and reason. If we’re telling the love story of a 32-year old police officer and a 21-year-old young Yörük girl, then Burak and Yazgı are perfect for it!”

Before The Nightfall started, there was some criticism about the age gap between Burak Deniz and Su Burcu Yazgı Coşkun. After the first episode aired, there were also discussions about the cave scene. As the director of the series, how do you respond to these criticisms?

Emre Kabakuşak: Criticism of my work has always had a positive effect on me. The story we’re telling doesn’t need to have an exact equivalent in real life; we’re creating a kind of fairytale, selling dreams. We’re not here to present absolute truths, deliver public service announcements, or act as thought leaders. Of course, there will be criticism, as long as it’s within the bounds of logic and reason. If we’re telling the love story of a 32-year old police officer and a 21-year-old young Yörük girl, then Burak and Yazgı are perfect for it! They’re both so talented and intelligent; always bringing something extra to their roles. With such high awareness, every scene they perform sparks reactions, which is completely normal. The script finds ways to advance its story, and the ablution scene in the cave was just an element to bring the characters together, and it turned out to be a beautiful scene.

The Nightfall has started its global journey at MIPCOM, one of the most important content fairs. How do you feel about the show’s potential success internationally? What do you think awaits the series in this regard?

Emre Kabakuşak: We create our work to be successful, so seeing it appreciated and enjoyed is a wonderful feeling. As a country, we’re already in a good position in the international TV series market, and being part of that presentation, reaching a global audience, and being watched motivates us to do even better.

Since the beginning of your career, you’ve been involved in memorable projects on Turkish television and have worked with many prominent directors. know you studied at university in Niğde and then began working as an assistant, but I’d love to hear about your journey into the industry from your perspective.

Emre Kabakuşak: I started in the industry as an assistant in 2003. After that, I set a goal for myself, to become a director within five years, and my first step toward that was with the series Remember Darling, where I began directing. Then came other series and film projects…

Remember Darling was one of the most important and valuable series in our television history. Following that, you directed memorable series like To Better Days, War of the Roses, and Lifeline. Turkish television has undergone a significant transformation, especially over the past decade. You’ve spent many years in the world of television and cinema, and I believe you have a strong intuition about audience preferences and expectations. How do you view this change? What have you observed?

Emre Kabakuşak: Yes, each project I’ve done is very valuable to me. With each one, I learned a lot, gained experience, made mistakes, and tried to learn from them. I’m still learning, trying to understand, to find my own absolute truths because what we do is actually a very subjective job. Everyone has their own perspective, their own story, and their own way of telling it. In the past, episodes were shorter, audiences could watch without getting bored and engage more deeply. Now, the episodes are very long, sometimes slow, with a slower pace… It has become challenging to keep viewers engaged and watching.

I’d also like to touch on audience preferences. What do you think viewers want to watch these days?

Emre Kabakuşak: I think viewers want to empathize. They want to find heroes, to celebrate with the characters they choose, to feel joy, to see resilience even in sorrow, and to watch people overcome challenges. They want to see strength. In dramas, want to feel grateful, to see that their own situation isn’t so bad, and to see what else is out there. They want to be intrigued, to see their predictions come true, and to have that satisfaction of saying, “I knew it.” But, of course, that’s just my perspective.

In the TV series industry, casting and script selection are crucial. Great scripts can fail due to poor casting and vice versa. As a director, what criteria do you pay attention to when choosing scripts and actors? I am sure you have some special instincts you developed in this process.

Emre Kabakuşak: Everything must be in harmony; a great story can be wasted with poor casting and direction. In my projects, I first look at what kind of cast the script requires: the type, talent, and energy. Then comes a rigorous audition process, working and reading scenes until we find the right fit, and finally, aligning the cast like puzzle pieces to ensure cohesion.

You’ve directed Bride of Beirut, an adaptation of Bride of Istanbul. What did this experience bring you? It must not be so easy to direct a series in a different country, with local actors, and in a different language.

Emre Kabakuşak: It was a project I experienced for the first time, and I was initially very anxious. During the preparation process, I realized how universal our work is and how cinema is based on emotions, a common language beyond words. Though I heard a different language, I saw the same feelings. After I expressed what I wanted to accomplish, despite the cultural differences, their understanding and sharing in my emotions and excitement led to a successful project.

This exclusive interview with Emre Kabakuşak was featured in Episode Magazine’s ATF 2024 issue.