Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul

Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul is a documentary revealing the multi-cultural musical identity of Istanbul as well as other cities in Turkey. The documentary does a good job walking through the different styles and people creating this music. It also comments on the misinterpretation of the west in relation to eastern music and, at some points, even refuting the separatist idea of an 'east' and 'west'.

The most effective shots were the ones during magic hour, specifically the shots on the boat as the sun was setting. Also, there were shots during magic hour in which the sun reflected windows and caused a beautiful golden reflection. In addition, the cropped close ups made the viewer feel closer to the musicians and their emotions. 

Moreover, the use of different physical spaces to portray the different musical scenes was visually interesting. It emphasized the various cultures and the people behind those cultures together with distinguished spaces. 

The colors did not work well together at times. In one shot the light was cold and tending towards blues, while in another, the light was warm and tended towards a pinkish yellow. 

Overall, it was a really interesting documentary and it clearly used the subject- music in Istanbul- to inspire the soundtrack which mandated the tone and feel for the entire documentary. The music many times served as a transition from different ideas and different subjects.