The changing approach of documentary in TRT: Mise-en-scène in popular adventure-themed productions

In this study, firstly, the definition of documentary cinema, the distinction between fiction cinema and documentary cinema, the use of mise-en-scene, which is a style tool of fiction cinema, in documentary cinema are examined within the perspective of reality. Then, the historical process of documentary cinema is discussed and the journey of the relationship between television and documentary is investigated. In this context, the history of Turkish documentary cinema is mentioned and the formation process of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and its thematic documentary channel TRT Belgesel, which produces content within the framework of public broadcasting policies in Turkey, is investigated. In this study, the documentary series titled New Member of the Family and Water Wars, which have high ratings since 2019 when they started to be broadcast on TRT Documentary channel, and which are assumed to have an impact on this success due to the intensive use of mise-en-scene, are discussed. How the mise-en-scene elements used in these documentary series are used, the level of affecting the tight ties of the documentary with reality (positive or negative) and the relationship between the change in TRT's documentary understanding and the arrangement of mise-en-scene elements were investigated. It has been observed that TRT, which in the past prioritized public broadcasting and produced documentary content without worrying about receiving advertisements, has adapted to the changing market conditions today, developed its own marketing strategies, reached high viewership rates by applying the techniques applied in both narrative language and fictional films in its own projects, and in this direction, it has become one of the popular documentary channels.