The New Threshold of Creative Labor: Qualitative Insights from Turkish Cinema Professionals

 CINEJ Cinema Journal:The New Threshold of Creative Labor: Qualitative Insights from Turkish Cinema Professionals; Volumen 14.1 (2026)  https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.892

Autor: 

• Sevcan Sönmez,Yaşar University
   sevcansonmezz@gmail.com
   https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8775-2763
• Halil Göker Gülay, Celal Bayar University
   goker.gulay@cbu.edu.tr
   https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1217-3091
  
  

Keywords: artificial intelligence; cinema; screenwriting; visual effects; post-production; creative labor; Türkiye.  

Abstract: This study examines the transformative effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on film production in Türkiye, focusing on twoprimary  axes:  screenwriting  and  editing,  and  visual  effects  (VFX)  and  post-production.  Drawing  on  semi-structured interviews with eight cinema professionals and analyzed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, the research moves beyond technical descriptions to map the socio-technical shifts in creative labor. The findings identify an emergent model of 'Assisted Creativity under Resource Scarcity,' where AI functions as a 'senior assistant' that enhances speed and cost-efficiency while remaining limited by its inability to replicate local narrative and cultural codes, character 'inner transformation,' and causal plotting. Within the Turkish context, the study highlights a democratization-precarity paradox: while AI lowers entry barriers for independent productions, it intensifies labor through 'multi-role' requirements and role contraction. Ultimately, the study discusses the relocation of cinema in an algorithmic age and offers theoretical insights into the preservation of national narrative sovereignty.

Idioma: Inglés

Publicación: 6 de junio del 2026. 

Volumen: CINEJ Cinema Journal:The New Threshold of Creative Labor: Qualitative Insights from Turkish Cinema Professionals; Volumen 14.1 (2026)  

Enlace Permanente