030: The Quest for Fire on the Set of Zeit der Wünsche

A nostalgic look at Filmmaking challenges, clever fixes, and one unforgettable burning tree

With everything happening in our country and in the world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed nowadays. Today, I want to take a break from those heavy feelings and share a funny, nostalgic story from my time working on the film Zeit der Wünsche. It’s a story that highlights both the difficulties and the boundless creativity of filmmaking.

The movie, as I’ve mentioned before, was about Turkish Gastarbeiter and followed the lives of four friends from an Anatolian village. It was a two-part series, each episode 90 minutes long, and it explored themes of love, friendship, and the struggles of migration. One of the pivotal moments in the story involved Melike, the female lead played by Lale Yavaş, burning down a wish tree—a dramatic representation of her heartbreak and lost dreams.

But before we could film this emotional scene, we had a very practical problem: there was no tree.

The Fellowship of the Tree

The director and cinematographer had chosen a hill in Cappadocia for the scene. Cappadocia, with its mesmerizing fairy chimneys and surreal landscapes, was the perfect backdrop. But the hill they picked was completely bare—no tree in sight. So began the quest to find a tree.

A group of cinematography assistants and grip crew set out like the Fellowship of the Ring, searching for a tree that could be transported to the hill. After a tough journey, they found one—a dead tree that seemed perfect for the job. They cut it down and carried it back, a process that involved a lot of grumbling from the grip team, who were definitely not thrilled about hauling a tree across rugged terrain. Finally, the tree was placed on the hill and dressed up with leaves to make it look alive.

The Fire Effect Fiasco

Once the wish-making scenes were filmed, it was time for the dramatic burning of the tree. The director wanted a controlled fire—something visually striking but manageable. The grip team, who were not special effects experts but were used to solving technical challenges, came up with an idea: condoms filled with flammable oil. They placed these around the tree, hoping for bursts of fire that could be controlled.

The results were... hilarious. The condoms caused small, unimpressive bursts of flame that extinguished almost immediately. They tried larger condoms, more oil, and different placements, but nothing worked. The tree looked less like it was burning and more like it was having a series of tiny, awkward fireworks.

Enter the Kayseri Car Guy

Watching all of this unfold was a man from Kayseri who had rented vintage cars to the production. He was a specialist in restoring classic cars and had a reputation for being clever and resourceful—traits often associated with Kayseri’s traders. Seeing the grip team’s struggles, he offered to help.

With the confidence of a spy assembling a gadget, he gave the crew a list of materials: plastic pipes, asbestos bands (yes, the poisonous kind), flammable oil, and a pump. Using these, he built a mechanism with pipes running across the tree, insulated by asbestos to prevent the branches from burning. The pump allowed oil to flow through the system, creating a controlled, continuous fire. It was a risky but ingenious solution.

The Final Scene

When the fire effect was ready, Lale Yavaş, as Melike, lit the tree and stood beside it, watching Mustafa leave the village on a bus. The burning tree symbolized her heartbreak and the destruction of her dreams—a deeply emotional moment in the film. Thanks to the creativity and determination of everyone involved, the scene turned out beautifully.

Generated by Sora

You can watch the original scene from here starting at around 1:13:40.

Despite the challenges, the entire crew was proud of what they had accomplished. It was a testament to the ingenuity and teamwork that filmmaking demands. And while the story behind the scene is funny, it also serves as a reminder of the lengths people go to bring a director’s vision to life.

Thanks for reading this far. Feel free to share your thoughts, and take care.