The audience feels inside the play with mind theater

Ömer Yılmaz, who graduated as the top student from the Department of English Translation and Interpretation at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, draws attention with his mind theater project developed in addition to his academic success. Yılmaz revived the once very popular radio theater with new technologies. Through the project, which can also be called ‘mind theater’, the listener feels like a part of the play within the radio theater using technologies like spatial sound. It is possible to listen to mind theaters via social media.

Ömer Yılmaz, who graduated as the top student from the Department of English Translation and Interpretation at Istanbul Atlas University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, received his diploma. Yılmaz, who made a name for himself with a project he developed as well as his academic success, brought ‘mind theater’ where the listener feels like a part of the play into life.

Project idea born during the pandemic
Ömer Yılmaz, who is visually impaired, stated that the idea of the project coincided with the pandemic when he listened to a series called ‘We’re Alive’ by chance. Yılmaz said, ‘I used to know radio theaters as old recorded works from the 80s and 90s, so it didn’t interest me much. Until I coincidentally came across a series called We’re Alive that led me into this during the pandemic when my exams were postponed due to the pandemic in my first year at the university. I finished the series day and night. It caught my interest a lot, and I researched if we have such works. Apart from one or two examples, I couldn’t find satisfactory works, and I thought why not and rolled up my sleeves.’

It is possible to listen to the games via social media
Ömer Yılmaz, who mentioned his project to the Head of the Department of English Translation and Interpretation, Dr. Assistant Professor Şirin Tufan, said, ‘Şirin Hoca liked the project. Since I couldn’t find student friends to participate in my project during the pandemic, I completed the project on my own. Initially, a channel called Omnitiyatro, appealing to the general public, was formed within the project. After the project, I met my current team members Faruk Başol and Murat Oğru and started producing works in the genres of horror, thriller, and fantasy. These games can also be accessed via social media. So far, we have released a total of 6 mind theaters. Faruk Başol writes the scripts of the games, and I co-direct them with Murat Oğru. I also handle the sound design.’ Yılmaz stated that they achieved significant success with his project, ‘When we share the section, we rank in the top 50 in podcast rankings nationwide, and generally in the top three in the genres of fiction and drama.’

The listener feels like a part of the game
Yılmaz stated that the aim of mind theater is to make the listener feel like a part of the game, ‘Regardless of where the listener is, by using elements such as sound effects, dialogues, music, and spatial sound, the listener is aimed to visualize the events heard in their mind. In mind theater, it is aimed to make the elements such as the place where the event takes place and the characters come alive in the mind, allowing the listener to create a unique world of their own at that moment and to give the feeling of being a part of the story.’

3D spatial sound technology used
Yılmaz stated that they benefited from 3D spatial sound technology in mind theater, ‘This technology is used to correctly perceive the source of sound or where the sound is coming from and to provide the listener with a three-dimensional sound experience. Spatial sound is often referred to as ‘3D sound’ or ‘immersive sound’. We used technologies such as 3D binaural sound and spatial sound very effectively in this process. When you place the listener at the center of the story, they truly find themselves as part of the story over time.’ Ömer Yılmaz, who is also visually impaired, said that they translated one of the games within the project into sign language to create awareness.