Presumptions on the Indonesian Film Industry, Are They Valid?
Presumptions others make somehow influence the labels we use to describe certain things. Often, however, the attached labels are merely the result of unfounded assumptions and stereotypes. The same thing happens in the Indonesian film industry. Deo Mahameru, one of the Creative Managers at IDN Pictures, mentioned some assumptions we usually hear about the film field and conveyed his viewpoints about them. To get deeper insights, let’s keep on scrolling!
1. Super tight recruitment process
Many perceive that career opportunities in film, well, it’s a notoriously competitive industry to get into. In fact, many film jobs aren’t advertised in a “traditional” sense, given that qualifications are not as important as experience. Applicants need to proactively get themselves familiar with film companies and studios through speculative applications. They also have to contact them to enquire about any vacancies. A lot of things, huh?
Responding to this presumption, Deo confirmed, “Unfortunately, yes, the barrier-to-entry is tightly competitive, especially for those who haven’t any internal connections. Frankly speaking, a production house will usually want to work with new filmmakers, only if they’ve managed to work on other fields first. They should be known already for being a comic writer, for example, or a serial writer,” explained Deo. That being said, for those of you planning to dive down into the realm, it’s an urge for you to really start networking!
2. The quality of a film is determined by the number of viewers
The competitive ambiance going around the film industry is no longer a secret. It is totally not easy. Many films with various genres are now competing to attract as many viewers as possible. It is not surprising that most people tend to interconnect viewership with quality. They presume that a film with a low number of viewers must have poor quality, not worth watching.
However, according to Deo, this wasn’t completely true. In spite of being an important factor, the number of viewers is not the only aspect determining the quality of a film. “Films that don’t sell are not necessarily lame. There are surely some movies that I think are good, but may not gain a high number of viewers. One of the most decisive factors lies in promotion. However, not all production houses have the capability to do it both strategically and financially,” he explained.
3. Nothing can compare to Hollywood films
It’s undeniable that Hollywood possesses comparatively superior product development capabilities to their rivals across the globe. This has surely been a critical success factor contributing to Hollywood’s dominance, turning it into the benchmark for the film industry of other countries, and Indonesia is no exception. However, the dominance it attains doesn’t change the fact that Indonesian films are catching it up. If we assess thoroughly, there are some fundamental elements in the film, like the narrative and cinematic ones, that have made us feel very confident to say that Indonesia someday will be a leading cinema player on a global scaleーnot to mention the international awards we’ve achieved so far.
However, comparing Hollywood films with the Indonesian ones is not entirely relevant. There are factors and standards we cannot always generalize. “We must be realistic. To be honest, I’d say that the comparison is not ‘apple to apple’, given that the quality of the film industries in the two countries is not at the same level of development. Yes, we’ve got to accept that, but still be optimistic about it at the same time,” said Deo, giving a closure.
