Depok-The Indonesian film industry is increasingly writhing through a commendable increase in quality. This is evident from several Indonesian films that have been shown abroad, such as Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017), Satan’s Slaves (2017), Jakarta vs Everybody (2020), Photocopier (2021), and many more. Based on a 2022 survey published by Jajak Pendapat (Jakpat), horror films are in the top five as the genres most in demand by the millennial generation. However, based on the number of viewers, the best-selling Indonesian films are still horror films, namely KKN di Desa Penari (2022) with 10.6 million viewers and Agak Laen (2024) with more than 9.1 million viewers. In fact, the films Dancing Village: The Curse Begins and Grave Torture which were recently shown have been watched by more than two million viewers since their screening last Eid.
The Vocational Education Program of the Universitas Indonesia, as one of the universities that organizes the Multimedia Broadcasting study program, also pays attention to this phenomenon. Arius Krypton Onarelly, M.Si., a lecturer in the Multimedia Broadcasting study program, said that Indonesian films are increasing in quality. In the horror genre, Arius said that elements of religion, black magic, and heretical sects are interesting premises that filmmakers have brought into a film. “Indonesian horror films have a closeness to the audience in terms of narrative and storyline. Moreover, films that are added with ‘spice’ of various mystical elements in our culture. Most Indonesian audiences like horror films that are thick with religious, traditional, or mythical elements,” said Arius.
According to Arius, the filmmaking process needs to be done carefully. Especially, films that have religious elements in them. One of the problems that can occur is blasphemy or acts of insulting or degrading the beliefs of a person or group. Arius said, “Because Indonesia has a diverse society, as good citizens we must be tolerant of each other. Filmmakers must also avoid content that has the potential to provoke or hurt others. Especially, if it is related to the religion or beliefs of others, then you must be more careful. Don’t let the work you create cause misunderstandings about a particular religious teaching. If you want to raise a religious theme, the main thing that needs to be done is accurate and comprehensive research.”
Arius added that there are two main attributes in a film, namely narrative and cinematic. Narrative consists of story, plot, space, and time. A film will be interesting to watch if it has a clear story, plot, space, and time, and can be understood by the audience. Thus, narrative is the main foundation of filmmakers in creating a film. While cinematic consists of cinematography, editing, and mise en scene or harmony of various elements. Cinematic is the process of realizing the narrative that has been created by the filmmaker into audio and visual forms.
According to Arius, some interesting film genres that have not been widely adapted to the big screen are colossal films that tell fictional, non-fictional, and historical stories long before Indonesia existed, such as the Saur Sepuh film series. According to him, the film is a complete package that includes various genres such as drama, action, romance, music, comedy, plot, and history in one complete audio-visual work.
In the Multimedia Broadcasting study program, there are various courses that teach students how to make films from preparation, production, to post-production. In addition to providing reliable teachers in the field of film, Multimedia Broadcasting also provides students with adequate production equipment. One of the Multimedia Broadcasting student film productions that has been adapted for the big screen is Sekali Lagi The Movie (2023) which is adapted from an audio drama.
Arius hopes that the current young generation can bring Indonesian cinema to be better. In addition, films are not just merchandise, but also educational media. The existence of a place to work can be utilized by aspiring filmmakers to create quality film works.
