ID :
357563
Tue, 02/17/2015 - 11:04
Auther :

Feature - A STROLL THROUGH ALIEN WARSHIPS AND OLD CHINATOWN AT INFINITE STUDIOS By Aditya Wicaksono

An Indonesian minister and a few officials walked through the dusty tunnels of a dungeon. Bearing scratches and a yellowish tint, the decayed walls of the tunnels seemed to speak of their age. A stretch of black cables lined the tunnels from one source to another, leading "trapped" men and women to the claustrophobic dungeon. Arriving at a room full of tools and parts of machines, they were nowhere near the exit. "This place will be detonated in the end," a man at the front told them. The above plot is not an elaborate scheme to kidnap a high-ranking official. It is, instead, a visit to a film set in Infinite Studios, an integrated entertainment and creative services company. Early in February, a few journalists, along with Indonesian Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya, visited the prestigious movie and animation studio in Nongsa, Batam Island, Riau Islands province, Indonesia. The creative complex was built on a 10-hectare plot of land on top of the hill with a panoramic view of the sea in Nongsa, an area dotted with resorts and golf courses, at the tip of Batam Island. In an indoor studio, a production crew was occupied in front of a set made to resemble an alien spaceship. Orbs suspended by cables that looked like black slime created an eerie environment. "This set was made for the movie Beyond Skyline," Mike Wiluan, CEO of Infinite Studios, said. Beyond Skyline is the sequel to Skyline, a movie based on alien infestation that released in 2010. "You may take pictures, but are not allowed to share them," the middle son of the Indonesian taipan (tycoon), Kris Wiluan told the visitors. Moving from one studio to another was akin to traveling through time and space as each had its own "realm." Passing through the tunnels of the dungeon and the alien spacecraft, Mike took the visitors to the outdoor studio, which was built to bring old Chinatown to the big screen. There were old buildings, pawnshops, bars and coffee shops, with roads built to portray an old town in Singapore. Television serial Serangoon Road was shot in this artificial town. It will be screened on a cable TV channel. It was also used by movie director Michael Mann for his cybercrime film Blackhat, starring Chris Hemsworth, who is well-known for his portrayal of Marvel's God of Thunder, Thor. At the other side of the old town, there was a stage built to resemble the Hindu Prambanan Temple in Central Java province. "It would be costly to take our men there. So we built the set here instead," Mike stated. Mike and Minister Arief Yahya then took a group photograph, escorted by two graceful women at the fake Prambanan Temple. Strategic and Competitive Technical Director of Infinite Studios Daniel Harjanto revealed that about 90 percent of the studios' users were from overseas. Apart from its strategic location in Batam Island, which is close to Malacca Strait and Singapore, Infinite Studios also offers a competitive range of prices for production. "It would cost US$120,000 to shoot a 30-minute episode of a TV series," Harjanto noted. However, producing the same in the United States would cost US$400 to 450 thousand, while in Korea, it would cost US$185 to 215 thousand, he pointed out. It is for this reason that many of filmmakers from neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam are interested in working with the studio. Furthermore, Infinite Studios has also become the home for at least 219 digital artists and animators, 90 percent of whom are Indonesians, who produce animated movies. Among the animated movies produced by the studio is Sing to the Dawn, which hit theaters in 2009. The digital artists were also involved in the making of a number of animated series such as Garfield and Peter Rabbit, 108 episodes of which have been aired by Nickelodeon. Most of the characters of the animated series were designed by the author, whereas animators of Infinite Studios focused on production. As compared to their overseas counterparts, local animators have their own advantages and excellence, Harjanto observed. "Indonesian animators adapt more quickly and are faster at grasping the system. The more cornered they are, the more creative they become," he remarked. Local artists are also more competitive as they live in a country that is rich in art and cultural history. "The land had been ruled by a kingdom in the fourth century A.D. Farmers in Bali are extraordinary painters and craftsmen. In the artistic sense, we are eminent," Harjanto said. To produce an 11-minute-long animated film in the studio, 20 animators are involved and working hard for four to five weeks. During his visit, Minister Yahya was stunned. He appreciated what Mike Wiluan and his team had built and developed. "However, if you can improve designing and marketing, you will earn higher profits," Yahya affirmed. Companies that work in production earn lower profits than those in design and marketing. The ministry hopes that the young animators in the designing industry are driven and well-guided to boost creativity and competitiveness. Indonesian human resources can be more competitive in the creative industry, especially in the film industry, with their creative ideas to create more value, but not necessarily produce waste from huge factories," the minister said. He pointed out that movies can also be a medium and serve as a great way to promote Indonesian tourism. After watching the trailer and behind the scenes footage of the Blackhat, Yahya was pleased to see some elements of Indonesian art and culture such as Ogoh-Ogoh, Ondel-Ondel and other traditional dances in the movie, parts of which were shot in Indonesia. "This could be a good way to promote and build a brand for Indonesian tourism," he observed. He recalled what happened after the beaches and other beautiful places of Bangka Belitung were depicted in the movie adaptation of the novel Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors). "It shows how a movie can have a huge impact on tourism," Yahya noted. Arief Yahya and Mike Wiluan also talked about a plan to build a center of creativity, which will be called Batam Digital Valley, in the premises of Infinite Studios to serve as a platform for the young generation to create and learn about animation and filmmaking. In future, the creative complex may also become a tourist destination in Batam Island, where visitors can take part in recreational activities and gain knowledge about how movies and animated films are made. If great movies such as the James Bond ones, the Star Wars series, and the Pirates of the Caribbean films were shot in Pinewood Studios in England, moviemakers from Hollywood and other great filmmakers of the world may bring their cameras and filming crews to Infinite Studios to shoot in Indonesia, which is a storehouse of natural beauty and arts and culture waiting to be exploited to enrich the stories of their movies. (T.A059/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 17-02-2015 09:02:59

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