The Indonesian Video Scene

notes by ariani

Video Art Scene and Distribution in Indonesia

Ade: In the last 10 years in Indonesia, film and video become prolific and popular with the development of audio visual technology. With the help of cheap computers and liberated (pirated) software. I'm hoping that here we can share our own strategies. Especially talking about network building because a lot of NGOs community activists, lots of video makers use these tools. Also about impacts since in our last discussion we have talked about video makers and communities activists' role in the society. What are the impacts, what are the strategies?

Leo: If you'd like to share how to publish or when we put our video online, how it will look like in Youtube, etc.

Ade: Maybe we can start with Dian, talking about distribution and networking?

Dian: In Kampung Halaman, what we do is organising through the media work itself. What we normally do is to bring organisations and people together, because that's our aim. Up until now we haven't been using video distribution directly, we tried once with the project "We Speak" but when we post it online (video blog), we weren't satisfied because not a lot of people watched them. We got more response from foreigners than the students in Indonesia, which is our main target audience. So up until now part of the distirbution strategy is to hold a monthly screening and have communities gather together and talk about main issues, such as 'water'. This is also because the communities we work together have limited access to video/film, also video/films from outside the community.

Ade: to give a background, Indonesian made film/video in Indonesia became really popular in Indonesia in the 70s. In early 80s the first monopoly commercial cinemas (21 cineplex) came out and this became the first outlet for Hollywood cinema. At the same time it destroyed Indonesian film scene. Soeharto's government made a deal with US government, that US would let Indonesia produce clothing, as long as Hollywood movies can be screened in Indonesia.

Is it enough just to watch the film through screening without getting copies of the film?

Dian: This is precisely what we do, we distribute the hard copies of the film. At first we only distribute for the communities, but then we started to conduct videos/film from other communities. I'd like to comment on the impacts of 21 networks of cinemas: a town in Tasikmalaya, in the 60s there were 8 independent cinemas, but there were also what you would call home cinemas, a place where you convert your guest room to a small screening room.

Ariani: Another problem with cinemas is that most of them are located in malls. So you can't expect middle class to lower class people to go to malls to go to cinemas even the ticket prices are quite low (Rp. 10.000,00). Now there is another cineplex called Blitz, but still they are located in malls. They have digital technology so independent moviemakers can screen film through them with special deals. It's hard for independent filmmakers to screen their films through 21 cineplex, since they charge non-prominent filmmakers 50.000 USD just to be able to screen their films.

Adel: Also television changed film scene in Indonesia. Now there are 13 national channels. Dian: Also VCD and DVD rental. People would rather rent movies from rentals and watch them at home. Since everything (including DVD players) are cheap.

Asok: Besides distributions of film, in Kawannusa it's more of transferring knowledge and education. We don't have many distributions but we have enough discussions. The film itself (DVD) is not as important as the distribution of idea.

Ade: So Kawannusa don't distribute your DVDs?

Asok: We do. We're like consultants to villages we're working with. So we distribute the films to the communities.

Coki: I guess it's two different things. What happen to the film industries are not related to the film distribution through or in the communities.

Ade: It's interesting like what Asok said, that the distribution of the film is not as important as the distribution of the idea itself.

Ariani talking about her DVDs

Heidi: Do you encourage people to copy your DVDs?

Dian: Up until now Kampung Halaman distribute the DVDs for free. This is an expensive enterprise, so we're thinking of how make the DVDs cheaper and more accessible. Part of the we do are funded, so we can't distribute them anyway we like it. But some of them are not funded. Principally communities video are not for sale, because it targets the communities themselves. But we need a strategy to distribute the dvds, maybe people can bring their own blank DVDs and copy.

Mien: Donations is what we do. You could charge more to people who have money and give them cheaper to students etc.

Indian: How do people watch DVDs? With laptops or player?

Adel: the most common thing that happens with young people is to rip the DVDs and hand the files within friends.

Anna: I have questions about copyright stuffs. What is their attitude to copyright?

notes by anna

copyleft - forum lenteng, except commercial tv, but community tv is fine

ariani - they exploit you (commercial tv)... dimas - copyright. marshall plan - indo national short film festival. give royalties from dvds to filmmakers. difficult to distro films outside java. good to give fees to filmmakers, but not really applicable here as people don't have money or the organisation. regional inequities in indo. in java its ok, more wealth, more familiarity. but no access to resources outside of java so this is very limiting. the actual filmmakers don't care if you copy it. the distributor cares more about it than they do - feel a moral responsibility to the filmmakers. most of the films are distributed outside indo also. "bumbu". distributors generally have all the power. distributor pays a buyout flat fee to distribute. but forum lenteng distros for free also. ariani - costly to ship videos around indonesian archipeligo. also hard to get money back from sellers,

ade - music indie scene - small shops have short sustainability. one year they are there, next they are gone, copies and money goes with them. still very difficult, but music is going online more. many bands put music on the net, myspace and also independent spaces. filmmakers still expect to get to get money, but musicians can perform to get money, filmmakers can't.

ariani - in bandung - film/music/clothing combining to make money. looks superficial, but if this is a way to sustain then this is good.

namita - in india we have groups whose job it is to run a library. lots of organisations have libraries, students go, academics, activists, alternative info. mostly books, but videos as well. is there something like this?

ariani - yes we all do it on a small scale, so ppl can come and access. comics, videos, give each other copies

ade - ruangrupa does this too, more than 1000. usually videomakers send new works to ruangrupa. in the beginning screenings every week, but now ppl make their own screenings. come to ruangrupa to get collections and do their own screenings. talk to them about programming, by phone let artists know that its screening, and do it. free service.

namita - the indo videos seem really good, not boring like NGOs. how is that it is so good?

ariani - there is only one filmmaking academy, they are all boring. but ppl who have no knowledge of filmmaking, have their own language, it makes it interesting!

namita - do ppl watch a lot of chinese cinema?

everyone - yes! bollywood!

ade - we can thank pirated dvds for our cinema educations. in many workshops with ruangrupa they have never touched a camera, so this is how it is fresh.

ariani - many international festivals in india. mostly in big cities. a few organisations who do the touring theatre thing. setup white cloth and show films. subtitle it. usually show documentaries.

anna - any plans to formalise distro?

ade - also asking this question...

ariani - there was a first meeting of 15 film organisations, talking about film communities, how do we cover indonesia? only in java. very hard to reach outside java. independent video and community video. will have a second meeting. they are planning a really big 30-40 video communities around indonesia. will talk about archiving. bring films, make a good archive, talk about issues of reaching small cities plus outside java. how to distribute films better? Comfiden - indy film community is not inclusive? archiving is the most important thing - how do we combine all this?

heidi - almost every community maintains private libraries of books etc. in absence of public libraries

ariani - needs to be online..

anna - online/offline network organisations via internet

namita - share metadata - don't have to share videos online, just title, description

nate - create an archive online, but you can also have a button "order this cd/dvd" to contact person who can make a copy and send it to you

prakkash - when komas started, did a lot of trainings in indo, have friends with new collectives. practical regional networks. cost effective, languages, easy to start initiative. pad.ma - can look at offline archiving too. need to look at security - archiving throughout network, having backups in other countries. burn backup dvds for those who have had them stolen or destroyed. need to have more face-to-face discussion, to work stuff out to make it happen. willing to make the first step. \\\ yi-hua - archives are being discussed in other session too - for festivals for example.

mien - also to use bittorrent

andycat - agree to run own bittorrent client and seed each other for a censorship resistant network

dian - different idea about online and offline - communities don't necessarily have computers or dvd players to watch on. have been collecting community videos from all over. have 150 titles from community organisations who produce video. two pronged approach - compilations of these films, also put on harddisks and distribute to university libraries, and also at some stage to put online. pekka are developing software to archive video. harddrive crashed, has to rewrite. should put this in english for sharing software.

rudianto - lots of footage on dv tapes, excess of photos- need a database for photo and video. were 80-90% through writing it.. all lost.

andycat - person writing software for archiving should back up their software.

rudianto - going to restart the development

sunshine - its one thing to distribute, its another to get people to come to the festivals. also political films - how to get audience interest?

ade - do "picking up the balls" - do a roadshow. large audience of students in universities. do outreach.

ariani - everything here is political in a way, even love stories

ade - headlines are 80% political. very politicised culture.

dian - censorship on a local area - a big issue with national censorship body, for flim community and there has been a lot of action around this. but at community video level, censorship is more localised. in a village - a young girl wanted to make a discussion about liberal sex culture. when making the final cut of film - the local bureaucrats wanted to be involved in the editing process. they stared intervening - you can only use this shot, not that one. why do you want to represent us in a negative light? social sanctions are really felt, the young female had a big effect. so usually people will self-censor in anticipation of this.

ade - thanks for contributions, we'd like to continue this discussion - make a collaborative online archive, but talk about dual strategy - offline too, as dian says this is still a major and very important form of distribution.