TV ads open door to offbeat looks<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The catwalk is not so narrow as to be restricted
\nonly to people who are blessed with beauty. The road to stardom
\nand glamour is still wide open to average people.<\/p>\n
Say Mandra, who has soared from being an unheralded player of
\ntraditional lenong Jakarta comedy to become the most touted TV
\nmodel, is the best example.<\/p>\n
His characteristic grin is seen everyday and his words are on
\neverybody's lips as millions of people watch him on the country's
\nfive private TV stations.<\/p>\n
State-owned station TVRI is noncommercial.<\/p>\n
One can imagine how much the stations earn from the
\nadvertisements that Mandra stars in, not only because they are
\nfor a wide range of products but because they frequently appear
\nat prime time.<\/p>\n
Mandra has starred in commercials for fried chicken, instant
\nnoodles, motorcycles, bicycles, sandals and sarong cloth.<\/p>\n
\"I have never dreamt of walking on a catwalk under countless
\nflashes. It is a very strange world for me, because it deals with
\nbody shape, beauty and particular skills,\" 32-year-old Mandra
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said his parts in TV commercials were a spinoff of his
\noutstanding role in the Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (SDAS) TV series
\nwhich topped the ratings last year. The series, broadcasted by
\nRCTI, is being replayed for the third time.<\/p>\n
\"Companies always look for a figure with whom people are
\nfamiliar to inform them about their products and build up the
\nimage of their brands, not always the beauties,\" Mandra said.
\n\"And I happened to fit this requirement,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Mandra says that advertisement models are well paid. He keeps
\nhis income from commercials a secret, saying that he lets his
\nmanager handle everything. \"I receive a considerable amount,\" he
\nadds.<\/p>\n
Other members of the SDAS cast, including Rano Karno, Cornelia
\nAgatha, Basuki and Aminah Cendrakasih, have made bonanzas as
\nadvertising models.<\/p>\n
Aminah, a veteran actress, had not starred in a commercial
\nsince modeling for a detergent more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n
She now frequently appears in commercials for television sets
\nand palm oil products.<\/p>\n
\"The extra jobs came after people watched me on TV as a figure
\nin SDAS,\" Aminah said.<\/p>\n
She says playing roles in commercials is more challenging than
\nin films.<\/p>\n
\"Advertisements give a player little time to convince the
\npublic about a product. That's why I always need a lot of shots,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
For the beautiful people, catwalks are a traditional stepping
\nstone to another lucrative job, modeling for commercials.<\/p>\n
Maya has modeled in advertisements for detergents, banks,
\nsyrup and other products.<\/p>\n
She said that she started her modeling career as a catwalk
\nmodel.<\/p>\n
Maya, 27, started modeling when she was 13 in Surabaya, East
\nJava. She was 15 when she started on the catwalk.<\/p>\n
In 1990, she won the Wajah Femina cover contest held by Femina
\nmagazine. This was her ticket to becoming a professional model.<\/p>\n
\"I think people became more aware of me after I won the cover
\ncontest.\"<\/p>\n
After finishing university, she moved to Jakarta to be a
\nprofessional model. \"I think Jakarta has everything (that people
\nneed) to gain experience.<\/p>\n
\"It doesn't mean that by being a catwalk model someone can
\nautomatically be a photo model because a photo model must be
\nphotogenic. On the other hand, a photo model can't automatically
\nbe a catwalk model as he or she must meet minimum height
\nrequirements.\"<\/p>\n
She said she enjoyed both her jobs.<\/p>\n
\"Being a model for advertising can last longer because, in my
\nopinion, everyone can be a model for ads. But there's a
\nparticular term for being a catwalk model.\"<\/p>\n
She said that she wanted to be a catwalk model for about three
\nor four more years.<\/p>\n
\"I want to start something else which is still confidential,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Dedy Abdurachman, 25, was also a catwalk model before becoming
\na model for commercials and video clips.<\/p>\n
He said that he began his modeling career two years ago when
\nhe won a prize in the Abang and None contest for Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Then I joined OQ modeling and got involved in several fashion
\nshows.\"<\/p>\n
He admitted that catwalk modeling was more interesting for him
\nrather than other forms of modeling. \"Fashion shows just take
\nless time.\"<\/p>\n
The 183-cm Dedy said that he could work in between 8 and 10
\nshows a month.<\/p>\n
Rita Hargita, an account manager of the advertising agency
\nRama and Grey, said that her agency usually hired models from
\nmodeling agencies in Jakarta and Bandung to assure variety and
\nprofessional quality.<\/p>\n
\"For premium products, including Pantene shampoo, a model in
\nher twenties or below with long hair is preferred while mothers
\nand children are often portrayed in Nivea lotion and, recently,
\nbabies for Nivea's line of baby products,\" Hargita said.<\/p>\n
She said that the qualities in models, who are hired under
\ncontracts of one to three years, sought by Rama and Grey include
\npopularity, talent and skill. They models must work in a variety
\nof settings from early morning to late at night.<\/p>\n
Hargita said that her agency hired models through casting,
\npersonal and client connections.<\/p>\n
Her agency also makes provisions for extra models, like
\nchildren and teenagers, in case regulars prove to be unavailable,
\nuncooperative or temperamental.<\/p>\n
She refused to say how much her models were paid, but the
\nagency's fees are believed to far outweigh the long hours and
\nnumber of staff involved in jobs.<\/p>\n
Advertising industry sources said new models can make between
\nRp 150,000 and Rp 200,000 a day for editorial work, while the
\nmuch coveted cover picture in Femina magazine can reward new Rp
\n300,000 and established models Rp 400,000.<\/p>\n
For print advertising, industry sources said models made from
\nRp 500,000 to Rp 1 million. Work for brochures commands higher
\nfees, while those working for television and other media
\ncommercials can earn between Rp 6 million and 7 million annually.<\/p>\n
The sources said that the more famous the model, like Laura
\nRicciardulli, the higher the fees. Laura was reportedly paid Rp
\n40 million for a year's work for Polytron television set
\ncommercials.<\/p>\n
These fees do not include royalties, which are still an
\nunknown concept here, but that is a practice that Chitra aims to
\nchange in five years.<\/p>\n
Modeling agencies make 20 percent of models' fees, but this
\ncan be cut to between 10 percent and 15 percent for big accounts,
\nshe said. (team)<\/p>",
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