Indonesian 'sinetron' festival celebrates mediocrity
Indonesian 'sinetron' festival celebrates mediocrity
By T. Sima Gunawan
JAKARTA (JP): Local television dramas and comedies, as well as
mini-series, are getting more and more popular. They are shown in
the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening.
Some are good, others garbage.
According to sinetron critic R.M. Soenarto, the stories of
most drama series -- locally known as sinetron -- are illogical
and do not make sense. The producers focus on commercial aspects,
neglecting the artistic and creative.
Soenarto made these statements a few days before tonight's
broadcast of the Indonesian Sinetron Festival '96, of which he is
committee chairman.
The committee had to evaluate 784 episodes from a total of 126
TV programs, broken down into the categories of drama, comedy,
drama series, comedy series and non-fiction (which includes
documentary, semi-documentary, educational, informative, cultural
and tourism). The sinetron were produced by 53 production houses
and nine government institutions, which produced the non-fiction
programs.
Imam Tantowi's comedy Suami-Suami Takut Istri (Husbands who
fear their wives) is on the top of the committee's list with 10
nominations. TV drama Norma, directed by Jonggi Sihombing, has
received nine nominations, and the popular drama series Si Doel
Anak Sekolahan III (Doel, the Graduate III) was nominated in
seven categories.
Other sinetron nominees are Begaya FM (FM Style), Liontin
(Medal), Angkot Haji Imron (Haj Imron's Minivan), Vonis Kepagian
(Premature Verdict), Anakku Terlahir Kembali (My Baby is Reborn)
and Gandrung (Desperate Love).
Each TV station will broadcast the award ceremony tonight at
7:30 p.m.
The festival was first organized in 1995 in an effort to
improve the quality of sinetron. About 500 sinetron were selected
for the festival, and the number increased to 600 last year.
The sinetron business has flourished with the growth of
private TV stations. Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI)
began operating in 1989, followed by Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV)
in 1991, Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI), Andalas Televisi
(ANteve) and Indo Visual Mandiri (Indosiar) in 1994.
The first sinetron was produced by state-owned TVRI in the
early l970s. Back then, the works of Teguh Karya's Teater
Populer, Putu Wijaya's Teater Mandiri as well as the Sanggar
Prativi theater company were produced on stage in TV studios.
In the 1980s, a number of directors experimented with outdoor-
settings. Today, sinetron are produced by private stations and
production houses. Some producers even make sinetron overseas.
Sinetron production increased from fewer than 100 episodes in
the l980s to nearly 1,000 in l994.
Ironically, even with more resources dedicated to this genre,
the quality of most sinetron remains appallingly low. Comedies
exploit stupidity and dramas are stretched out simply to cover
time slots.
The sinetron industry, explained Soenarto, lacks a strong work
ethic.
Tonight's festival is one step in the improvement plan, but
change must ultimately come from within the industry, and from
the viewers themselves. (sim)