Local cartoons culturally rich but lack original character
Local cartoons culturally rich but lack original character
By Yusuf Susilo
JAKARTA (JP): Japanese, American and European cartoons have
their own characteristics. It is, therefore, only natural that
observers, animators and cartoonists are eager to see Indonesian
cartoons with Indonesian character.
We used to have Si Unyil, produced by the state-owned Film
Production Company and aired by the state-owned television
station TVRI between 1981 and 1992.
Today, while we the country is becoming culturally richer, it
is impoverished in terms of genuinely Indonesian fantasies in the
form of cartoons. Many of cartoons here have a Japanese or
American flair.
"Our animated cartoons and comic strips have something in
common with our architecture. We are culturally rich, so it is
increasingly more difficult for us to create uniquely Indonesian
characters," said Indrasari Satyowati, president director of PT
Asiana Wang Animation, a company that produces cartoons for the
international market.
It is the task of cartoonists and animators to create their
own characteristics and styles. Still, in the opinion of Rahayu
S. Hidayat, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Comic Society, it is
necessary for each cartoonist and animator to realize the
significance of including Indonesian characteristics in their
work. Her example is the cartoon Dongeng untuk Aku dan Kau (Tale
for You and Me), a Red Rocket production.
Drawing on his rich experience working on the cartoon Serial
Satria Indonesia (Series of Indonesian Heroes) in 1995 and a
number of other titles and television commercials, animator
Partono emphasized that creating a figure with regional character
traits was easier than creating an entirely new figure with
genuinely Indonesian character traits. He was speaking during a
discussion held as part of the Third National Comic and Animated
Cartoon Week (PKAN III).
Partono, who once studied in Japan, also said that long before
the emergence of animation, there were already such cartoon-like
figures as the giant and royal servants in the shadow plays.
He said that in the future, animators should graphically
redesign the shadow play figures to inject into them more
cartoony elements.
It was in this effort to find true Indonesian characters that
the then director general of culture, Edi Sedyawati, initiated in
1994 a comic strip contest. This annual contest has in the past
three years been accompanied by a National Comic Strip and
Animated Cartoon Week. These two events are still held, now under
the auspices the present director general of culture, IGN Anom.
Many prominent figures in the world of comic strips and
cartoons, from famed cartoonist Dwi Koen to university lecturer
Rahayu Hidayat, have served on the jury for the contest.
Unfortunately, as Anom has lamented, the choices made by the jury
are not to the liking of large publishers. Even when the comic
strips were later published by state publisher Balai Pustaka, the
characters in the cartoons could no compete with the popularity
of Crayon Sinchan or Superman.
Cartoonist Dwi Koen cited an example of this Crayon Sinchan
phenomenon. The controversial comic featuring a five-year old
naughty boy named Sinchan which is actually adult rated but most
loved by children.
"Crayon Sinchan is one of Japanese animations which have been
dominating local children films. To certain degrees, this
animated product is quite funny, but if we watch it very
carefully, the content of the story is quite vulgar and improper
to underage viewers," explained Dwi.
Dwi continued that such product is very popular among children
because the producers are very clever in the marketing strategy.
Sinchan cartoon has been supported with the publication of its
comic version, toys and other merchandise.
One reason why Indonesian animation fails in the market is a
lack of promotion and marketing strategy. The reality is that
every product must be intensively promoted or, regardless of its
quality, it will fail to sell or favorably impress prospective
buyers.
On a number of occasions, Edi emphasized the need to boost
promotional activities and professionally handle the marketing of
our cultural products.
Poppy Palele, Red Rocket Animation executive producer, agrees,
stressing that character will gain greater popularity if it is
more intensively promoted.
That is why large studios with the financial wherewithal are
constantly engaged in large-scale promotional activities, with
the support of their international networks and merchandising
capabilities. This allows them to create a buzz about their
products (a cartoon character, in this case) within a short span
of time, even if the product itself is not necessarily good.
Investors and partners are key to marketing a product (a
cartoon character). In this context, Indrasari said her firm was
working out partnerships with British and Malaysian investors for
the production of cartoons about orangutans, which will be sold
on the international market.
Meanwhile, Gotot Prakosa of the Jakarta Arts Institute, is
deeply concerned by the great number of Indonesian cartoons that
will not gain access to the international market. Many of them,
made with only a small budget, are produced with pirated software
purchased in Glodok.
As a result, regardless of the fine characters in the films,
the international market is sure to reject them. The standing
regulation in the international animated cartoon market is only
products made with legal software can be accepted.
"Many of the animated cartoons aired on television here as
commercials have been produced with pirated software, as are the
animated cartoons entered in the contest in PKAN 2001," said
Gotot, who is a well-known filmmaker and animator.
While there are still many problems in the creation of
uniquely Indonesian characters in cartoons, legal offenses
resulting from the use of illegal software in the production of
cartoons are looming large in the country's animated cartoon
world.