Indonesian Cinematic Techniques: Writing and Editing

Writing

      For 90's Indonesia, film culture was in a dire state. The industry was mainly subjected to producing films of historical and political propaganda and was faced with censorship.

       However in the early days of reform, new generations of filmmakers including Nan Achnas, Nia Dinata, Rizal Mantovani, Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana came with energy and passion to continue to explore new themes and genres to revive an industry once left for dead.

          There were three genres that really lead the attack for the revival of the industry and they were satirical comedies, religious dramas and inspirational local tales of upward mobility.

        In 2002, a blockbuster romantic comedy titled Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (2002) was the first big success of post-Soeharto cinema. The film had young middle-to-upper class characters and the story balanced local specificities against global consumerism.

        Religious dramas also became a new popular drama inspired by the strong presence of Islam in Indonesia. Such dramas include Hanung Bramyanto’s 2008 drama Ayat-ayat Cinta (pictured below) which resonated with audiences and was praised by journalists, critics politicians and the President along with other dramas that were said to be “inspirational”.  

Editing

        Following the innovations of genres and themes is editing. Indonesia films have subtle editing, and cutaways and close ups are used a lot to foreshadow, stress an object or emotion/reaction or show detail important to the film – i.e. showing common interest.

         Other editing techniques used in Indonesian films is the choice to use shot/reverse shots as shown in the previously mentioned 2002 blockbuster romantic comedy Ada Apa Dengan Cinta but also in others to show the characters on an equal playing fields with the amount of shots and angles used.

      Juxtaposition shots are also important in Indonesian editing techniques - matching shots up that are contrasting with one another. This kind of technique can be found in The Eye of the Day (2001)  by director Leonard Retel Halmrich, where a modern political situation found in a chaotic city is juxtaposed with farm work in central Java, but it is also found used in other Indonesian films as well. 

       This scene from Ada Apa Dengan Cinta provides an example of how both juxtaposition shots and shot/reverse shots work, often in co-operation, throughout Indonesian film. By cutting between the sombre song being performed by the main character and the suicidal plight of her best friend, the greater theme of isolation is addressed. The same objective is achieved by showing reverse shots of the main character's boyfriend's response to her singing. By showing him alone in these reaction shots, we feel that his loneliness is alleviated by her presence, a presence represented by diegetic music.  Through these thematic links to the story, the shots and their use become intrinsic to the film.
 

Sources: 

        Downes, Meghan. Indonesian Cinema: Dynamic and Evolving. The Jakarta Post 12 January 2014: 3.  Print.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/01/12/indonesian-cinema-dynamic-evolving.html