3 Pelajaran Penting dari BIAF 2016

Saya baru kembali dari Baros International Animation Festival 2016 di Cimahi Bandung. Ini menarik banget, karena venue-nya di luar Bandung (harus ganti angkot 4 kali untuk sampe ke venue), tetapi pesertanya keren-keren dan experts yang diundang sungguh berkelas internasional!

Contohnya saja ada David Kwok, CEO Tiny Island (Singapore), yang karya animasinya bisa tembus ke Cartoon Network, contohnya Ben 10. Ada juga Adam Ham, yang berada di balik kesuksesan animasi terkenal seperti Upin Ipin dan Boboi Boy menembus pasar internasional, dan Stephane Aldebart, orang Perancis yang based di Singapore sebagai Managing Director rumah produksi Moutarde dan Wasabi.

Siapa sangka di belakang kantor Kecamatan Cimahi dan bersebelahan dengan kantor PMK Cimahi, terselenggara festival animasi berkelas internasional!

Ke-tiga orang inilah yang gue temuin dalam sesi konsultasi pada 17 November lalu. Tapi selain 3 orang ini juga banyak tokoh lain yang memberikan master class dan pastinya insights yang bermanfaat bagi siapapun yang tertarik mengembangkan animasi dan Intellectual Property lainnya. Contohnya adalah animator Thailand Nol Kittiampon yang ngerjain animasi Paddle Pop dan Kenichiro Tomiyasu yang sukses melahirkan Final Fantasy. 

Meski sudah pernah dapat 2 penghargaan sebagai pembuat film dokumenter dan menulis banyak naskah untuk film televisi, sebagai produser film animasi, sebenarnya saya masih newbie. :)

Project animasi ini kita beri judul "BayuSekti", dan kami membuatnya sejak tahun 2012, bahkan sebelum saya pindah ke Malaysia. 

Saya ditunjuk jadi Co-Producer oleh teman saya, Kurniawan yang mendirikan rumah produksi Viva Fantasia, partner-an sama 1 temannya yang lain. Sutradaranya bernama Antonius Li, dengan tim yang terdiri dari 10 orang animator Indonesia berbakat, dan akan segera pindah kantor ke sebuah gedung hijau di daerah Jakarta Selatan, bulan Desember mendatang. Budget-nya? Rahasia. :))

Antonius, sutradara BayuSekti

Saya bertemu dengan Antonius di venue, setelah di paginya saya terbang langsung dari Malaysia dan kami lalu mengikuti sesi konsultasi dengan 3 orang yang saya sebutkan di atas. Seharusnya ditambah dengan Hongki Kim (Korea), tetapi waktu tidak mencukupi karena ternyata konsultasi berjalan lebih dari 10 menit untuk setiap tim. Tetapi, saya lalu mengirim email kepada Hongki dan ia sudah memberikan feedback yang menarik!

Anyway, inilah 3 hal yang kami petik dari konsultasi dan event tersebut:

1. Penonton film itu kejam!

Kita nggak bisa berharap penonton maklum dengan keterbatasan budget yang pada akhirnya membuat film ini dibanding-bandingkan dengan film animasi asing. Alasannya simpel, karena penonton membeli tiket dengan harga yang sama dengan ketika mereka membeli tiket untuk film-film asing itu. Jadi kita harus memperhatikan ekspektasi ini.

David Kwok yang bilang begini, tapi sebelumnya saya sudah sempat mendengar opini serupa dari produser Indonesia berinisial R. Masukan yang baik dan membuat kami semakin bersemangat menghasilkan karya yang secara kualitas tidak kalah dari film produksi negara luar!

2. Jangan terburu-buru merilis filmnya
Menurut Stephane Aldebart, penting untuk build fans untuk film ini dulu. Adam Ham malah bilang kita perlu setidaknya satu tahun untuk nge-build fans, dengan cara-cara marketing konvensional, termasuk social media strategy.

Tetapi, setelah ngobrol-ngobrol dengan mereka termasuk David Kwok, kami mendapat ide untuk bagaimana meningkatkan awareness untuk film ini yang harus kami mulai lakukan sesegera mungkin!

3. Perhatikan "cuteness elements"
David Kwok dan Hongki Kim punya concern yang kurang lebih sama yaitu tentang elemen cuteness yang menurut dia biasanya selalu ada di film Disney. Tetapi, saya mengerti biasanya filmmaker selalu punya idealisme tersendiri ketika membuat film dan tidak selalu selaras dengan sisi bisnisnya. Tapi saya setuju dengan argumen dari David Kwok bahwa kita jangan sampai mempersempit market untuk film ini, pada saat yang perlu dilakukan adalah memperluasnya.

Saya dan tim BayuSekti

Tetapi karena filmnya sudah 90% jadi, kami akan mengingat ide ini untuk project berikutnya. Sementara itu, banyak sekali yang akan kami lakukan berikutnya sampai membawa film ini diterima oleh penonton Indonesia!

BAYUSEKTI, in Cinemas 2017!

Melancholia in Yangon

It seems unbelievable that Indonesia, whose amongst the weakest passport rank in the world, are one of few countries who eligible to enter Myanmar without a visa. The AirAsia staff who checked my document prior to departure, keep asking me, "where's your visa?" Apparently, even Malaysian need visa to visit Myanmar!

A lot of birds like this in Yangon. They said there are more than 1000 species of birds in Myanmar

Old, un-renovated building in Yangon. A whole city basically looks like this

However, Yangon itself reminds me to Jakarta that i had left 3 years ago, but Jakarta is far more cosmopolitan and shiny with a lot of skyscrapers. In Yangon, i felt the 1970s nuances of an underdeveloped countries, ruined by domestic conflict and never-ending political turmoil. No more development here, they don't even have highways. And as i roam around the city, i see that they don't re-paint the buildings although the paint was already peeling all over the places.

Roads in Yangon

There i met a taxi driver, who doesn't really speak english and he seems grumpy when he answer my question in Burmese. But, first shock for me was when i found out that the hotel i booked via booking.com were closed already! Then, he took me to Bed and Breakfast hotel that thankfully is a cheap and nice backpacker hotel, with a lot of caucasian tourists i met during the breakfast. 

The view of the city from the hotel

Upon which i joined them for breakfast in the next morning, an asian guy greeted me. He asked, "Are you from Japan?" I shook my head, and said, "i'm Indonesian", and he instantly become my companion during the breakfast session, just because we are the only asian at that time. The next morning we met again after i explore the city by bus and by walk. It's not difficult to find places in Yangon, as the maps has been really helpful. The local also helpful, but not all them can speak english, so i prepared it with a screenshot from places i wanted to visit, just in case i need to speak to them using these images.

Shwedagon Pagoda, view from Kandawgyi lake

The exquisite Shwedagon pagoda

Anyone up for .. (whatever that is)

It turned out, however, that it was impossible not to find rubbish in Yangon. It's a very dirty city, and rubbish and insect are all over it, even when you sit in a indoor restaurant, waiting for your lunch. But, probably this is one of the art of travel, you need to accept everything as one package: women who wear clay on their cheek, men who wear sarong (longyi) everywhere, and both man and women who chew leaf with betelnut and spit it everywhere on the ground.

Welcome to Yangon!

Some tourists will call them "exotic", until at some point you found an insect inside the food you're eating and pray you didn't get diarrhoea. At the very moment, i realised that the place has found me: for an adventure i always wanted, though it's still faraway from my ideal thoughts of a journey, mostly because i only have limited time, 5 days 4 nights, and need to go back to my "ordinary world". 

The biggest lake in Yangon, Inya Lake

But when another local greeted me when i was having a late lunch, i finally realised that Yangon is the most welcome city i've ever been. The guy thought i am a local, and he confused when he saw me looking at the map i brought. I said, "I'm from Jakarta, and will be leaving Yangon soon." He seems wanted to practice his english with me, and asked me why i didn't go to Bagan, like almost all the tourists do when they visit Yangon. But a lot of things had prevent me to do that, i wish i could travel in the long term, a year, or a month, of find a permanent job that give me more flexible time to do such thing. 

Inside the Yangon "LRT"

In fact, in Yangon, i finally do something i never done before: watch a football match live! So, when the riot happened in Jakarta (some referred it as 411), i sit on a stadium watch an international football match between Indonesia and Myanmar, and only pay 3000 MMK or around Rp 30000, which is very cheap! I took a circular train to the stadium, that it was so effective to reach every area in Yangon, that i will dubbed it as their LRT. 

The football match i watched

Do you think i won't enjoy a football match? Think again. 

And of course i need to end this journey. On the day i checked out, the receptionist received the key from me nonchalantly. She never have to know that i always saddened when this day has to come. A day where i have to return to the "ordinary world" and expect to be on an "extraordinary world" as soon as possible. 

Yangon train, maybe this one in imported from Indonesia

At the last day, i explore Mahabandula park, just to killing time before i take bus to airport. A burmese kid who is abandoned by her mother crying for my bread. I gave him immediately, and then after that, an older kid came and offer me to buy whatever he sells. He thought i'm Japanese". What? in Myanmar i suddenly become Japanese twice. 

a view from Maha Bandula park, downtown Yangon

I stay there for around 1 hour, knowing that i might not revisit it in the future. 

Even, when you leave such a place like Yangon, you will feel that feeling of melancholia. 

Why Hotels in Bandung Don't Provide Maps?

I visited Bandung last week to attend Baros International Animation Festival as exhibitor and to meet experts from several countries including Malaysia. After gain insights and hopefully chances of future collaboration with BayuSekti, an animation movie i co-produce, i have 2 and half days free to enjoy this lovable and chilling city.

The iconic Gedung Sate of Bandung

What i found next could be a simple theory on why Indonesia is still left behind in term of tourism, compare with Malaysia, where i have been live for the last 3 years.

WITHOUT MAPS, PEOPLE WILL GET LOST OR DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT!

In Malaysia, even in a less touristy and not so famous places, i can always find maps in every hotel i stay in. For example, in a backpacker hotel in Kota Bharu where i only pay RM 15 for a night, the receptionist gave me map and explain to me very detail about interesting places i can visit and how to go to there, by taking bus, or by cab, or walking distance.

In Penang, they have special maps dedicated only for food! So, for culinary lovers, the maps will guide you if you want to find a delicious laksa, char kwe tiau, or the famous chendol. Maps is something common, and people can get it for free, including in airport. I've been traveling across Malaysia and visited Ipoh, Langkawi, Kuala Besut, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Malaka, to name a few, and free maps always easy to get.

Same thing when i travel further. When i visited Yangoon at the beginning of this month, maps are accessible everywhere! I was also satisfied to see the hotel staff who are very ready to do their jobs, to make our stay enjoyable, and to explain whatever questions we have and mostly they were always refer to maps.

In other places i visited including Bangkok, Hongkong, Macau, Siem Reap, this has been a norm. A standard. Tourists expect to get map, especially from the hotel they stay. Because they want to explore, they want to roam around. How to do that without maps? Even, i cant find maps in Husein Sastranegara Airport!

MAYBE THEY THINK MAP IS NOT IMPORTANT?

"They can use Google Maps!" said my friend, Raymond, who accompany me roaming around Bandung and its vicinity. I disagree, because it's a lazy argument. Not all tourists were feeling convenient using Google Maps and there are a lot of reasons why we still need maps: maps don't need batteries, maps can tell us what is around us, maps can highlight hazard, etc.

Maps maybe a "small detail" but i am a person who trust that the beauty is on the detail. Furthermore, the fact that it's very hard to find maps in Bandung maybe a symptom of something bigger which is: we are not ready to catch up with international standard in the tourism industry, let alone to exceed it.

The tourism minister we have right now maybe the best from all the tourism minister we had, but the implementation on the strategy might be still need to be questioned? Is it effective enough? Is there any change in the mentality of the people who are involved in this industry? Because this is not just about policy, but actualisation of it (from top to bottom) that really matter.

IT'S STILL BEAUTIFUL NONETHELESS

Maybe it's not the local who will fully appreciate the map. Perhaps you need to imagine you were a foreigner who can't speak local language, and you need help from one of universal languages: map. As i visited Taman Hutan Raya Juanda, i didn't get any map, but i am Indonesian who can speak Bahasa Indonesia and a bit Sundanese, so i was really sure that exploring the jungle won't be a daunting activity. But, how about if you were a Japanese who can't speak English properly let alone Bahasa Indonesia. You're gonna need map.

Goa Jepang in Taman Hutan Juanda

Although i am Indonesian, i still prefer getting a map to add a feeling of adventure. Why map is not something common here? Is this only in Bandung, or also in other part of Indonesia?

I visited Penang and its interesting national park in February this year, and i got free maps to accompany me explore the national park.

So, just from that one element i can see why Malaysia tourism is far ahead Indonesia. I have to say, Malaysia is more ready than us. You can download report from WTO regarding travel and tourism competitiveness index to see where we are in this emerging tourism industry. We have a lot of homework, despite a good progress in the last couple of years.

The surreal Kawah Putih-2 hours drive from the city

However, as an Indonesian who stay in the long term in Malaysia, and have privilege to explore southeast Asia as a tourist, i enjoyed Bandung so much. I love the weather, the food and the unique friendliness of the local, and they have distinct sense of humour too! Do you know, that a lot of Indonesian comedian are from Bandung and are of Sundanese ethnic group?

Fogs come and go with the wind in this amazing Kawah Putih area

By the way, someone said that the problem with Indonesia is not that we don't have "proper things" to be offered to the world, but merely we are lacking of exposure! Maybe that's why, sadly i don't really see foreign tourists in Bandung. Most of them are local, and many are from Malaysia, but i don't see any causasian or Japanese, or Korean.

Government, especially from West Java, please do something about it! Can you guys come up with more aggressive tourism strategy?

EXCUSE ME, CAN I GET A MAP?
We're back to my hotel that night after we explore Kawah Putih and an exquisite lake called Situ Patenggang.

Kartipah Hotel in Bandung

As a traveler, i always feel sad when i checked out and need to return to my "ordinary world". However, there's nothing i can do automatically other than asking a city map to a receptionist, as soon as i checked in. "Excuse me, can i get a map?" the answer i got in Bandung, was, "we don't have map."