P

iracy is only one of many challenges facing the Indonesian film and music industries, which continue to struggle in the absence of supportive government regulations that could protect the industries from fierce competition and copyright abuse.

Film director Paul Agusta said that the government needed to step in and draw up regulations to oblige cinema chains in the country to give extended durations to local films; producers increasingly only make money from box office sales, with piracy hitting physical DVD sales hard.

'€œThe problem is that most cinemas base their ratings of a film based on seat occupancy on the first three days. If it does not gain at least 60 percent seat occupancy, they stop screening a local movie,'€ Paul told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Local films, he said, needed more screening time in the absence of big-budget promotional campaigns.

'€œCinemas only screen local films for two or three days and we have a low promotion budget, so we depend on word of mouth and by the time the public begins to be aware of the films, they'€™re no longer on at the cinema,'€ he said.

According to Paul, in neighboring Malaysia, a government regulation requires cinemas to screen local films for at least two weeks.

Paul also lamented the fact that cinema chains preferred to screen Hollywood blockbusters, even when there was demand for Indonesian movies.

'€œEven if the local films are good, local cinemas continue to prioritize foreign films. That'€™s what happened this April and May, when [local films] Filosofi Kopi and Guru Bangsa were released and drew big audiences, but some cinemas gave all the spotlight to Avengers: Age of Ultron by giving it three screens at once,'€ he said.

However, Paul stressed that the problems facing the local movie industry were manifold and complex, including a drop in audience sizes for local films, with cinemagoers unimpressed by cheap horror and campy eroticism, as well as funding shortages.

'€œThe biggest challenge for filmmakers today is to collect funds. This is because there'€™s been a drop in audience numbers and trust in local films is so low that investors are reluctant to spend big. Low budgets force directors either to make low-quality films or maintain the quality but with sacrifices elsewhere,'€ said Paul, who directed experimental film At the Very Bottom of Everything.

Three years ago, production houses were willing to spend Rp 4 billion (US$278,000) to 6 billion on a local film, but today Rp 2 billion was already considered expensive, he said. In 2012, audiences of 1 million were the rough target, while today, directors are pleased if their films reach 500,000 people. Production houses get Rp 10,000 per ticket sold.

Those working in the music industry, meanwhile, face the same problem of low monetary gain from their work.

'€œIt is safe to say that 95 percent of musicians'€™ income come from touring, because the sales of CDs are not significant anymore,'€ said Adib Hidayat, editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone Indonesia.

The government could help musicians by drawing up regulations that oblige any parties, be they individuals or companies, to pay copyright fees for each song sung or played.

'€œMost countries already have such regulations. In Malaysia, for example, a singer has to pay copyright fees to the original singer if he or she wants to cover a song,'€ Adib told the Post.

On Friday, the antipiracy task force of the Creative Economy Agency sealed a deal with the National Police'€™s detective division to work together to stamp out copyright infringement.

The task force comprises a combination of officials from within the agency and several film and music associations, including the Association of Film Producers (APROFI), the Indonesian Sound Recording Industry Association (ASIRI) and the Association of Indonesian Songwriters and Music Arrangers (PAPPRI). (rbk)
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