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Home talents aim high for big markets
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde - Courtesy of Marvel ComicsIndonesia is experiencing strong creative industry growth as the world market for pop culture proves lucrative enough for home talents to explore
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Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde - Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Indonesia is experiencing strong creative industry growth as the world market for pop culture proves lucrative enough for home talents to explore.
Intellectual property holders recently showcased their works at Popcon Asia 2015 and took a further step toward collaborative works in order to create a supportive environment for the industry.
At the exhibition's first post-event Pop Talk, creators of comics, games, web films, videos and animation interacted while sharing experiences and offering opportunities.
Popcon founder Grace Kusnadi, who is CEO of event manager Revata Cipta Kreasi, said that Pop Talk, which would be held on a monthly basis, would become a melting pot of creators and pop culture enthusiasts.
'Indonesian creators have big potential to produce quality works. The main problem they face is they receive less appreciation compared to overseas creators. This event will bridge them with creative industry stakeholders.'
Themed 'Go-to-market strategy', the young talents gave presentations on how they started and created their markets.
Among the speakers at the first Pop Talk were Marvel comic artist Alti Firmansyah, a newcomer who received positive criticism for her work in miniseries Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde and is currently working on the new series of X-Men '92.
Gerald Sebastian, Alvin Dwisaputra and Ketut Yoga Yudistira were the trio behind the popular Kok Bisa? video channel on YouTube. The three made their names, and wealth, thanks to a high number of views and channel subscribers.
Although there has yet to be a full chapter of the Khsatriya comic series published, the fully armored exo-skull image of the main character designed by Muhamad Isa has alone created hysteria among fans who have shopped in a frenzy for merchandise.
The three creators talked with The Jakarta Post about their works, how they monetize their hobbies and their dreams.
ALTI FIRMANSYAH
The artist of Jakarta-based Stellar Labs has experienced challenges in trying to please clients or editors she has worked for, especially when her works were returned for revision, sometimes for the umpteenth time.
'Revision is the joy killer,' she said. 'But to stay in the industry you have to be persistent and consistent.'
Born on Jan. 11, 1983, Alti drew a horse when she was 5 years old ' a skill she got from her interior designer father and mother who loves to doodle and make paper craft.
She graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology majoring in Arts and Design but decided to become a serious comic artist in 2012.
Her first international work was the miniseries TomorrowLand, which revolved around a European DJ festival and was followed by Maximum Force, an eight-page comic in the Heavy Metal comic magazine.
Heavily influenced by Spiderman's Humberto Ramos, J. Scott Campbell and, recently, Japanese Rockin' Jelly Bean, Alti sent her portfolio to Marvel's talent scout CB Cebulski late last year.
'He made some notes on my work and pointed out my weaknesses in paneling, which he said could confuse readers. He later asked me to make something out of Ms. Marvel. I did and I got the contract.'
In the two months afterwards, Marvel writer Sam Humphries assigned her to Secret Wars tie-in miniseries Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde.
'I enjoy drawing women characters because I like to play with details. I'm still honing my style, though.
'My job is collaborative work because I don't write stories and I'm weak at drawing background,' she said.
MUHAMAD ISA
A true comic fanboy, Muhamad Isa was not aware of the ripples he was going to make when he put out his design of Khsatriya, a reincarnation of Javanese myth flying hero Gatotkaca, for public viewing.
Isa doodled the exo-skeleton character three years ago but the graduate of biochemical studies at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture set aside his dreams of creating a comic and got busy working at a brand packaging company.
In February, Isa, now 26, and his workmate Ganep, with whom he shared a passion for comic-making, collaborated with Ferdian, a wedding photographer who built websites in his free time, to set up website Khsatriya Saga as a home for the character.
'I have a passion for designing armor such as in Japanese comic Gundam but I'm not much of a comic artist. We were flying blind when we started without a comic artist and knowledge about the industry. Nothing at all,' said Isa.
What they did was to create a universe for the character called Mayapada, the set for the story.
They later found artists plus a colorist domiciled in Surakarta, swelling the group to double its original size.
The colorist, Amirullah, whom Isa finally met in person for the first time during Popcon in August, suggested the team emphasize the visuals of the characters to grab attention from future readers.
'Although the comic has yet to exist, not even one full chapter is ready for publication, we already have over 300 subscribers,' said Isa, adding that their debut work would be released early next month.
Isa has also designed premium merchandise such as a full-scale helmet of the likes of Machine 56 products, a preview art book of Khsatriya and T-shirts. The merchandise has sold out.
Their popularity attracted renowned comic artist Sweta Kartika who gave them advice on how to become a strong industry player.
Khsatriya Saga now has wider opportunities to consider, like creating a web series, animation, game or comic.
'If you have a cool concept, it becomes a magnet that draws collaboration. Other creators get in touch with me because of Khsatriya.'
GERALD SEBASTIAN
The senior communications studies student at the University of Indonesia was tired of the entertainment content on television so, along with fellow students Alvin Dwisaputra and Ketut Yoga Yudistira, he created a motion graphic production that is both educating and entertaining.
Channel Kok Bisa? (How Come?), a spin-off of did-you-know educational films ' was born early this year and already has 18 entries on video-sharing site YouTube with over 40,000 subscribers.
A video explaining why the Indonesian rupiah was getting weaker against the US dollar in a simple and funny way was viewed over 400,000 times in just a few weeks after being posted.
When they started, there were only 15 subscribers from the trio's circle of family and friends.
'We use the traditional word of mouth and, of course, social media platforms to promote our works,' said Gerald.
Targeting viewers aged between 15 and 24, they posted the videos on the chat forum of the country's largest online trading site Kaskus and also on Reddit for Indonesians overseas.
'The channel has been named a 'hot read' five times in a row,' said Gerald.
Still in their early 20s, the three have applied professional management skills to their work. Alvin is tasked with being the researcher and scriptwriter, while Gerald is the lead designer and product marketer.
Yoga, who has the skills to make animated videos, is the film creator and the voice-over talent.
'We put quality over quantity, so we take time in our production. We consistently release new videos on Wednesdays, so that our subscribers know what to expect,' said Gerald.
Their popularity has also brought orders for motion graphic advertisements from several businesses, which overwhelmed the three currently working on their final year theses.
'Our next project is to establish an animation studio of our own,' added Gerald.
