The writing below was my paper for Media Studies class taught by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, a prominent figure in Indonesia culture and literature scenes. Since the paper was written in 2005, I had edit and add several things from its original version.
“Which ideology conceals the reality of dominant from those in power.”
“… Support the interest of the dominant groups who socially, politically, economically, and culturally benefits from the economic organization of society.”
( Karl Marx)
As one of the foremost capitalist industry, television religion is money. Money that paid by advertisers. The competition in order to win advertisers has been rough since there are so many nationals, locals, and cables today. While advertisers decide when and where they want to put commercials based from ratings/share reports provide by AC Nielsen Company.
In need to win, private stations in Indonesia compete to airs programs that they predicted will get audience attention. By hold to AGB Nielsen ratings/share reports, programming department does most of their job. They decide the stations character, what programs that will be executed by in-house production, what programs to buy, and the scheduling time.
When critics on television becomes louder, the industry people points Nielsen Company as where the problem source. In my opinion this is not entirely true. Since the ratings/share data are only used by television people to create and schedule shows. The shows were affecting viewers in negative ways because the television people itself that have chose it to be aired. If they do care, the (negative impact) shows wouldn’t have made like that and put on screen.
The industry people themselves that have started seasonal trends in mid 2000s. Examples; reality show trend, teen drama trend, religious drama trend, mystique shows trend. When seasonal trends happening, different channels could be find airing the same type of shows.
The seasonal trends can be caused by:
1. Most Indonesian channels are family television. Except for News channel, MetroTV, most Indonesian television doesn’t have any specialty.
2. The stations and production company where their buying programs from, doesn’t have exclusive agreements. After they are successful selling a hit show, there usually no agreement that the production company cannot sell similar type of show to another stations. Of course, the production companies have used this opportunity as far as they can.
3. Top professional creatives in television industry were not many. Having moved from one station to their new station, the first thing they usually did is implementing their former success in former workplace. Innovation is a word that rarely done in Indonesia television.
Since one successful new program will be followed by many similar imitations, in mid 2000s programs replications dominated Indonesia television industry.
Below are the similarity cases in several categories:
THE SEASONS THAT WILL ALWAYS WORK TO WIN VIEWERS
Indonesia television stated Prime Time schedule from 18.00 to 22.00. On that time great numbers of viewers are predicted in front their television. Which is not entirely true remembering that Jakarta residents are probably still at office or on their way home at six o’clock. People living in Jakarta area hold largest numbers of participants in Nielsen Media Research data.
Though this might be the reason why sinetrons have dominating top ratings/share numbers on Nielsen Media Research. For in mid 2000s, at that time TV7 (now known as Trans7) and StarAntv, had fail attempts winning audience with alternative shows beside sinetrons. Circus and billion rupiah prize quizzes that schedule as alternative of competitors' sinetrons were not working as expected.
From the table below we see that Nielsen Reseach Media also proved larger preference on sinetrons instead of non drama programs.
TOP 50 ALL PROGRAMS – ALL STATIONS
All Demographics 5+, All 9 Cities
Week 0618 ( April 30 – May 6, 2006 )
No Program Name Channel Day Time Program Types TVR Share
1. Impian Cinderella RCTI Monday 18:54-19:57 Series: Drama 9.3 26.4
2. Bintang RCTI Monday 17:58-18:54 Series: Drama 8.9 31.0
3 Mimpi Manis SCTV Saturday 20:03-21:32 Series: Drama 8.9 24.5
4 Suratan Takdir SCTV Friday 19:57-21:26 Series: Drama 8.4 24.0
5. Istri Untuk Suamiku RCTI Monday 18:02-19.00 Series: Drama 8.4 22.4
6. Bintang RCTI Tuesday 21:02-22:06 Series: Drama 8.2 28.1
7. Cincin RCTI Wednesday 18:54-20:01 Series: Drama 8.0 26.0
8 Juragan Jengkol SCTV Thursday 21:02-22:06 Series: Drama 8.0 24.2
9 Iman SCTV Saturday 18:54-20:01 Series: Drama 7.8 23.0
10 Pintu Hidayah RCTI Sunday 19:04-20:03 Series: Drama 7.7 22.5
Even in the countries with long time television history like America, drama programs are dominating top spot on ratings/share reports. While popular daily talk shows like Oprah, Ellen and Larry King Live either aired in the afternoon or late hours.
Indonesian viewers do not have choice than to wait until non-drama programs later aired close midnight. Sports, talk show, feature documentary and music show are usually took schedule at prime time show. In this condition subscribing cable television now becomes major alternatives.
In an era when TV dramas are getting more complex, Indonesia television viewers might remember those late eighties and early nineties dramas (sinetrons) with its blissfully simple story. Young adults growing up in mid eighties had Losmen, Jendela Masa Depan, and Dokter Kartika, as their light late night entertainment. While teenagers growing in mid nineties could acknowledge Keluarga Cemara, Sahabat Pilihan and Si Doel Anak Sekolahan as well made sinetrons with healthier structure if being compares to today sinetrons.
The Indonesian dramas above were not only about ratings, they are also offering a place for simple yet nice to watch sinetrons where quality took place.
Then national TV stations extends while commercials cake stay stagnant. Competition climate becomes tougher, pressure to get top ratings/share becomes demanding and affects Indonesia sinetrons structure today. Worst, it is Indonesian anthropological character to love myths and horror stories. So in order to win audience attention, Indonesian TV dramas aired in between 2005-2006; Kiamat Sudah Dekat and Anakku Bukan Anakku, each had antagonist characters who modified with dark supernatural talents.
In Fiske words, implementation of folk tale and local legends are parts of culture economy in television where social identification plays significant part in articulation and production of meaning. To meet with dominant ideology, an adaptation to audience’s point of view is needed.
Light entertainment inherits many characteristics (and some personnel) from the circus/music-hall tradition, while it may be argued that the police or hospital series inherit some of the characteristics and much of the appeal of the folk tale.
(Fiske & Hartley, 1978: 158)
After long period of Oshin (Japan) and Isabella (Mexico), in the late eighties TVRI finally aired their first miniseries based on Indonesia famous 1920s novel, Siti Nurbaya. The success this miniseries had later followed by the production of 1930s literature classic, Salah Asuhan. Decades after, in 2006, an adaptation of Indonesian folk tale, Bawang Merah Bawang Putih,brought RCTI back to ratings/share first spot while television programs like Extravaganza, TransTV and Tawa Sutra, StarAntv, also including local myth and legends on their script.
Today sinetrons dominated almost every national TV prime time schedule. As the prime time scheduling became more competitive, so does with its story development. Fast plotting pace and illogical dramatization are common factor to be found in Indonesian drama. Tiring suspense, sharp rolling structure, and wide audience are guarantee would stay.
Drama show has its own strength different from non dramas. From watching drama shows, audiences could extend their insight on different life, places, culture, and characters. Like Steven Johnson wrote on his book, Everything Bad Is Good For You; “comedy and television drama recall the cognitive benefits conventionally ascribed to reading : attention, patience, retention, the parsing narrative threads.”
Too bad with that power, Indonesia sinetrons today only be an arena for such narrowcasting.
THE NEVER ENDING SEASONS: INFOTAINMENT
MTV Trax magazine in their Television Edutainment issue wrote:
Therefore infotainment is the only program format that never failed in getting good spot on ratings/share. Outside Indonesia, there are networks that specialize on infotainment. If the soft news are about divorce and adulterous issue, that is fun to know. But sometimes they are also talk about unimportant things like celebrities being spot drunk in the club or just bought a new car.
Let’s see it from certain point of view. For the celebrity, having camera following around while they are through difficult stage of life will be unpleasant. For parents with small children, having their child learning the meaning of divorce in the age so young will be unpleasant. For someone so dissatisfied with their own life and need to see that these famous people also can be in complicated situation, infotainment is their must watched show.
Television points its nation character. In a country with poverty issue and lack of reading interests problem, infotainment could show such intolerance and poor character quality. As seen from its provoking narration and intolerance questions; “Does she has converted to Islam?”; “With so many obstacles in their relationship, will the love survive?”, or; “Is it true that they have been long living separately?”
Contrary from what have been reported, Indonesia was not always a tolerant country in faith diversity. Tension between Muslim and non Muslim were always happens in Indonesia history, conflicts in Poso and Ambon have proven how easy it is to fueled hatred amongst Islam-Christian.
“I had the infotainment idea after seeing how difficult Indonesian stars became a mature entertainer,” says Remy Sutansyah, creator behind Kabar Kabari, first infotainment program in Indonesia.
Well, instead news on celebrity separation and who dating who, it is high time for infotainment to feature the public figure latest work or better, how these celebrities have successfully made through difficult experiences.
THE REALITY SEASON: REALITY SHOW UNREAL
The sub title was taken from a friend thesis proposal.
Due to the programs’ name, reality show shall not be scripted. Because it shall be spontaneous, right? What later will happen are depends on guest stars decision and its unexpected affairs. In the case of reality competition and public figure everyday life reality, how well the stars are able to attract audience.
Competition realities airing live are supposed having planned script. More than only script, competition realities usually needs run down that written precisely. While semi-scripted reality like The Hills and Kimora: Life in the Fabulous Line were quite successful in getting audience attention, national TV in 2005 decided to produce many semi-Oprah realities.
Uang Kaget (Suprising Money), Bedah Rumah (Home Renovation), Nikah Gratis (Free Wedding Reception), and Kena Deh (Got You!), were few titles from the most successful reality category in Indonesia. The concept is rather simple, random people are chosen to win prize the show offers. From providing simple wedding ceremony (Nikah Gratis) to free home furnishing (Bedah Rumah), or giving questions to strangers in the street and get them the hundred IDR prize for each correct answer (Kena Deh!), Indonesian loves easy money they see on TV.
The idea of these realities might be inspired by Oprah Winfrey Shows, from episodes which Oprah provides gifts like free house renovation or look makeover to they who needed, have involving a lot of thankful tears addressed to her generosity. As seen in the beginning of Nikah Gratis, Bedah Rumah, and Uang Kaget, how persons who win prizes always asked to show moving tears. The tears which have brought loyalty to audiences behind AC Nielsen people meter remote. Tears that undoubtedly had bring audiences to the show.
Even though the particular realities have succeeded winning Indonesia audience attention, it also put the poor stars into such degrading scenes for their pride. How their emotional reaction were tape in certain angle in hope to attract audience attention. Hence the production of meaning circulates between how the viewers like this scenes and how as times goes by they will receive these emotional scenes as if it is okay to beg compassion.
THE NEVERENDING SEASONS OF WIN BIG & GET EASY MONEY
Quiz shows articulate with schoold in numbers of ways. McQuail, Blumler, and Brown (1972) have found that viewers from higher socioeconomic groups ( who are likely to be the better educated) use quiz shows to check and test their ‘academic’ knowledge. Viewers from lower socioeconomic groups, however (likely to have had a shorter formal education), use the shows to prove themselves that they are as clever as the contestants, and that their formally assessed academic performance is not a true measure of their ability (Fiske, 1987: 2740).
To one third Indonesians with low income, quiz shows means nothing more than money. Money…attending quiz show is a way to win lots of money. In only one day and without have to do much work, a quiz winner will given many gifts with total worth billion of rupiah. No wonder back in mid 2000s, the billion rupiah quiz shows could be find in every TV stations. RCTI had Who Wants to be Millionaire?, StarAntv had it series of Super Deal quizzes, Indosiar had Kuis Famili 100 (Family Feud)and even MetroTV once had its Gladiator quiz offering one billion rupiah prize.
Sometimes to promote their show, national TV stations providing interactive quizzes with various gifts such as; free tickets, cell phones, electronic stuffs and shopping voucher. The attraction of quiz show comes from the sum of prize the show offers, I don’t pretentiously mean to be a globalization expert by saying this, but in this economy, winning a big money is an inviting temptation.
In Television Culture (1987), Fiske argues that luck plays a vital role in the hegemonic structure of societies that are both competitive and democratic. The structure of such societies is necessarily hierarchical and elitist, they are like a pyramid with the mass of people at the bottom and very few at the top. Yet the dominant ideology insists that everyone has a chance to rise up through the class, economic, and power systems. The social system, not surprisingly, reproduces the educational system in its ideology of equal opportunity for everyone, so that those of natural talent will rise up through the structure. The hegemonic function of luck is not just to minimize the personal sense of failure, but more importantly, to demonstrate that the rewards of the system are, in fact, available to all, regardless to talent, class, gender, race, and so on.
By the articulating system the quiz shows have, many people from all over the country will dream big to be in such a show, so they are able to provide their urgent needs from the prize. This is where the side effects of these ‘win big’ programs lie.
ARTICULATING TV COMMERCIALS
TV commercials as syntagms where particular codes being interpreted by the targeted viewers based on their cultural background and point of view are made for one objective, promoting the products. Since successful commercials are measure from how the product sells after being advertised, commercials in any form are made to plastering images on people’s mind.
May be that is why, most TV commercials used direct invitation in communicating their advertisements. Blatant or direct ways are no strangers in commercials, and it is the function of advertisement promoting products. As told in Kompas CyberMedia, March 23rd, 2003; commercials are mean to plasters a product into people mind.
No wonder even though smoking is bad for health, Indonesians can memorizes many ‘cute’ cigarette commercials. Name A Mild ‘Flood’ commercial which won 2005 Cakram magazine award and the funny Dji Jam Soe’s ‘Gank Ijo’ which made in several version. ‘Gank Ijo’ TV commercial series with its famous ‘basi-basi’ tagline, ‘Ah, gak pa-pa.’, are my favorites from all. Each of ‘Gank Ijo’ version feels so ‘Indonesia’, funny, and entertaining. There also another advertisement that was extremely popular in 2006, Ponds White Beauty commercial. The storytelling begin with line; If love is being tested, what will bring him back?”, dissolve into a girl and a man having fight in a car. The girl angrily gets out from the car. She choose to walk while the man continue to drive. His memory then plays various occassion on the couple dinner date and his birthday. How beautiful his girlfriend was with her glowing white skin. These remembrance make him decides to turn around and pick his girlfriend that has easily forgive him.
In feminist perspective, Ponds White Beauty may invites argument. But in advertising perspective, it was one of a few, small numbers from many Indonesian advertisement that instead choose to do creative plan, rather play with easy content to persuade audience. Major numbers of TV commercials were using celebrity ambassador who say things like; “…get rid mosquito effectively with natural lemon refresher,” or; “Do use Daia non-other than…”
If television shows a nation’s character, than Indonesia TV commercials with such poor creativity in communicating products pointed a nation that prefer anything to be delivers in an easy contemporary ways.
Doing things creatively are no easy, in fact it become more and more difficult to do. What we thought is new probably was already done before. While in the mean time, television medium developments have become beyond expectation with cable TV, Tivo, video on demand, and internet TV. Today consumers are now become harder to get, they have seen too many commercials and may even smarter than the creator behind commercials they see. That is why former publisher of Advertising Age, Joe Pacco has warned advertisers to take concern in putting relevant messages for audiences (Cakram No. 286, 2007: 36-37).
Well, for this point, we Indonesians do not have to worry, having seen how direct persuasion styles had take more bread than decent creativity and original ideas.
NEVERENDING AND UNIVERSAL; SWEET BUT FALSE WORDS
Television plays part not only by its recognition of cultural tensions, but also by the way it is turning away from the literate cultural forms with, which it started, towards alternative, often more effective, forms derived from working class oral culture. (Fiske, 1987: 157)
The common sentences to be heard if we see a television program;
“Good morning viewers, nice to see you in…”, or, “It is time for us to end this lovely talk, see you tomorrow at the same time…,” or, “We will be right back after these following messages.”
Someone who follows television shows religiously would have memorizes many of presenter’s opening and closing sentences for there are always told repeatedly. How this happens?
According to research, people are capable to add 95 % messages and information from the program watch. Even though they only see it once. Three days later they generally memorize 65 % from what they seen.
So okay, being civilized demands politeness. It doesn’t matter you mean it or not, ‘nice to see you’ has become a universal way to greets audience. In the country where Javanese manners are unspoken norm, sweet words are a must. These can also be seen in whenever celebrities show up on TV. Whether it is infotainment, or reality shows, or quiz shows, or talk shows, if an answer being asked to them, similar sentences would come from one celebrity to the other, were there coincidences?
As quoted from Fiske above, television seems not the right place to expect poetic lines since no different from film, pictures is the most important, more than sound.
THE SEASON OF IDIOCRAZY; DUBBING
From animation film Doraemon, children cognitively learns how in Japanese there is cake name Dorayaki, that they have kimono as they traditional dress, and they celebrate little boys day with kites, and little girls day with having doll house and tea party.
From Hollywood teen movie, Indonesians can see the positive value of part time working student. Despite facts that Indonesia is one of the lowest income per capita countries in the world, student that want to be consider as middle class people are mind working before they finish high school.
The positive side of foreign movies and programs are not only in discursive transition of meaning, but to learn English and other languages from TV. Today, the right to enjoy foreign shows without being bother with awkward translations have taken from Indonesia audiences. Dubbing have been introduced a long time ago, but in the middle of 2000s, it becomes more obvious.
Not only this steps have interfering the screen aesthetic, imagine seeing someone talk with completely different lips movement from words we heard, it also has potential effects making audiences become more estranged from other languages than Indonesia.
The rules came after English used in Indonesian young adults today started gain worries and critics. An expert in Bahasa Indonesia blames on the television shows for the dominance on half English-Indonesia speaking teenagers. Bilingual institutions as the result of globalization today have provides the English-Indonesia introduction language.
Speaking of globalization, the world transformation into big homeland across regions and nations, demands multi speaking ability for the next generation who wants to survive their future. But lingual ability needs its own degree of talents. So blaming young generation half-half Indo-English ability on television not seems wise to do.
The source of this problem roots from the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia at school. Where instead of exploring on the exciting parts on literature learning like reading stories, reviewing, performing plays, and writings, teaching curriculum only focus on grammar learning again and again. Results of the poor creativity in lingual teachings are what become Indonesia media and creative industries problems today.
EPILOGUE: TELEVISION ON COMPETITION.
Fiske and Hartley points there are only small numbers of television programs that not sell competition spirits on. Their underlines that competition is the mark of culture where television concept defines audience socio-culture identity.
Strict competition that happens on everyday life, has also happens in national TV strict competition nowadays. Eleven national TV stations and more than dozen local TV plus numerous cable television companies, are reason why television has invite a lot of critics for its poor quality.
It can’t be denied that Indonesia television is no more than some boxing arena in winning audience. Good or bad, people behind television avoid to be blame by saying they don’t have choices since according Nielsen’s ratings/share reports that is what viewers wanted.
We Indonesians always have trouble to see the ground where roots of problem lay; that with limited number of advertisers, most Indonesia national channels are generally family television. There is no specifications, no diverse targeted type which is the key to gain specific audience. Hence make it possible to compete healthily.
*Seasons of Imperfection: inspired by Finding Forrester's Season of Faith Perfection.
Minggu, 21 Desember 2008
Senin, 15 Desember 2008
Drama, an Epitome of Prince Charming
How It Began
Back in the 1950’s, Mellencamp finds the origin of the ‘the gender base’ of television; sport and news shows for men, cooking and fashion show for women, and ‘kidvid’ for children. Soap opera, the genre that dominates Indonesia television schedule today (populary introduced as sinetron), is describe as feminine narrative, the parameter of gender definition that engendering work of other television genre.
Feminine narrative; which is derived from folk tale, with its emphasis on common structures and conventions that relate directly to its social context, would seem more pertinent to a popular medium like television, with its simple, repeated structure.
Indonesian’s folk tale storylin, Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, is similar with globally known fairytales Cinderella. It has handsome prince that saves Bawang Putih from her mean stepsister and mother. Little girls from all over the world are familiar with Cinderella story, or Snow White, or Beauty and the Beast. Even Disney’s animal tales like Lion King and Tarzan have offered their own version of prince charming. The future king of their kingdom that rules its people, good looking, and brave.
These folk tales and universal fairytales were told as bedtime story. Little girls growing up listen to the stories. They see their mother, their auntie, and other female relatives doing the-Eve-duty of Adam’s ribs. Soon as they grow older, they will face questions on when they are getting married and having children. Religions like Christian and Islam also using explanation that God created human in pairs. In religious country like Indonesia, religious verses are taken seriously. So serious in fact, that in 2008 the House of Representatives had using religious affairs in stipulating Anti Pornography Law.
Doctrine has surrounded men and women life since they were little. Little boy raised to believes that a man must provides what their wives expecting from them. And little girl raised to believes that one day they must get married and have children to form a family. From these, and from society traditions, the myth of prince charming has begun.
Feminist Julia Kristeva (Jurnal Perempuan 48: 73) points that it was from religion, tradition, and literature culture, the patriarchal culture lived and ruled in the society. Television, its drama series in particular, is no exception.
Television is, above all else, a popular cultural medium. The economics that determine its production and distribution demand that it reaches a mass audience, and a mass audience in western industrialized societies is composed of numerous subcultures, or subaudiences, with a wide variety of social relations, a variety of discources that they will bring to bear upon the program in order to enjoy it ( Fiske, 1987: 37).
THE PRINCE CHARMING CONSTRUCTION
To be popular with a diversity of audiences television must both provoke its readers to the production of meanings and pleasures, and must provide the textual space for these meanings and pleasure to be articulated with the social interests of the readers. Readers will only produce meanings from, and find pleasures in, a television program if it allows for this articulation of their interests (Fiske, 1987: 83).
In order to attract audiences, many television dramas had adopting prince charming character for their storyline. Indonesian sinetrons, with its rich-good looking-heroic male characters, and South American soap operas from Wild Rose to Betty La Fea, are few from countless example. In fact, telenovela with its countless rich handsome character that in the end saving ‘Rose-Betty-Clara’ from poverty is where early Indonesian sinetrons had their ideas from.
American television, central of television industry, definitely no exception. To name a few; McDreamy and McSteamy in Grey’s Anatomy, former McClooney in ER, Ross Geller in Friends, Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass the villain in Gossip Girl, Mr. Big in Sex and The City. They are rich, they are arguably good looking, and in certain character developments, clearly they are the man that women growing up dreaming about.
TV deals not with stars but with personalities –stars have a glamour that sets them apart from and above their fans: personalities have a familiarity that offers their fans a much more intimate, equal relationship (Langer, 1981: 150-151).
Indonesian audience could note that when in 1997, sinetron Si Doel Anak Sekolahan season Five reduced relationship intensity between Sarah and Doel, this series lost many of its viewers. Only when Sarah-Doel were back dominating Si Doel storylines, Si Doel became first (and might be the only) drama series in Indonesian television history that got more than fifty percent share in prime time hours.
Si Doel case points how television representing aspects of our social experience in such a way as to make that experience meaningful and pleasurable to us. That meanings and pleasures are instrumental in constructing social relations and thus our sense of social identity (Fiske, 1987: 78). The realness given to the character by its merging with the player, combined with its familiarity and its newness, give television characters a unique relationship with their fans. These characteristics also blur the difference between fact and fiction (Fiske, 1987).
In Si Doel Anak Sekolahan, audiences found Sarah and Doel’s friendship with its obstacles; love between different social status and cultural background issues, interesting to watch. That was what attracting them foremost, the complication of love between caste system. Successful television series, whether it is soap opera or sinetrons or American television series, usually combining romances along with their characters everyday life. Even if it was about war or heroine act, masculinity textual construction shows, to name a few; Tour of Duty, The A-Team, Mission Impossible (yesh, Thursday night on RCTI), McGyver, still providing audiences hunger on romance.
So what if the perfect prince charming characters are not on the story line? Shows like Twilight Zone, Quantum Leap, Voyagers, Heroes, uses different angle than what we described as feminine narrative series, these shows emphasizes action (Fiske, 1987: 215), and the thrill feelings the series constructed. Or in Baywatch’s case, girls’ in bikinis (sigh!).
Interesting phenomenon lately come to the current (year 2008) most watched television series made in America. Where Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, and Grey’s Anatomy have managed to add splashes of family issues or ordinary people problems (in America) into their shows. Of course love is still taking the biggest portion of their story, but the writers have developed good storyline based on certain real life issue.
Various issues currently go on screen; young athletes issues (Friday Night Lights), adultery issues (Brothers&Sisters), women issue (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives), fashion world (Ugly Betty), politics and religion (Friday Night Lights, Brothers &Sisters, Friday Night Lights), repressive expectation on kids whose seemed having it all (Gossip Girl), and broken home kids dealing with unhappy childhood (Grey’s Anatomy). These shows have proved that a good drama is not always get to be constructed around love problems. Even though, certain love interests between its characters are part of their attraction.
To answer what makes people watch drama is to understand what character that will attracted people sympathy. Or in women’s view, what kind of man they wanted but difficult to get in real life.
Each television programs have its own level of intensity and structure. In fact, narration technique is predominantly used for constructing realism. Realism in television based on conventions which create illusion that this story work exactly like our life experiences (Burton, 2000). The prince charming characters which television drama provided is where realist narrations take place.
Fiske points out how soap opera contextualized fantasized male identification through its character relationships and interpersonal style, they are all about this prince charming women dreams about. They are good looking, smart, and if they are not professionally successful, then they must be rich trust fund kids. Name Ross Geller in Friends, Derek Sheperd in Grey’s Anatomy, Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, Daniel Meade in Ugly Betty, Dylan in Beverly Hills 90210, Ethan Hawk in 90210, Carter and Doug Ross in ER, Vinnie Chase in Entourage, Mr. Big in Sex and the City.
Successful series will be continued for newer seasons. Returning season means tightened drama and more clip hangings. That is where adultery, re-marriage, circulating romances between each other ex-spouses, significantly used as the must have spices. The spices could become overly used, that the series can end up in much deserved frown on their fans head. Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place were the starting point of these circular romances series.
Since in stories, affairs do not move randomly (Korloff), one logic mind will find difficult to understand how someone can be constantly in love in short period of time. Based on current television series;
Grey’s Anatomy characters Izzie Stevens and George O’Malley. During their short internship and residential period, they have slept with each other, their fellow interns, nurses, and patients.
Despite various stories exploration that American television represents today, numbers of series will continuing their circular prince charming romance until they no longer work for saving ratings. In fact, despite certain feminisms betrayal in the storyline, it was only Sex and the City that have ended their show on its top form.
Television drama works like squishing orange fruit, the longer you squish it become fewer the essence left. If the writers cannot come with another good storyline, they just mix anything that will have them go for another season. The only character development left is only to the writers itself, how more skillful they are in writing excuses and become overused in dialogues.
Television series is a good example for capitalism complex. How producer greediness could go so far they are blinded to see how degrading their shows become.
THE ERA OF NOT SO DESPERATE WITHOUT MCDREAMY HOUSEWIVES
In early 2000s, American television series which offers unique stories and sharp dialogue have also been successfully accepted. Lead by HBO, prestigious cable television network, shows like; Sex and the City (1999), Six Feet Under (2002), Rome (2004), Big Love (2006), have offered more than only complicated romance.
Off HBO, there are also feminine series central around female characters that no need to be saved by any man; Desperate Housewives, Lipstick Jungle, and Ugly Betty. They offered romance drama oh yes, messy and complicated like stringy floss playing by kitten, but torn between love, career, and household demands, the characters are mischievously tougher than their men.
Ideology that works from narration and realism is convincing viewer that the world supposed to be like this (Burton, 2000), and by ‘this’ in reused cliché’, the world where women can love their man inferiority just the way they are.
Now, women might spend their entire childhood dreaming on prince charming, but when the love constantly gone wrong for overly-made-up-reasons…that is when a creator shall realize how far magic charm can go in real life.
Back in the 1950’s, Mellencamp finds the origin of the ‘the gender base’ of television; sport and news shows for men, cooking and fashion show for women, and ‘kidvid’ for children. Soap opera, the genre that dominates Indonesia television schedule today (populary introduced as sinetron), is describe as feminine narrative, the parameter of gender definition that engendering work of other television genre.
Feminine narrative; which is derived from folk tale, with its emphasis on common structures and conventions that relate directly to its social context, would seem more pertinent to a popular medium like television, with its simple, repeated structure.
Indonesian’s folk tale storylin, Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, is similar with globally known fairytales Cinderella. It has handsome prince that saves Bawang Putih from her mean stepsister and mother. Little girls from all over the world are familiar with Cinderella story, or Snow White, or Beauty and the Beast. Even Disney’s animal tales like Lion King and Tarzan have offered their own version of prince charming. The future king of their kingdom that rules its people, good looking, and brave.
These folk tales and universal fairytales were told as bedtime story. Little girls growing up listen to the stories. They see their mother, their auntie, and other female relatives doing the-Eve-duty of Adam’s ribs. Soon as they grow older, they will face questions on when they are getting married and having children. Religions like Christian and Islam also using explanation that God created human in pairs. In religious country like Indonesia, religious verses are taken seriously. So serious in fact, that in 2008 the House of Representatives had using religious affairs in stipulating Anti Pornography Law.
Doctrine has surrounded men and women life since they were little. Little boy raised to believes that a man must provides what their wives expecting from them. And little girl raised to believes that one day they must get married and have children to form a family. From these, and from society traditions, the myth of prince charming has begun.
Feminist Julia Kristeva (Jurnal Perempuan 48: 73) points that it was from religion, tradition, and literature culture, the patriarchal culture lived and ruled in the society. Television, its drama series in particular, is no exception.
Television is, above all else, a popular cultural medium. The economics that determine its production and distribution demand that it reaches a mass audience, and a mass audience in western industrialized societies is composed of numerous subcultures, or subaudiences, with a wide variety of social relations, a variety of discources that they will bring to bear upon the program in order to enjoy it ( Fiske, 1987: 37).
THE PRINCE CHARMING CONSTRUCTION
To be popular with a diversity of audiences television must both provoke its readers to the production of meanings and pleasures, and must provide the textual space for these meanings and pleasure to be articulated with the social interests of the readers. Readers will only produce meanings from, and find pleasures in, a television program if it allows for this articulation of their interests (Fiske, 1987: 83).
In order to attract audiences, many television dramas had adopting prince charming character for their storyline. Indonesian sinetrons, with its rich-good looking-heroic male characters, and South American soap operas from Wild Rose to Betty La Fea, are few from countless example. In fact, telenovela with its countless rich handsome character that in the end saving ‘Rose-Betty-Clara’ from poverty is where early Indonesian sinetrons had their ideas from.
American television, central of television industry, definitely no exception. To name a few; McDreamy and McSteamy in Grey’s Anatomy, former McClooney in ER, Ross Geller in Friends, Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass the villain in Gossip Girl, Mr. Big in Sex and The City. They are rich, they are arguably good looking, and in certain character developments, clearly they are the man that women growing up dreaming about.
TV deals not with stars but with personalities –stars have a glamour that sets them apart from and above their fans: personalities have a familiarity that offers their fans a much more intimate, equal relationship (Langer, 1981: 150-151).
Indonesian audience could note that when in 1997, sinetron Si Doel Anak Sekolahan season Five reduced relationship intensity between Sarah and Doel, this series lost many of its viewers. Only when Sarah-Doel were back dominating Si Doel storylines, Si Doel became first (and might be the only) drama series in Indonesian television history that got more than fifty percent share in prime time hours.
Si Doel case points how television representing aspects of our social experience in such a way as to make that experience meaningful and pleasurable to us. That meanings and pleasures are instrumental in constructing social relations and thus our sense of social identity (Fiske, 1987: 78). The realness given to the character by its merging with the player, combined with its familiarity and its newness, give television characters a unique relationship with their fans. These characteristics also blur the difference between fact and fiction (Fiske, 1987).
In Si Doel Anak Sekolahan, audiences found Sarah and Doel’s friendship with its obstacles; love between different social status and cultural background issues, interesting to watch. That was what attracting them foremost, the complication of love between caste system. Successful television series, whether it is soap opera or sinetrons or American television series, usually combining romances along with their characters everyday life. Even if it was about war or heroine act, masculinity textual construction shows, to name a few; Tour of Duty, The A-Team, Mission Impossible (yesh, Thursday night on RCTI), McGyver, still providing audiences hunger on romance.
So what if the perfect prince charming characters are not on the story line? Shows like Twilight Zone, Quantum Leap, Voyagers, Heroes, uses different angle than what we described as feminine narrative series, these shows emphasizes action (Fiske, 1987: 215), and the thrill feelings the series constructed. Or in Baywatch’s case, girls’ in bikinis (sigh!).
Interesting phenomenon lately come to the current (year 2008) most watched television series made in America. Where Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, and Grey’s Anatomy have managed to add splashes of family issues or ordinary people problems (in America) into their shows. Of course love is still taking the biggest portion of their story, but the writers have developed good storyline based on certain real life issue.
Various issues currently go on screen; young athletes issues (Friday Night Lights), adultery issues (Brothers&Sisters), women issue (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives), fashion world (Ugly Betty), politics and religion (Friday Night Lights, Brothers &Sisters, Friday Night Lights), repressive expectation on kids whose seemed having it all (Gossip Girl), and broken home kids dealing with unhappy childhood (Grey’s Anatomy). These shows have proved that a good drama is not always get to be constructed around love problems. Even though, certain love interests between its characters are part of their attraction.
To answer what makes people watch drama is to understand what character that will attracted people sympathy. Or in women’s view, what kind of man they wanted but difficult to get in real life.
Each television programs have its own level of intensity and structure. In fact, narration technique is predominantly used for constructing realism. Realism in television based on conventions which create illusion that this story work exactly like our life experiences (Burton, 2000). The prince charming characters which television drama provided is where realist narrations take place.
Fiske points out how soap opera contextualized fantasized male identification through its character relationships and interpersonal style, they are all about this prince charming women dreams about. They are good looking, smart, and if they are not professionally successful, then they must be rich trust fund kids. Name Ross Geller in Friends, Derek Sheperd in Grey’s Anatomy, Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, Daniel Meade in Ugly Betty, Dylan in Beverly Hills 90210, Ethan Hawk in 90210, Carter and Doug Ross in ER, Vinnie Chase in Entourage, Mr. Big in Sex and the City.
Successful series will be continued for newer seasons. Returning season means tightened drama and more clip hangings. That is where adultery, re-marriage, circulating romances between each other ex-spouses, significantly used as the must have spices. The spices could become overly used, that the series can end up in much deserved frown on their fans head. Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place were the starting point of these circular romances series.
Since in stories, affairs do not move randomly (Korloff), one logic mind will find difficult to understand how someone can be constantly in love in short period of time. Based on current television series;
Grey’s Anatomy characters Izzie Stevens and George O’Malley. During their short internship and residential period, they have slept with each other, their fellow interns, nurses, and patients.
Despite various stories exploration that American television represents today, numbers of series will continuing their circular prince charming romance until they no longer work for saving ratings. In fact, despite certain feminisms betrayal in the storyline, it was only Sex and the City that have ended their show on its top form.
Television drama works like squishing orange fruit, the longer you squish it become fewer the essence left. If the writers cannot come with another good storyline, they just mix anything that will have them go for another season. The only character development left is only to the writers itself, how more skillful they are in writing excuses and become overused in dialogues.
Television series is a good example for capitalism complex. How producer greediness could go so far they are blinded to see how degrading their shows become.
THE ERA OF NOT SO DESPERATE WITHOUT MCDREAMY HOUSEWIVES
In early 2000s, American television series which offers unique stories and sharp dialogue have also been successfully accepted. Lead by HBO, prestigious cable television network, shows like; Sex and the City (1999), Six Feet Under (2002), Rome (2004), Big Love (2006), have offered more than only complicated romance.
Off HBO, there are also feminine series central around female characters that no need to be saved by any man; Desperate Housewives, Lipstick Jungle, and Ugly Betty. They offered romance drama oh yes, messy and complicated like stringy floss playing by kitten, but torn between love, career, and household demands, the characters are mischievously tougher than their men.
Ideology that works from narration and realism is convincing viewer that the world supposed to be like this (Burton, 2000), and by ‘this’ in reused cliché’, the world where women can love their man inferiority just the way they are.
Now, women might spend their entire childhood dreaming on prince charming, but when the love constantly gone wrong for overly-made-up-reasons…that is when a creator shall realize how far magic charm can go in real life.
Creative Role in Production Department
Only they who have working in television company could understand that even though production department’s is the one executing programs, they are constantly torn between programming and marketing’s instruction. News people in television is consider journalist, marketing sales associated as the moneymaker, production’s people always being looked down as a field person, a level below all departments which doing their tasks behind desk.
But what happens if good concepts are not implements well as if it were designed? Say, if the creative is not smart enough, the producer is not a responsible person, the program director does not understand how to arrange camera blockings, or the cameraman does not understand how to captures good pictures.
Well, at least the audiences still have choice. They could switch channels. While on the other hand, the workers behind this disastrous program will get leashed as soon as the contract over.
A station with successful In-House programs is the one that understand how important the quality of human resources in production department. Because television is about shows that easy to enjoy nice to watch. People looked up to see something artsy may better be told to go to film festival.
Doesn’t mean television have right to put provoking shows for their audiences. However, there is a very thin line between commercialism and greedily degrading. While we will go to this subject in another topic entry, here I will focus on why Creative is holding an important position in production department.
Thy Eye of an Arrow, Thy Edge of a Pencil
Creative main task is designing concepts. The program idea might not be her/his, it might be created by programming people, or an outsider whose proposal is approved by acquisition, or their fellow creative, conceptualizing the format concepts for outbound activity (production department is scheduled to go outbound once every year).
Designing concepts mean they are responsible for writing scripts, doing research, points location, deciding talents/guest star, requesting costumes, arranging backdrops, choosing what artistic tools needed. That was only for shooting preparation. When ratings/share is falling, creative is the one who must figure why and now exactly how to fix it. So these field work, are also includes a lot of analyzing and multi tasking skills. Oh, make sure you remember everything though. A little piece of mistake then the live show goes ugly then you will feel like a surgeon killing innocent people.
You are putting your neck on it, run when you can!
Leave creative qualification to the human resources department, below is the insight look on the ‘bones’ of a program.
A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND:
There is reason why words like targeted or segmented are used in focusing television show. Because it will be easier to decide how to attract potential viewers. Plus a nice show for high educated people and to one who is low educated, is usually different. For example low educated usually choose for melancholic romances which stories could go far illogical. While high educated prefer something that entertaining without overly provoking.
NUMBER ONE A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHAT IS THE TARGETED AUDIENCES?
“It is not important,” one of my producer said and rolling his eyes. I asked him the targeted audiences for his morning talk show. I was only practicing what once was taught to me in Television Industry class room. Naratama Rukmananda, famous program director and my former teacher at school always told his students how important to understand the show’s main audiences.
“The more segmented, the better,” he told us. Years after, I was implementing exactly what he told me and it is proven to be right.
Learning from my mistake in my first weeks, I no longer asked my producers to whom the show is targeted. Instead I try to figure by myself from the program’s type, schedule, and if it is talk show, chosen topics.
When I was handling a reality show which concept is to get celebrity meet with their fans, I used teen magazine as my ‘research’. Reason, celebrity obsession is typical young people habit. And for young people, magazine is their bible. But instead of Seventeen and CosmoGirl, I picked Aneka magazine and teen’s tabloids. Why? Well, girls reading Seventeen and CosmoGirl probably befriends with the teen celebrity itself. Or even if they are not, they would be too shy to show (on national television) how much they worship local celebrity, that would ruin their upper-class-conscious image, you know. From Aneka magazines and teen tabloids, I chose talents, guest star for the show.
Clearly the shows audiences are also the magazine’s readers.
NUMBER TWO A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHO TO CALL?
Who to pick, why she or he will fit with the show’s concept, and are they equips with wit comment plus energy for making the show alive? That are what a creative consider when they have the bible, The Book of Celebrities Numbers, in hand.
If the program is music show, make sure it is the hottest band with the hottest popular song. If it is talk show, make sure the guest star is the expert with ability to explain complicated things clearly. If it is comedy show, make sure it is quick tongue actor with stocks of jokes. A shy and quiet character use to be the last one to pick.
Once the handpicked celebrity arrive, they will be handed the script, if the show require unique costumes, she or he better try the costumes first, if certain make up needed, a creative must stay in wardrobe room to make sure the make up and wardrobe people do exactly as planned.
In talk show, the one to brief, is the hosts and co-host. The talk show guest stars do not have to do many things than only to sit pretty, answering questions, and being talkative. If the talk show is daily, it is even easier. Presenters are smart, quick learner people, they do not need full dialogue script, pointers are enough. Certain talk show may also need experts, the best one on the topic field are the better. Also make sure they are someone who can explain the most complicated things in a simplest way.
In magazine show, the weekly Saturday type, scripted dialogue will be fun for some words exploring chances. There are risks of bad memory presenter (if the show is doing without teleprompter), bad memory guest stars, and if the guest stars are not a public figure, do what you can to make the non public figure feel relax and not pressure, so they will not be too camera conscious. Even though this is rarely happens.
To fix possibility of bad memory problem, just make sure the lines are ‘catchy’ and not too long.
For a creative that already trusted to handle variety show, which includes comedy segment plus band performances, congratulation, this is a yippy-yippy challenging job that is not going to be trusted on someone with bad rapport book. Most variety show shoots live, and a new kid in the block shall not get this job until she or he can prove one is able on doing it. Now, I was also bad in doing run down, but do not worry, timing is not as tight as they used to anymore. Arrange the segments neatly and add more seconds from its exact times. Just in case.
Variety show, especially special events variety, require all the current trends from bands to singer, the songs they play, and guests stars. Make sure the hosts are smart and good improviser. High experiences required because we don’t know if something will go wrong. You do not need to put sexy actress and handsome actor, you need someone you can trust.
There are two kind of reality show; competition reality and non-competition, follow by camera reality. Competition reality consist a lot of studio audiences is almost the same format as variety. While follow by camera reality come with various sub-format and is usually semi-scripted. The script is simple. Focus on who you choose. Whether housewives or high school students, the more they want it, the more chances of emotional scene you will get. For teenagers targeted reality show, good looks and trendy clothes will get more attention. Looked up at The Hills, trendy clothes and the wannabe model star-aura also what makes America’s Next Top Model to multiple cycles.
Last but not least, music programs. This is the television program that can win audience attention with simple strategy. Coolest band, coolest singer and the most popular songs, are guarantee will take the top spot of night share/ratings competition. Music video type show also needs the same demands. But sometimes audiences are more eager to see the musician play their music instead only see the clip video. So slip short interviews with the bands or singer to get ‘the young in the heart people’ (main audiences for music show) stay tune.
Do your research, do not asks stupid too obvious questions. To play it safe, direct the scripts to ‘why, how and what is your next plan’. Warning, they may not like the ‘why’ but that is what audience wants to know.
NUMBER THREE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: R&R
R&R is for Research and reference.
I do not watch infotainment, and since graduated from high school, I rarely read Indonesian magazine. But working as creative will demand you to be rich with pop culture reference. You will be less creative when you don’t know anything that goes around, locally or globally.
Most producers without broadcasting background would think research is not necessary, let’s keep this as our so no little secret…it does.
One of creative job is to win the talents trust. This celebrity, you might not like her or his from what you saw on tv, but ask them to do guest show will help attracting audiences. You only do what you must. Now, you meet them, you have to give brief on what your plans from the script, so they get what you are planning and help you to reach it. How will you make them give one hundred percent performance if they feel like you are some gossip addict trying to give snide remarks on their embarrassing personal life?
Please do not watch infotainment as a pattern that can make you feel better about yourself, watch it to get as many information as you can, so you know what you can and cannot explore about this celebrity.
You found this actress loves singing, when she is the guest star of your meet-the-fan reality show, design a concept she suddenly show up singing to her fan his favorite song. On a magazine you saw this public figure loves to cook, you can design a cooking topic for your daily talk show and asks her to demonstrate their cooking ability. So you can’t stand dangdut, suddenly you are appointed to be the creative of dangdut show.
This one was actually happened to me once. I did a lot of googling using ‘dangdut yuk goyang yuuuk’ kewords, consulting the ‘dangdut experts’ slash the home workers, read tabloids and watched lots of TPI’s dangdut shows.
See, from doing research you will get an insight look of the theme of the show you is doing, the topic which you will be bring. As if that is not good enough, you will find some interesting fact on the target audiences of your show; what they like and what is not. From research and reference, you can get ideas on designing the show’s concept, one that can help to attract target audience and even new programs.
There was talk show about health issue, Dokter TV. Every week there was topic health to be discussed, for example; tuberculosis, diabetic, sex after baby birth, etcetera. What I was looking for in Google engine and magazines were the most horrible thing this health problem could cause, beside of course dead. Now, Dokter TV is a kind of show that women prefer to wach. Women care about health (and cleanliness) more than men, and the show was aired in Saturday morning. So what I tried to do was to get audiences by saying, ‘oh you must know about this issues deeply, it can be really dangerous’. I did that on the first minutes Dokter TV began. The guests star would franticly show up mentioning the worst symptoms and the overdramatized affairs the symptom has caused, she or he would complaining to the host, a doctor, then she would had her colleagues (an expert, another doctor with specialization in talked the issues) to gave explanation.
Admits, the affair or accident and the worst symptoms could be exaggerating. Only slightly percents people could have passed out only because of migraine. But that was true and worked. Especially after the white phlegm issue I suggested, from the 0,1 share/ratings Dokter TV got, the programs was closed with average 1,0 rating/share. We talked about Antv here, and compare to the other Antv’s programs at that time, Dokter TV was doing better.
So in some ways, research and reference will give an understanding of what the target audiences likes and not, need and not; help to add some weight quality on discussed topics; give you an idea on how to attract audience attention, and by the end, increasing ratings/share numbers.
NUMBER FOUR CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: THE POWER OF GOOD SCRIPT
Writing program script may not the best part of creative job. There are boundaries for time and imagination. Consider for duration, discipline for dialogue length, and guards on any possibility. Of course it is less fun than writing for fiction and drama script.
I was not good in making run down, just add one thirty second more than the exact time you count, especially in band performance, you don’t know what they are planning to do on stage, if the lead singer decides to do little chat to studio audience, that can took ten seconds minimum.
Television is about providing programs that cozy to see. Simple but nice, not great, not spectacular, more like making audiences feel comfortable. To make it happen things must be fixed right; except for backdrop, shots, multicamera blockings (single camera like in reality show is usually a creative’s right too depends on how the script is planned), graphic and editing, the rest are on our hand.
Creative chooses the talents, plan the costumes, the surprises, games, questions, and sentence. The whole representation.
I think words arrangements have important share for making the show nice to watch. If it is possible, like for feature magazine show, presenter script shall use proper ‘Bahasa Indonesia’ that nice to hear. Don’t write it too long, because it will hard to memorize, but do make it sounds ‘catchy’, to put more edge.
NUMBER FIVE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: PRODUCERS
As a creative, your choices of talent will be asked, your script will be judged, and if the show going bad, you will be the first to get blame. The tasks are many and you will fine yourself in strained position all the time.
Sadly, office hierarchy is something a creative cannot avoid. In some television company, producers could determine your contract. Another problem, she or he will like to interfere on what you have neatly write and in many-many cases the co-write script would become a disaster. Again, you get the blame.
Many producers who usually started from Production Assistant position almost illiterate. Even if they used to be scriptwriter it usually doesn’t helped much.
See, if the script you write does bad and you are blame, at least that is for something you do. You deserved it. But if it is the other person who change what you have done right, than you will get to blame by something that are not your fault.
This happened to me. For special variety show event, my producer who like handling anything by himself, changed my script. I let him. Before shooting, the talents read it. They commented on the script, said it was ugly and they would rather improvised. The in-charge production person heard, then he spread what he heard to anyone and in the end of my second contract period he used that to go against me.
After that happened, I become so guarded with producer interference. One day we worked together again and he tried to do the same. I rejected his suggestion bluntly and had hurt his feeling for no good reason.
So do refused but not too straightforward. Just say that it is your task to do the script and that a good team player does not do interference another person’s job.
Another advice, creative will work closely with producers. You needed to know closer the person you work with. Presumably one strength and weakness. Because if the shootings are done in the outdoor field which will needed a lot of coordination, that would be useful. Does your producer a communicative person? Does your producer a people person or people people? Does he/she always on time or usually late? Does he/she can do different things in one time? If they can’t, you must fill in and be they sole reminder.
GENERAL:
TELEVISION CREATIVE IS AN ADAPTATION ON SOCIOLOGICAL CHARACTER BASED ON CATEGORIES; SEX, AGE, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC STATUS, AND DEMOGRAPHIC AREA.
But what happens if good concepts are not implements well as if it were designed? Say, if the creative is not smart enough, the producer is not a responsible person, the program director does not understand how to arrange camera blockings, or the cameraman does not understand how to captures good pictures.
Well, at least the audiences still have choice. They could switch channels. While on the other hand, the workers behind this disastrous program will get leashed as soon as the contract over.
A station with successful In-House programs is the one that understand how important the quality of human resources in production department. Because television is about shows that easy to enjoy nice to watch. People looked up to see something artsy may better be told to go to film festival.
Doesn’t mean television have right to put provoking shows for their audiences. However, there is a very thin line between commercialism and greedily degrading. While we will go to this subject in another topic entry, here I will focus on why Creative is holding an important position in production department.
Thy Eye of an Arrow, Thy Edge of a Pencil
Creative main task is designing concepts. The program idea might not be her/his, it might be created by programming people, or an outsider whose proposal is approved by acquisition, or their fellow creative, conceptualizing the format concepts for outbound activity (production department is scheduled to go outbound once every year).
Designing concepts mean they are responsible for writing scripts, doing research, points location, deciding talents/guest star, requesting costumes, arranging backdrops, choosing what artistic tools needed. That was only for shooting preparation. When ratings/share is falling, creative is the one who must figure why and now exactly how to fix it. So these field work, are also includes a lot of analyzing and multi tasking skills. Oh, make sure you remember everything though. A little piece of mistake then the live show goes ugly then you will feel like a surgeon killing innocent people.
You are putting your neck on it, run when you can!
Leave creative qualification to the human resources department, below is the insight look on the ‘bones’ of a program.
A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND:
There is reason why words like targeted or segmented are used in focusing television show. Because it will be easier to decide how to attract potential viewers. Plus a nice show for high educated people and to one who is low educated, is usually different. For example low educated usually choose for melancholic romances which stories could go far illogical. While high educated prefer something that entertaining without overly provoking.
NUMBER ONE A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHAT IS THE TARGETED AUDIENCES?
“It is not important,” one of my producer said and rolling his eyes. I asked him the targeted audiences for his morning talk show. I was only practicing what once was taught to me in Television Industry class room. Naratama Rukmananda, famous program director and my former teacher at school always told his students how important to understand the show’s main audiences.
“The more segmented, the better,” he told us. Years after, I was implementing exactly what he told me and it is proven to be right.
Learning from my mistake in my first weeks, I no longer asked my producers to whom the show is targeted. Instead I try to figure by myself from the program’s type, schedule, and if it is talk show, chosen topics.
When I was handling a reality show which concept is to get celebrity meet with their fans, I used teen magazine as my ‘research’. Reason, celebrity obsession is typical young people habit. And for young people, magazine is their bible. But instead of Seventeen and CosmoGirl, I picked Aneka magazine and teen’s tabloids. Why? Well, girls reading Seventeen and CosmoGirl probably befriends with the teen celebrity itself. Or even if they are not, they would be too shy to show (on national television) how much they worship local celebrity, that would ruin their upper-class-conscious image, you know. From Aneka magazines and teen tabloids, I chose talents, guest star for the show.
Clearly the shows audiences are also the magazine’s readers.
NUMBER TWO A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHO TO CALL?
Who to pick, why she or he will fit with the show’s concept, and are they equips with wit comment plus energy for making the show alive? That are what a creative consider when they have the bible, The Book of Celebrities Numbers, in hand.
If the program is music show, make sure it is the hottest band with the hottest popular song. If it is talk show, make sure the guest star is the expert with ability to explain complicated things clearly. If it is comedy show, make sure it is quick tongue actor with stocks of jokes. A shy and quiet character use to be the last one to pick.
Once the handpicked celebrity arrive, they will be handed the script, if the show require unique costumes, she or he better try the costumes first, if certain make up needed, a creative must stay in wardrobe room to make sure the make up and wardrobe people do exactly as planned.
In talk show, the one to brief, is the hosts and co-host. The talk show guest stars do not have to do many things than only to sit pretty, answering questions, and being talkative. If the talk show is daily, it is even easier. Presenters are smart, quick learner people, they do not need full dialogue script, pointers are enough. Certain talk show may also need experts, the best one on the topic field are the better. Also make sure they are someone who can explain the most complicated things in a simplest way.
In magazine show, the weekly Saturday type, scripted dialogue will be fun for some words exploring chances. There are risks of bad memory presenter (if the show is doing without teleprompter), bad memory guest stars, and if the guest stars are not a public figure, do what you can to make the non public figure feel relax and not pressure, so they will not be too camera conscious. Even though this is rarely happens.
To fix possibility of bad memory problem, just make sure the lines are ‘catchy’ and not too long.
For a creative that already trusted to handle variety show, which includes comedy segment plus band performances, congratulation, this is a yippy-yippy challenging job that is not going to be trusted on someone with bad rapport book. Most variety show shoots live, and a new kid in the block shall not get this job until she or he can prove one is able on doing it. Now, I was also bad in doing run down, but do not worry, timing is not as tight as they used to anymore. Arrange the segments neatly and add more seconds from its exact times. Just in case.
Variety show, especially special events variety, require all the current trends from bands to singer, the songs they play, and guests stars. Make sure the hosts are smart and good improviser. High experiences required because we don’t know if something will go wrong. You do not need to put sexy actress and handsome actor, you need someone you can trust.
There are two kind of reality show; competition reality and non-competition, follow by camera reality. Competition reality consist a lot of studio audiences is almost the same format as variety. While follow by camera reality come with various sub-format and is usually semi-scripted. The script is simple. Focus on who you choose. Whether housewives or high school students, the more they want it, the more chances of emotional scene you will get. For teenagers targeted reality show, good looks and trendy clothes will get more attention. Looked up at The Hills, trendy clothes and the wannabe model star-aura also what makes America’s Next Top Model to multiple cycles.
Last but not least, music programs. This is the television program that can win audience attention with simple strategy. Coolest band, coolest singer and the most popular songs, are guarantee will take the top spot of night share/ratings competition. Music video type show also needs the same demands. But sometimes audiences are more eager to see the musician play their music instead only see the clip video. So slip short interviews with the bands or singer to get ‘the young in the heart people’ (main audiences for music show) stay tune.
Do your research, do not asks stupid too obvious questions. To play it safe, direct the scripts to ‘why, how and what is your next plan’. Warning, they may not like the ‘why’ but that is what audience wants to know.
NUMBER THREE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: R&R
R&R is for Research and reference.
I do not watch infotainment, and since graduated from high school, I rarely read Indonesian magazine. But working as creative will demand you to be rich with pop culture reference. You will be less creative when you don’t know anything that goes around, locally or globally.
Most producers without broadcasting background would think research is not necessary, let’s keep this as our so no little secret…it does.
One of creative job is to win the talents trust. This celebrity, you might not like her or his from what you saw on tv, but ask them to do guest show will help attracting audiences. You only do what you must. Now, you meet them, you have to give brief on what your plans from the script, so they get what you are planning and help you to reach it. How will you make them give one hundred percent performance if they feel like you are some gossip addict trying to give snide remarks on their embarrassing personal life?
Please do not watch infotainment as a pattern that can make you feel better about yourself, watch it to get as many information as you can, so you know what you can and cannot explore about this celebrity.
You found this actress loves singing, when she is the guest star of your meet-the-fan reality show, design a concept she suddenly show up singing to her fan his favorite song. On a magazine you saw this public figure loves to cook, you can design a cooking topic for your daily talk show and asks her to demonstrate their cooking ability. So you can’t stand dangdut, suddenly you are appointed to be the creative of dangdut show.
This one was actually happened to me once. I did a lot of googling using ‘dangdut yuk goyang yuuuk’ kewords, consulting the ‘dangdut experts’ slash the home workers, read tabloids and watched lots of TPI’s dangdut shows.
See, from doing research you will get an insight look of the theme of the show you is doing, the topic which you will be bring. As if that is not good enough, you will find some interesting fact on the target audiences of your show; what they like and what is not. From research and reference, you can get ideas on designing the show’s concept, one that can help to attract target audience and even new programs.
There was talk show about health issue, Dokter TV. Every week there was topic health to be discussed, for example; tuberculosis, diabetic, sex after baby birth, etcetera. What I was looking for in Google engine and magazines were the most horrible thing this health problem could cause, beside of course dead. Now, Dokter TV is a kind of show that women prefer to wach. Women care about health (and cleanliness) more than men, and the show was aired in Saturday morning. So what I tried to do was to get audiences by saying, ‘oh you must know about this issues deeply, it can be really dangerous’. I did that on the first minutes Dokter TV began. The guests star would franticly show up mentioning the worst symptoms and the overdramatized affairs the symptom has caused, she or he would complaining to the host, a doctor, then she would had her colleagues (an expert, another doctor with specialization in talked the issues) to gave explanation.
Admits, the affair or accident and the worst symptoms could be exaggerating. Only slightly percents people could have passed out only because of migraine. But that was true and worked. Especially after the white phlegm issue I suggested, from the 0,1 share/ratings Dokter TV got, the programs was closed with average 1,0 rating/share. We talked about Antv here, and compare to the other Antv’s programs at that time, Dokter TV was doing better.
So in some ways, research and reference will give an understanding of what the target audiences likes and not, need and not; help to add some weight quality on discussed topics; give you an idea on how to attract audience attention, and by the end, increasing ratings/share numbers.
NUMBER FOUR CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: THE POWER OF GOOD SCRIPT
Writing program script may not the best part of creative job. There are boundaries for time and imagination. Consider for duration, discipline for dialogue length, and guards on any possibility. Of course it is less fun than writing for fiction and drama script.
I was not good in making run down, just add one thirty second more than the exact time you count, especially in band performance, you don’t know what they are planning to do on stage, if the lead singer decides to do little chat to studio audience, that can took ten seconds minimum.
Television is about providing programs that cozy to see. Simple but nice, not great, not spectacular, more like making audiences feel comfortable. To make it happen things must be fixed right; except for backdrop, shots, multicamera blockings (single camera like in reality show is usually a creative’s right too depends on how the script is planned), graphic and editing, the rest are on our hand.
Creative chooses the talents, plan the costumes, the surprises, games, questions, and sentence. The whole representation.
I think words arrangements have important share for making the show nice to watch. If it is possible, like for feature magazine show, presenter script shall use proper ‘Bahasa Indonesia’ that nice to hear. Don’t write it too long, because it will hard to memorize, but do make it sounds ‘catchy’, to put more edge.
NUMBER FIVE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: PRODUCERS
As a creative, your choices of talent will be asked, your script will be judged, and if the show going bad, you will be the first to get blame. The tasks are many and you will fine yourself in strained position all the time.
Sadly, office hierarchy is something a creative cannot avoid. In some television company, producers could determine your contract. Another problem, she or he will like to interfere on what you have neatly write and in many-many cases the co-write script would become a disaster. Again, you get the blame.
Many producers who usually started from Production Assistant position almost illiterate. Even if they used to be scriptwriter it usually doesn’t helped much.
See, if the script you write does bad and you are blame, at least that is for something you do. You deserved it. But if it is the other person who change what you have done right, than you will get to blame by something that are not your fault.
This happened to me. For special variety show event, my producer who like handling anything by himself, changed my script. I let him. Before shooting, the talents read it. They commented on the script, said it was ugly and they would rather improvised. The in-charge production person heard, then he spread what he heard to anyone and in the end of my second contract period he used that to go against me.
After that happened, I become so guarded with producer interference. One day we worked together again and he tried to do the same. I rejected his suggestion bluntly and had hurt his feeling for no good reason.
So do refused but not too straightforward. Just say that it is your task to do the script and that a good team player does not do interference another person’s job.
Another advice, creative will work closely with producers. You needed to know closer the person you work with. Presumably one strength and weakness. Because if the shootings are done in the outdoor field which will needed a lot of coordination, that would be useful. Does your producer a communicative person? Does your producer a people person or people people? Does he/she always on time or usually late? Does he/she can do different things in one time? If they can’t, you must fill in and be they sole reminder.
GENERAL:
TELEVISION CREATIVE IS AN ADAPTATION ON SOCIOLOGICAL CHARACTER BASED ON CATEGORIES; SEX, AGE, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC STATUS, AND DEMOGRAPHIC AREA.
Stationed Locally
Local television is the topic I have chosen for my undergraduate thesis. Local television might provided what local viewers wanted to see and they can’t find in national channels, but the one basis in Jakarta I figure have more difficult potential to grow. This first based on the fact that Jakarta’s residents are mobile. Even though there are many unemployed young adult, or stay-at-home mothers and children, but they have been years consuming programs the national channel provided. Sinetrons, infotainments, reality shows contest, America’s television series, and others.
It is already not easy in winning viewers that for years have been loyal to national channels. It is already an understanding that most Indonesia’s middle class audience subscribing network cable at their home, and main thing that distinguished local stations from national station is taste of local identification the viewers can find. That is the key for winning local audiences. Since in a country with numerous tribes like Indonesia, what differentiating people taste other than age groups and socio-economic background are also its local identities basic on demographic living. As seen in the diagram below:
Top Program TV Lokal Denpasar Berdasarkan Rating
All 5+, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Pembukaan Pesta Kesenian Bali Spesial: Special Event 72 12.1 60.1
Hiburan Rakyat Kecil Spesial: Special Event 66 11.1 28.9
Drama Gong Sing Taen Enduk Entertainment: Traditional 32 5.5 22.3
Menyongsong Matahari Ber Spesial: Special Event 32 5.3 25.8
Gelar Kreasi Nusantara Spesial: Special Event 30 5.1 18.3
Top Program TV Lokal Surabaya Berdasarkan Rating
All 5+, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Pesta Heboh Ultah Pasuruan Entertainment: Traditional 70 0.9 5.8
Gipsy Angels Movie: Action/Adventure 62 0.8 2.2
She Fought Alone Movie: Drama 56 0.7 1.8
Touched by a Killer Movie: Action/Adventure 54 0.7 1.8
Raka Raki Jawa Timur Entertainment: Variety Show 50 0.6 1.9
Top Program TV Lokal Semarang
Anak-Anak & Remaja, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Surga Ramadhan Information: Documentary 1.2 4.3 117
Rihlah Information: Documentary 1.1 3.5 113
Penjelajah Halilintar Entertainment: Reality Show 1.0 3.3 83
Lomba & Festival Band Remaja Entertainment: Music 0.9 4.7 195
Goyang Pantura Spesial Tahun Baru Entertainment: Music 0.8 6.9 59
Top Program TV Lokal Yogyakarta
Anak-Anak & Remaja, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Klinong Klinong Campursari Entertainment: Music 2.3 7.6 120
Djiwa Indonesia Merdeka Information: Documentary 2.2 9.3 202
Peluncuran Buku Moh. Mahfud MD. Filler: Others 2.1 18.4 229
Kamling Desa Simangun Information: Documentary 1.9 7.3 528
Among Rasa Information: TalkShow 1.9. 2.6. 288
Semarang television dominant audiences are; women, children and teenagers, students, age 30+, Social Economic Status DE. Audience numbers in Semarang are more into national channels than local. While Yogyakarta’s national channel audience rates are below Semarang’s, Semarang local channel audience rates are below local channel’s audience in Yogyakarta. Viewers living in Yogyakarta are likely to choose local programs more than national programs. Yogyakarta is admits as the central of Javanese culture. Yogyakarta audience most come from categories; women, children and teenagers, students (age 5-14; age 20-29), Social Economic Status C.
Similar with Yogya local station, BaliTV, the local channel in Denpasar has more viewers than national channels. In fact, BaliTV is the most successful local station from currently 24 local stations that have reported active in Indonesia. Known for its tourism, Indonesians living in Bali are familiar with mixed of Balinese culture and global taste the comers bring. Bali is the island that many foreigners from all over the world have called home
Denpasar audience profile are dominated by such categories; male/female, age 24-39 and 50+, Social Economic Status CDE, mostly work in informal sector or retirement. Meanwhile Surabaya audiences are dominated by male, age 5-19 and 30-39, upper social economic status. The audiences more likely choosing national channels than local ones. It is also an interesting fact that most successful programs in
Surabaya local station is import movies. While Denpasar audience noted as local-centris, Surabaya audiences are more into foreign movies and only watches local station for significant programs such as news and traditional entertainments.
Bali and Surabaya are two example on how complex it is the concept to attract local viewers could be. What may work in Jakarta may not work in Jogja, what may work in Denpasar may not work in Makassar. How construction of meaning will work depends on audience majority profiles such as age, sex, and social economic status. How alive is the town sub-culture activities also can be clue.
An illustration might come from local station in Bandung. Home for national football club Persib Jaya and the city where indie music and clothing label were started, Bandung TV most popular programs are soccer games and music entertainment programs. Music and soccer are the two things that can attached Bandung majority audience, because the public is known for their interests in these field. But what might work for Bandung might not goes the same for Yogyakarta audience that as seen in the table above have taken more interests for cultural programs such as Klinong-Klinong Campur Sari.
From above we see that in the cities with strong cultural tradition like Yogyakarta and Denpasar, providing local taste has proven a right thing to do. For Semarang and second biggest city in Indonesia, Surabaya, the story was completely different. The city audiences were more into watching national stations than local station.
If to be popular, the television text of national station has to be read and enjoyed by a diversity of social groups, then for local station, it is about composes meaning basic on dominant ideology in the particular demographic area.
Now speaking of Jakarta local television problems, here is their main dilemma; Jakarta’s local station cannot provide only one local taste since Jakarta is the city where million citizens coming from numerous provinces in Indonesia. In short, they became another version of national channels with limited reception and fewer target audiences that not only have less time watching television, but more likely choosing cable channels over local television.
Luckily, local channels are encouraging local businesses to buy their commercial spots in far more reasonable price than commercial spot in national channels. In short, local media does have their own strengths to gather crumbs of profit from what can not be provide by national media. What they only need to do is develop their target loyalties. For Jakarta’s local stations, this can only happens by providing what the viewers could not get from national television and cable television networks. What that is, they must find by doing specific methods in research.
It is already not easy in winning viewers that for years have been loyal to national channels. It is already an understanding that most Indonesia’s middle class audience subscribing network cable at their home, and main thing that distinguished local stations from national station is taste of local identification the viewers can find. That is the key for winning local audiences. Since in a country with numerous tribes like Indonesia, what differentiating people taste other than age groups and socio-economic background are also its local identities basic on demographic living. As seen in the diagram below:
Top Program TV Lokal Denpasar Berdasarkan Rating
All 5+, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Pembukaan Pesta Kesenian Bali Spesial: Special Event 72 12.1 60.1
Hiburan Rakyat Kecil Spesial: Special Event 66 11.1 28.9
Drama Gong Sing Taen Enduk Entertainment: Traditional 32 5.5 22.3
Menyongsong Matahari Ber Spesial: Special Event 32 5.3 25.8
Gelar Kreasi Nusantara Spesial: Special Event 30 5.1 18.3
Top Program TV Lokal Surabaya Berdasarkan Rating
All 5+, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Pesta Heboh Ultah Pasuruan Entertainment: Traditional 70 0.9 5.8
Gipsy Angels Movie: Action/Adventure 62 0.8 2.2
She Fought Alone Movie: Drama 56 0.7 1.8
Touched by a Killer Movie: Action/Adventure 54 0.7 1.8
Raka Raki Jawa Timur Entertainment: Variety Show 50 0.6 1.9
Top Program TV Lokal Semarang
Anak-Anak & Remaja, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Surga Ramadhan Information: Documentary 1.2 4.3 117
Rihlah Information: Documentary 1.1 3.5 113
Penjelajah Halilintar Entertainment: Reality Show 1.0 3.3 83
Lomba & Festival Band Remaja Entertainment: Music 0.9 4.7 195
Goyang Pantura Spesial Tahun Baru Entertainment: Music 0.8 6.9 59
Top Program TV Lokal Yogyakarta
Anak-Anak & Remaja, Periode: Januari-Desember 2007
PROGRAM TIPE PROGRAM 000 TVR SHARE
Klinong Klinong Campursari Entertainment: Music 2.3 7.6 120
Djiwa Indonesia Merdeka Information: Documentary 2.2 9.3 202
Peluncuran Buku Moh. Mahfud MD. Filler: Others 2.1 18.4 229
Kamling Desa Simangun Information: Documentary 1.9 7.3 528
Among Rasa Information: TalkShow 1.9. 2.6. 288
Semarang television dominant audiences are; women, children and teenagers, students, age 30+, Social Economic Status DE. Audience numbers in Semarang are more into national channels than local. While Yogyakarta’s national channel audience rates are below Semarang’s, Semarang local channel audience rates are below local channel’s audience in Yogyakarta. Viewers living in Yogyakarta are likely to choose local programs more than national programs. Yogyakarta is admits as the central of Javanese culture. Yogyakarta audience most come from categories; women, children and teenagers, students (age 5-14; age 20-29), Social Economic Status C.
Similar with Yogya local station, BaliTV, the local channel in Denpasar has more viewers than national channels. In fact, BaliTV is the most successful local station from currently 24 local stations that have reported active in Indonesia. Known for its tourism, Indonesians living in Bali are familiar with mixed of Balinese culture and global taste the comers bring. Bali is the island that many foreigners from all over the world have called home
Denpasar audience profile are dominated by such categories; male/female, age 24-39 and 50+, Social Economic Status CDE, mostly work in informal sector or retirement. Meanwhile Surabaya audiences are dominated by male, age 5-19 and 30-39, upper social economic status. The audiences more likely choosing national channels than local ones. It is also an interesting fact that most successful programs in
Surabaya local station is import movies. While Denpasar audience noted as local-centris, Surabaya audiences are more into foreign movies and only watches local station for significant programs such as news and traditional entertainments.
Bali and Surabaya are two example on how complex it is the concept to attract local viewers could be. What may work in Jakarta may not work in Jogja, what may work in Denpasar may not work in Makassar. How construction of meaning will work depends on audience majority profiles such as age, sex, and social economic status. How alive is the town sub-culture activities also can be clue.
An illustration might come from local station in Bandung. Home for national football club Persib Jaya and the city where indie music and clothing label were started, Bandung TV most popular programs are soccer games and music entertainment programs. Music and soccer are the two things that can attached Bandung majority audience, because the public is known for their interests in these field. But what might work for Bandung might not goes the same for Yogyakarta audience that as seen in the table above have taken more interests for cultural programs such as Klinong-Klinong Campur Sari.
From above we see that in the cities with strong cultural tradition like Yogyakarta and Denpasar, providing local taste has proven a right thing to do. For Semarang and second biggest city in Indonesia, Surabaya, the story was completely different. The city audiences were more into watching national stations than local station.
If to be popular, the television text of national station has to be read and enjoyed by a diversity of social groups, then for local station, it is about composes meaning basic on dominant ideology in the particular demographic area.
Now speaking of Jakarta local television problems, here is their main dilemma; Jakarta’s local station cannot provide only one local taste since Jakarta is the city where million citizens coming from numerous provinces in Indonesia. In short, they became another version of national channels with limited reception and fewer target audiences that not only have less time watching television, but more likely choosing cable channels over local television.
Luckily, local channels are encouraging local businesses to buy their commercial spots in far more reasonable price than commercial spot in national channels. In short, local media does have their own strengths to gather crumbs of profit from what can not be provide by national media. What they only need to do is develop their target loyalties. For Jakarta’s local stations, this can only happens by providing what the viewers could not get from national television and cable television networks. What that is, they must find by doing specific methods in research.
StarAntv; The Deeming Star
Today this station is known as Starantv. Before, Cakrawala Andalas Television or Antv. Star, the biggest network on broadcasting owned by king of media, Rupert Murdoch, bought twenty percent of its share in 2006. If it were cancer, that time Antv was already in stadium three. The damages have long been there and when that finally being realized, the tumor grew strong and could not be cured anymore.
Unlike most national television channel based in Jakarta, Antv first aired in Lampung. Started as local TV station in the owner –Bakrie family— hometown. Antv soon became national channel and removed to Jakarta. For years they rented the top floor of Sentra Mulia building, located on prestigious Kuningan area. At first, Antv was quite successful with shows targeted for young consumers and sports freak. They landed Special Pake Telor and Hari Harimau that launched the succes of Indonesia’s famous presenters today, Farhan and Nico Siahaan. They started the success of television drama, Pondok Indah, which ‘inspired’ from Aaron Spelling’s Beverly Hills 90210. The show brought actress Wulan Guritno into her popularity. And thanks to Antv, the youngsters without satellite plate at home (cable tv were not known in the nineties) could watches MTV for free in the afternoon.
Antv would always be remember as first national station that put the popular music network into the eye of Indonesian viewers. But what seemed like their smart moved also been starting point of its downfall. The MTV shows had not worked well. The shares and ratings of MTV were way under any other national channel including Indosiar, two years her junior. Indosiar the station with flying fish logo, only needed three years to removed firstborn national TV station, RCTI, from top and raised to number one.
While Indosiar raising into top spot, Antv slowly stepping down from the short stardom. Eventually Antv visits into the unknown area happened until 2002, when the prince of Bakrie kingdom, Anindya, took over. Antv brought at that time BDI’s production, Campur-Campur, to filled in the noon schedule. Apparently learning from mistakes done by former MTV schedule, Antv put the shows that could meet the housewives taste and thirst on celebrities. It works!
Campur-Campur, talk show with enormous prizes from sponsors became famous. Bad not hold for long. BDI production sold Campur-Campur’s right to Avant Garde while they were developing another show with similar format for TransTV. Antv kept Campur-Campur as its thropy show while TransTV’s Ceriwis came up with a better presenter and far better picture quality. Until today, Indy Barends proves her skill as a day time talk show queen with partner, presenter-comedian, Indra Bekti. While Ceriwis remains on TransTV schedule, Campur-Campur has long gone from Antv’s daytime schedule.
Not long after, reality shows trend began. Started from the instant stardom of Akademi Fantasi Indosiar in 2004, and RCTI various reality shows scheduled on weekends, Antv joint the club with their Penghuni Terakhir, famously be shorted as Petir. The concept are simple, a dozen of elected finalists would stay together in one house without television, newspaper and internet. They are completely isolated yet they are forced to face their differences in order to win the viewers’ sympathy. The winner of this reality show would be given a house worth one billion rupiah.
The shows became a hit and the finalists of Petir, like any other reality show contests that time, gained instant popularity. Petir which only lasts in their season three became another success story after Super Deal One Billion landed. Later the version of Super Deal Two Billion and Super Deal Three Billion also made, all were stripping from Monday to Friday, sixth until ninth pm in the row.
Did it work? It shortly had put StarAntv on the top spot map, but only shortly. Not only stripping programs in Indonesia are in danger on sending viewers into earlier boredom, it’s also could send the creative team into deadlock. The shows cost great amount of money since they were offering billion rupiah prize, yet they were not drama program. Super Deal Billion Rupiahs’ turned to be one of the biggest mistake in Indonesia television programming history.
The rules on programming are simple; do not put a television non drama show to compete with big budget high rating drama on prime time hours, and unless you are a filthy rich American, do not placing the same shows with two of its prequel hammocks five days a week. In Indonesia, one local talk show one local quiz airing everyday already enough in making people get bored faster than they are expected, don’t asked how it was going to end up with triple hours a day.
The Oprah Winfrey Show might be a successful program for many years in the US. But Oprah had so many segment producers and dozens of production assistants that responsible for making every episode worth to see (despite many critics the show got for various sentimental exploitation they were putting).
Maintaining a good program depends so much on its people quality. The shows are like human face, this fact making the department responsible for creating and featuring in-programs the most important tools in the company.
And in Antv case, that’s where the tumor lies.
1st sample:
TransTV is now become the most reputable television station for its entertainment shows, not only for the brand they set in to be Indonesia version of HBO, but also for their great in-house programs. In some ways, they set their eyes for the latest favorites in cable channels. We can say TransTV is new in the national broadcasting world. They were came up after MetroTV and Lativi in early 2000’s. TransTV began the company by recruiting fresh graduate and college student. They also was hiring top creative worker and television executives from Indosiar, at that time was crowned as number one national channel. The fresh graduate employees got three months training before contracted as full time staff. This method is believed as the one thing that brought TransTV to their current position.
2nd sample:
Born in 1995, the member of Indofood group, Indosiar, was fast in claiming the stake of number one tv station from late nineties to early two thousand. While TransTV climbing their way by following any potential shows in other networks, Indosiar came up with widely acclaimed programs which offered original idea and succeeded to meet the local viewers’ taste. To name a few; Kiss, the first infotainment with concept of two presenters, Quiz Siapa Berani, an acquisition programs from Triwarsana, Allez Cuisin’, Ketoprak Humor, and various magazine shows that were aired on Saturday morning. Not only leading in scoring numerous successful shows, at the past time Indosiar also had been a champion for high visual qualities on their in-houses’.
Indosiar has the same story like TransTV. From any other national channel started airing in the nineties, Indosiar was the youngest. Understanding what it is needed to build a strong broadcasting company, they not only recruiting from television students in Jakarta Arts Institute, but also provided broadcast training program for their employees. They settled an agreement for professional training with TV-B, a prestigious channel in Hong Kong.
The workers that responsible in delivering shows to the screen were like an arrow. They needed to love what they are doing so they can be dedicated and creative. So, the top television channels tend to sharpen their tools before they begin; new employees are first being prepared to understand the insightful of broadcasting world. But above that, this skilled people are also being guarded with effective management and work culture.
Media Nusantara Citra noted as the biggest media corporation in Indonesia where RCTI, TPI, and GlobalTV belongs. GlobalTV which used to be MTV Indonesia channel before joined MNC group is the youngest from the bunch. While RCTI always one of the top three national stations in Indonesia known for their upper class sinetrons and TV shows, TPI is the only television station targeted for lower class viewers. MNC television network are strong players in television business, but they never heard providing any training for their employees. They are known for their way hijacking strong players in television.
It was not like Antv never tried to fix their problem. In 2004, Antv recruited Titan Hermawan from Indosiar. Not long after, Titan asked his former workmates at TransTV to joint Antv. In the paper, TransTV people supposed to be smart and tough tv employees. Besides, they were not worked alone, Antv also accepted many experiences creative people to joint production department. In the top level management came big names in national television professionals such as Ratna Mahadi, Alex Kumara, and Karni Illyas, that having heard also brought along some of their ‘trusted staff’ from former office.
There is unspoken fact in the working world; that workplace is also the labyrinth of socialization where new people try to get in with their new working environment. In media business where seniority determines by how long someone have working on particular field, the very same fact often become a bullet that brings down top media companies. Seniority caused what is called as office politics where popular group becomes dominant. So it is not always about who does the best work but more like, who is having a good connection with powerful clique’. An unhealthy culture brings unhealthy work place where skill is no longer count, this later affect the low quality and low aesthetic shows as seen in the screen today.
Is it danger? Well, it definitely will strain the strength of production department. In television, the shows are like the face of human anatomy. People behind the production department were scorer that determined whether targets would work successful, or tripped.
Not like the top management of Starantv does not understood how important the strength of production department. When Antv became Starantv, they brought Farhan, who had been successful creating shows like Extravaganza and Lepas Malam on TransTV, and PamPam, ‘the brain’ behind production house Indigo ‘success’ in infotainment, to joint production team.
The people behind Starantv surely had work hard but improvement never gone as expected. After two years of trying, Titan Hermawan accepted new position at MNC and Bakrie family together with JakTV’s shareholder Eric Thohir, decided to purchase Lativi, name then change into TVOne. The then top executives from Starantv such Alex Kumara and Karni Ilyas got transfer to TVOne. Lativi rebirth as TVOne was publicly introduced in late 2007. Karni Ilyas is now incumbent CEO of TVOne.
Now why does Antv/Starantv constantly failed in trying to get to the top spot?
Here are several possibilities:
1. THEY WAIT TOO LONG TO FIXED THE PROBLEM. The television business has turning into though competition. Cable television subscribers have increased, local TVs have aired and the numerous national channels have been more than enough. If watching television is about habit, so does in choosing channels. When one station decreased from popularity, viewers starts seeing another channel that offers more interesting shows. Eventually if they turned on the TV, they will first choose channels they see the most. Choosing channel is about habit too. The longer a channel let their shows down then the longer they let themselves being forgotten. Then the more difficult to reach the top spot ever again.
2. DESPITE OUR NATIONAL FLAG, INDONESIAN VIEWERS DOES NOT FOND TO SEE RED AND ORANGE COLOR ON SCREEN. Yes, it has proven working well for Hong Kong and Chinese TV station. Most of their programs are red graphics and backdrop dominance. But the Chinese believe red is a good color. Red symbolizes luck. It is different for a country that long has been dominated by Javanese culture. For us, red symbolizes as bravery or even spirit to be different. In the country where boldness does not well accepted, red is not the color that most people can feel warm and related. Therefore, eager to see.
3. IT IS NOT ENOUGH HIRING SEVERAL NEW PEOPLE, WHOLE HUMAN RESOURCESS SHALL BE INTRODUCES INTO A WORK CULTURE. Specially the ones who have worked for more than ten years in the company. See, they recruited ‘though television expert’ like Farhan or Pampam, and former TransTV creative people. But as new person, instead of bringing down the former work culture and work ethics they had from their past experience, the new people needed to adapt. They need to be accepted by ‘the old crew’. This is where all the problems lie. New people come, unhealthy work culture stay. So no matter how good the plan and programs placement, audiences watching StarAntv’s shows would always feel like they are watching things not one hundred percent being done.
4. As soon as viewers sense the different, they will skipped and choose another channel. They are only thinking to give it a try anyway, they always like the other one anyway, the one dominates by blue color and full of drama. In television, timing means everything. We can steal or lose an audience in a matter of a second (scene).
Unlike most national television channel based in Jakarta, Antv first aired in Lampung. Started as local TV station in the owner –Bakrie family— hometown. Antv soon became national channel and removed to Jakarta. For years they rented the top floor of Sentra Mulia building, located on prestigious Kuningan area. At first, Antv was quite successful with shows targeted for young consumers and sports freak. They landed Special Pake Telor and Hari Harimau that launched the succes of Indonesia’s famous presenters today, Farhan and Nico Siahaan. They started the success of television drama, Pondok Indah, which ‘inspired’ from Aaron Spelling’s Beverly Hills 90210. The show brought actress Wulan Guritno into her popularity. And thanks to Antv, the youngsters without satellite plate at home (cable tv were not known in the nineties) could watches MTV for free in the afternoon.
Antv would always be remember as first national station that put the popular music network into the eye of Indonesian viewers. But what seemed like their smart moved also been starting point of its downfall. The MTV shows had not worked well. The shares and ratings of MTV were way under any other national channel including Indosiar, two years her junior. Indosiar the station with flying fish logo, only needed three years to removed firstborn national TV station, RCTI, from top and raised to number one.
While Indosiar raising into top spot, Antv slowly stepping down from the short stardom. Eventually Antv visits into the unknown area happened until 2002, when the prince of Bakrie kingdom, Anindya, took over. Antv brought at that time BDI’s production, Campur-Campur, to filled in the noon schedule. Apparently learning from mistakes done by former MTV schedule, Antv put the shows that could meet the housewives taste and thirst on celebrities. It works!
Campur-Campur, talk show with enormous prizes from sponsors became famous. Bad not hold for long. BDI production sold Campur-Campur’s right to Avant Garde while they were developing another show with similar format for TransTV. Antv kept Campur-Campur as its thropy show while TransTV’s Ceriwis came up with a better presenter and far better picture quality. Until today, Indy Barends proves her skill as a day time talk show queen with partner, presenter-comedian, Indra Bekti. While Ceriwis remains on TransTV schedule, Campur-Campur has long gone from Antv’s daytime schedule.
Not long after, reality shows trend began. Started from the instant stardom of Akademi Fantasi Indosiar in 2004, and RCTI various reality shows scheduled on weekends, Antv joint the club with their Penghuni Terakhir, famously be shorted as Petir. The concept are simple, a dozen of elected finalists would stay together in one house without television, newspaper and internet. They are completely isolated yet they are forced to face their differences in order to win the viewers’ sympathy. The winner of this reality show would be given a house worth one billion rupiah.
The shows became a hit and the finalists of Petir, like any other reality show contests that time, gained instant popularity. Petir which only lasts in their season three became another success story after Super Deal One Billion landed. Later the version of Super Deal Two Billion and Super Deal Three Billion also made, all were stripping from Monday to Friday, sixth until ninth pm in the row.
Did it work? It shortly had put StarAntv on the top spot map, but only shortly. Not only stripping programs in Indonesia are in danger on sending viewers into earlier boredom, it’s also could send the creative team into deadlock. The shows cost great amount of money since they were offering billion rupiah prize, yet they were not drama program. Super Deal Billion Rupiahs’ turned to be one of the biggest mistake in Indonesia television programming history.
The rules on programming are simple; do not put a television non drama show to compete with big budget high rating drama on prime time hours, and unless you are a filthy rich American, do not placing the same shows with two of its prequel hammocks five days a week. In Indonesia, one local talk show one local quiz airing everyday already enough in making people get bored faster than they are expected, don’t asked how it was going to end up with triple hours a day.
The Oprah Winfrey Show might be a successful program for many years in the US. But Oprah had so many segment producers and dozens of production assistants that responsible for making every episode worth to see (despite many critics the show got for various sentimental exploitation they were putting).
Maintaining a good program depends so much on its people quality. The shows are like human face, this fact making the department responsible for creating and featuring in-programs the most important tools in the company.
And in Antv case, that’s where the tumor lies.
1st sample:
TransTV is now become the most reputable television station for its entertainment shows, not only for the brand they set in to be Indonesia version of HBO, but also for their great in-house programs. In some ways, they set their eyes for the latest favorites in cable channels. We can say TransTV is new in the national broadcasting world. They were came up after MetroTV and Lativi in early 2000’s. TransTV began the company by recruiting fresh graduate and college student. They also was hiring top creative worker and television executives from Indosiar, at that time was crowned as number one national channel. The fresh graduate employees got three months training before contracted as full time staff. This method is believed as the one thing that brought TransTV to their current position.
2nd sample:
Born in 1995, the member of Indofood group, Indosiar, was fast in claiming the stake of number one tv station from late nineties to early two thousand. While TransTV climbing their way by following any potential shows in other networks, Indosiar came up with widely acclaimed programs which offered original idea and succeeded to meet the local viewers’ taste. To name a few; Kiss, the first infotainment with concept of two presenters, Quiz Siapa Berani, an acquisition programs from Triwarsana, Allez Cuisin’, Ketoprak Humor, and various magazine shows that were aired on Saturday morning. Not only leading in scoring numerous successful shows, at the past time Indosiar also had been a champion for high visual qualities on their in-houses’.
Indosiar has the same story like TransTV. From any other national channel started airing in the nineties, Indosiar was the youngest. Understanding what it is needed to build a strong broadcasting company, they not only recruiting from television students in Jakarta Arts Institute, but also provided broadcast training program for their employees. They settled an agreement for professional training with TV-B, a prestigious channel in Hong Kong.
The workers that responsible in delivering shows to the screen were like an arrow. They needed to love what they are doing so they can be dedicated and creative. So, the top television channels tend to sharpen their tools before they begin; new employees are first being prepared to understand the insightful of broadcasting world. But above that, this skilled people are also being guarded with effective management and work culture.
Media Nusantara Citra noted as the biggest media corporation in Indonesia where RCTI, TPI, and GlobalTV belongs. GlobalTV which used to be MTV Indonesia channel before joined MNC group is the youngest from the bunch. While RCTI always one of the top three national stations in Indonesia known for their upper class sinetrons and TV shows, TPI is the only television station targeted for lower class viewers. MNC television network are strong players in television business, but they never heard providing any training for their employees. They are known for their way hijacking strong players in television.
It was not like Antv never tried to fix their problem. In 2004, Antv recruited Titan Hermawan from Indosiar. Not long after, Titan asked his former workmates at TransTV to joint Antv. In the paper, TransTV people supposed to be smart and tough tv employees. Besides, they were not worked alone, Antv also accepted many experiences creative people to joint production department. In the top level management came big names in national television professionals such as Ratna Mahadi, Alex Kumara, and Karni Illyas, that having heard also brought along some of their ‘trusted staff’ from former office.
There is unspoken fact in the working world; that workplace is also the labyrinth of socialization where new people try to get in with their new working environment. In media business where seniority determines by how long someone have working on particular field, the very same fact often become a bullet that brings down top media companies. Seniority caused what is called as office politics where popular group becomes dominant. So it is not always about who does the best work but more like, who is having a good connection with powerful clique’. An unhealthy culture brings unhealthy work place where skill is no longer count, this later affect the low quality and low aesthetic shows as seen in the screen today.
Is it danger? Well, it definitely will strain the strength of production department. In television, the shows are like the face of human anatomy. People behind the production department were scorer that determined whether targets would work successful, or tripped.
Not like the top management of Starantv does not understood how important the strength of production department. When Antv became Starantv, they brought Farhan, who had been successful creating shows like Extravaganza and Lepas Malam on TransTV, and PamPam, ‘the brain’ behind production house Indigo ‘success’ in infotainment, to joint production team.
The people behind Starantv surely had work hard but improvement never gone as expected. After two years of trying, Titan Hermawan accepted new position at MNC and Bakrie family together with JakTV’s shareholder Eric Thohir, decided to purchase Lativi, name then change into TVOne. The then top executives from Starantv such Alex Kumara and Karni Ilyas got transfer to TVOne. Lativi rebirth as TVOne was publicly introduced in late 2007. Karni Ilyas is now incumbent CEO of TVOne.
Now why does Antv/Starantv constantly failed in trying to get to the top spot?
Here are several possibilities:
1. THEY WAIT TOO LONG TO FIXED THE PROBLEM. The television business has turning into though competition. Cable television subscribers have increased, local TVs have aired and the numerous national channels have been more than enough. If watching television is about habit, so does in choosing channels. When one station decreased from popularity, viewers starts seeing another channel that offers more interesting shows. Eventually if they turned on the TV, they will first choose channels they see the most. Choosing channel is about habit too. The longer a channel let their shows down then the longer they let themselves being forgotten. Then the more difficult to reach the top spot ever again.
2. DESPITE OUR NATIONAL FLAG, INDONESIAN VIEWERS DOES NOT FOND TO SEE RED AND ORANGE COLOR ON SCREEN. Yes, it has proven working well for Hong Kong and Chinese TV station. Most of their programs are red graphics and backdrop dominance. But the Chinese believe red is a good color. Red symbolizes luck. It is different for a country that long has been dominated by Javanese culture. For us, red symbolizes as bravery or even spirit to be different. In the country where boldness does not well accepted, red is not the color that most people can feel warm and related. Therefore, eager to see.
3. IT IS NOT ENOUGH HIRING SEVERAL NEW PEOPLE, WHOLE HUMAN RESOURCESS SHALL BE INTRODUCES INTO A WORK CULTURE. Specially the ones who have worked for more than ten years in the company. See, they recruited ‘though television expert’ like Farhan or Pampam, and former TransTV creative people. But as new person, instead of bringing down the former work culture and work ethics they had from their past experience, the new people needed to adapt. They need to be accepted by ‘the old crew’. This is where all the problems lie. New people come, unhealthy work culture stay. So no matter how good the plan and programs placement, audiences watching StarAntv’s shows would always feel like they are watching things not one hundred percent being done.
4. As soon as viewers sense the different, they will skipped and choose another channel. They are only thinking to give it a try anyway, they always like the other one anyway, the one dominates by blue color and full of drama. In television, timing means everything. We can steal or lose an audience in a matter of a second (scene).
Mechanism That Makes Reality TV Unreal
It is known each television format has their own strength that ties audiences’ for becoming loyal consumer. While drama is revealing materials that help audience seeing relevant identification with their daily problems, Oprah personality brings loyal audience watching her daily shows, reality shows with its way of dramatization now have turning into various types of reality and proving that the format could be as inviting as drama and music programs.
Reality show first started in 1948, when Allen Funt’s Candid Camera aired. Words had it said, Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls (1966), got several acquaintances with reality television concept. In the film, camera just followed Warhol around without direction. This concept later televised in An American Family, which about a nuclear family going through divorce.
Indonesian viewer would remember first the reality format they watched from the longest running show in MTV history, Real World (1992), which also had its Indonesian MTV Real World version (1998). Before MTV Real World ever made, Dutch Television had gotten similar concept since 1991, the show called Nummer 28, originated the concept together of putting strangers together in the same environment for an extended period of time and recording the drama that ensued.
Reality show recording the stars life drama, later dominates from E! to music channels VH1 & MTV’s. E! has Kimora Life in The Fabulous Line, Keeping Up With The Kardashian, Denise Richards; It’s Complicated, Number One Single, The Anna Nicole Show, Living Lohan and Hey Paula!
While MTV chosen Room Raiders (love it!), My Super Sweet Sixteen (for disgustingly spoiled teens), Punk’D, The Newlyweds; Nick and Jessica, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills (scripted), VH1 had America’s Next Top Model, Bad Girls Gone Bad, Parental Control, and Tommy Lee Goes To College.
Another example that Indonesian viewers could only seen in cable networks or pirates DVD, Simple Life, reality show about two high society girl, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie spending days living in trailer and doing what describe as blue collar type of job. Simple Life, was no different from various documentary style reality featured on E! Channel which popular as celebreality.
On the contrary of celebreality, is the type of reality show which offers chance to people get what they intend to have in an instant; elimination/game show reality type.
From Joe Millionaire to Smack down (consider as game show) which combining sport with brief drama, The Apprentice to Fear Factor, American Idol to Project Runway, in Indonesia it were games/eliminations reality type that won the most of viewer’s heart. Each elimination reality had its own strength and loyal audience. The common thing elimination reality offered is giving their contestants chance to become temporary celebrity.
Names like Joy Tobing, Delon, and Mike, were example of how for certain people fame can come easily. They were finalist of Indonesian Idol, one of RCTI big hits for non-drama program. No different from
Indonesian Idol, within a year former American Idol contestants, Jennifer Hudson had a better gift, an Oscar.
In 2004-2005 when reality show became trend on national station’s schedule, programs like Akademi Fantasi Indosiar, Indonesian Idol, and Akademi Pelawak Indonesia (Indonesian Academy for Comedian) received critic for instant stardom its offer. Part half of the comments were say by fellow singers and entertainers, so there were more like a threatened expression than pure concern.
Problems started when integrity issue brought into surface. Since the name of the (program) format is reality, people expect to see things as the way they were without feature scenes and scripted dialogue. New Age, Australian newspaper, in their 2003 article has reported that shows like Big Brother, Survivor and The Real World were design to encourage particular behaviors and conflicts.
Reality show’s producers had specifically selected the participants and use carefully planned scenarios, challenges, events and settings (en.wikipedia.org/Reality Show). In Indonesia, member of reality show’s creative teams have admitted that they used similar strategy when designing their programs concept.
They who was loyal audience on Penghuni Terakhir 2 (now known as Starantv, 2005) might remember Wulan, the girl with plain attitude that brought viewers attention to Petir. Petir’s creative person admitted that they had exposing Wulan’s naïve attitude in order to add more spices for the show. It works. Petir 2 was noted more successful than its first season.
Couple of years before Penghuni Terakhir, MTV Indonesia aired the first docureality in Indonesia, MTV Ajang Ajeng, a model search contest where dozens of young girls living together in a quarantine. Their day to day life captured by the camera consist a cat fight between two of contestants. This fight, told one of the crew, was encouraged by production team member. Sensing there were two young girls disliking each other, the sentiment later encouraged for an explosive argument. Reason? So the show would be more interesting to watch.
MTV Ajang Ajeng might put what it was necessary in order making their show enjoyable. But the show also successful not only for gathering young audiences, it also surprisingly had bringing names like Nadya Mulya, Dominique, Shareefa Danish and Dinar, into a good modelling career and later, acting.
Speaking on reality show critism, none had receiving more reviews than Triwarsana production. Owned by Helmy Yahya the creator of Quiz Siapa Berani (Who Dare), which became phenomenon in 2001, the company produced many reality programs that specializing in exploiting poverty.
Nikah Yukk (Let’s Get Married) and Bedah Rumah (Get The House Fixed) were basically designated the same. The poor whose in desperate needs to make their dreams come true (whether it is to get married or having their house fixed), would have to act like in a state of heavenly happiness when they received news that they are the lucky one. Viewers will see how they run, jump, and cry in disbelief. Watching the shows, viewers would find how the blessings been taken so emotional it almost seemed like a degradation of pride.
The type of this kind of reality is self improvement/ makeover reality. Despite differences in the content, the format is usually the same: first the show introduces the subjects in their current, less-than-ideal environment. Then the subjects meet with a group of experts, who give the subject instructions on how to improve things; they offer aid and encouragement along the way. Finally, the subjects being present with the final makeover and along with their friends and family and the show’s expert, they appraise the changes that have occurred (en.wikipedia.org/ Reality_show).
Nikah Yukkk and Bedah Rumah, were not only following the show concept, it also put the strength attraction of the show on how good the subject would react when they were receiving the news. The math is precisely planned as what we see on Oprah episodes where guests star accepting gifts they needed or had long time dreaming about. The happy tears we saw were the selling point that has brought in audiences to the show. Which in Nikah Yukk and Bedah Rumah case, apparently have been recognized by Helmy Yahya.
The critics mentioned these as exploitation of poverty, but they were not mentioning how shows like Bedah Rumah and Nikah Yukkk had reflecting the subordinate repressive feelings on certain boundaries. Let us refresh that television world is much more centered on the middle class which provides its typical content and viewing position. As Raymond Williams (1977) lists the characteristic of drama in television;
1. Has contemporary setting.
2. Concerns itself with secular action.
3. Socially extended. By this he means that it deals with the lives and experiences of ordinary people, not kings and social leaders; or in other words, social realism that is inclining towards deals with the working class’s experience of subordination in an industrial society.
Reality shows are inclined with dramatization to add more spices into the show. What makes them not an ethical thing to do is because the uses of ‘reality’ word become a version of lie.
Question, is this definitely wrong thing to do?
In the other side, reality show could be a true mirror on how rough people reacting in the name of competition. Watching America’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice we could find how intricacies are used for bringing down other contestants.
In one of the challenge for Apprentice season 6, the eight contestants left was signed to sell package of stuff in an amusement park. During the challenge, Arrow team member did anything from stealing clients to persuade amusement park’s visitors that they are better off buying Arrow’s than Kinetic’s.
Certain ways, whether or not it is planned by producers or simply the participants limit as being, are done to make sure each person involved can reach what they need to get. Even Mark Burnett, creator of many successful reality shows, has avoids the word "reality" to describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama." (en.wikipedia.org/Reality_show).
David Nevins, Fox executive vice president of programming, giving explanation on American High (2000), “We need to market the characters and the stories like you would market a good quality drama.”
Is this right or wrong? Remember that television operates from dominant ideology viewers have. Remember that representation means everything to accommodate the pleasure of dominant ideologies. Remember that television is contemporary medium that people viewed to find cheap and easy entertainments.
As Fiske put nicely;
Realism involves fidelity both to the physical, sensually perceived details of the external world and to the values of the dominant ideology. In this way ideology is mapped onto the objective world of reality, and the accuracy of realism’s representation of the details of this real world becomes the validation of the ideology it has been made to bear and I use the term made to in both its sense of constructed in order to and required to.
Reality show does no far different from soap opera. They are trying to get audience sympathy, feeding people thirst on life dramatization, and building solidarity from character identification the audience sees in a contestant. These things are how reality show attracts viewers, how they operates. Almost any kind of television format other than news and quizzes and music, offers their own level of drama.
There is nothing real on TV. The makers of television programs do not and cannot present a portion of reality without first recasting it in the language of television and thereby modifying or “fictionalizing” it to some extent. They will necessarily present it from a certain camera angle and within a certain context of other shots. Many programs would not be existed if we did not believe they were presenting some form of reality. The quiz shows of the 190s, for example, based their enormous success on the believable illusion that real contestants were competing in an impartial, improvised contest, in real time, with an outcome that was not predertermined by a scriptwriter (Butler, 2002: 59).
Reality show’s enigma is how making the show to appear realistic while in the same time it not mend to be flat from planned drama. Thus, the question is how far television producers will go to create an entertaining scene’?
After all, drama is like a scene at a party, something that saves the party from boredom.
*Title 'reality tv unreal' is from Winda Wastu.
Reality show first started in 1948, when Allen Funt’s Candid Camera aired. Words had it said, Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls (1966), got several acquaintances with reality television concept. In the film, camera just followed Warhol around without direction. This concept later televised in An American Family, which about a nuclear family going through divorce.
Indonesian viewer would remember first the reality format they watched from the longest running show in MTV history, Real World (1992), which also had its Indonesian MTV Real World version (1998). Before MTV Real World ever made, Dutch Television had gotten similar concept since 1991, the show called Nummer 28, originated the concept together of putting strangers together in the same environment for an extended period of time and recording the drama that ensued.
Reality show recording the stars life drama, later dominates from E! to music channels VH1 & MTV’s. E! has Kimora Life in The Fabulous Line, Keeping Up With The Kardashian, Denise Richards; It’s Complicated, Number One Single, The Anna Nicole Show, Living Lohan and Hey Paula!
While MTV chosen Room Raiders (love it!), My Super Sweet Sixteen (for disgustingly spoiled teens), Punk’D, The Newlyweds; Nick and Jessica, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills (scripted), VH1 had America’s Next Top Model, Bad Girls Gone Bad, Parental Control, and Tommy Lee Goes To College.
Another example that Indonesian viewers could only seen in cable networks or pirates DVD, Simple Life, reality show about two high society girl, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie spending days living in trailer and doing what describe as blue collar type of job. Simple Life, was no different from various documentary style reality featured on E! Channel which popular as celebreality.
On the contrary of celebreality, is the type of reality show which offers chance to people get what they intend to have in an instant; elimination/game show reality type.
From Joe Millionaire to Smack down (consider as game show) which combining sport with brief drama, The Apprentice to Fear Factor, American Idol to Project Runway, in Indonesia it were games/eliminations reality type that won the most of viewer’s heart. Each elimination reality had its own strength and loyal audience. The common thing elimination reality offered is giving their contestants chance to become temporary celebrity.
Names like Joy Tobing, Delon, and Mike, were example of how for certain people fame can come easily. They were finalist of Indonesian Idol, one of RCTI big hits for non-drama program. No different from
Indonesian Idol, within a year former American Idol contestants, Jennifer Hudson had a better gift, an Oscar.
In 2004-2005 when reality show became trend on national station’s schedule, programs like Akademi Fantasi Indosiar, Indonesian Idol, and Akademi Pelawak Indonesia (Indonesian Academy for Comedian) received critic for instant stardom its offer. Part half of the comments were say by fellow singers and entertainers, so there were more like a threatened expression than pure concern.
Problems started when integrity issue brought into surface. Since the name of the (program) format is reality, people expect to see things as the way they were without feature scenes and scripted dialogue. New Age, Australian newspaper, in their 2003 article has reported that shows like Big Brother, Survivor and The Real World were design to encourage particular behaviors and conflicts.
Reality show’s producers had specifically selected the participants and use carefully planned scenarios, challenges, events and settings (en.wikipedia.org/Reality Show). In Indonesia, member of reality show’s creative teams have admitted that they used similar strategy when designing their programs concept.
They who was loyal audience on Penghuni Terakhir 2 (now known as Starantv, 2005) might remember Wulan, the girl with plain attitude that brought viewers attention to Petir. Petir’s creative person admitted that they had exposing Wulan’s naïve attitude in order to add more spices for the show. It works. Petir 2 was noted more successful than its first season.
Couple of years before Penghuni Terakhir, MTV Indonesia aired the first docureality in Indonesia, MTV Ajang Ajeng, a model search contest where dozens of young girls living together in a quarantine. Their day to day life captured by the camera consist a cat fight between two of contestants. This fight, told one of the crew, was encouraged by production team member. Sensing there were two young girls disliking each other, the sentiment later encouraged for an explosive argument. Reason? So the show would be more interesting to watch.
MTV Ajang Ajeng might put what it was necessary in order making their show enjoyable. But the show also successful not only for gathering young audiences, it also surprisingly had bringing names like Nadya Mulya, Dominique, Shareefa Danish and Dinar, into a good modelling career and later, acting.
Speaking on reality show critism, none had receiving more reviews than Triwarsana production. Owned by Helmy Yahya the creator of Quiz Siapa Berani (Who Dare), which became phenomenon in 2001, the company produced many reality programs that specializing in exploiting poverty.
Nikah Yukk (Let’s Get Married) and Bedah Rumah (Get The House Fixed) were basically designated the same. The poor whose in desperate needs to make their dreams come true (whether it is to get married or having their house fixed), would have to act like in a state of heavenly happiness when they received news that they are the lucky one. Viewers will see how they run, jump, and cry in disbelief. Watching the shows, viewers would find how the blessings been taken so emotional it almost seemed like a degradation of pride.
The type of this kind of reality is self improvement/ makeover reality. Despite differences in the content, the format is usually the same: first the show introduces the subjects in their current, less-than-ideal environment. Then the subjects meet with a group of experts, who give the subject instructions on how to improve things; they offer aid and encouragement along the way. Finally, the subjects being present with the final makeover and along with their friends and family and the show’s expert, they appraise the changes that have occurred (en.wikipedia.org/ Reality_show).
Nikah Yukkk and Bedah Rumah, were not only following the show concept, it also put the strength attraction of the show on how good the subject would react when they were receiving the news. The math is precisely planned as what we see on Oprah episodes where guests star accepting gifts they needed or had long time dreaming about. The happy tears we saw were the selling point that has brought in audiences to the show. Which in Nikah Yukk and Bedah Rumah case, apparently have been recognized by Helmy Yahya.
The critics mentioned these as exploitation of poverty, but they were not mentioning how shows like Bedah Rumah and Nikah Yukkk had reflecting the subordinate repressive feelings on certain boundaries. Let us refresh that television world is much more centered on the middle class which provides its typical content and viewing position. As Raymond Williams (1977) lists the characteristic of drama in television;
1. Has contemporary setting.
2. Concerns itself with secular action.
3. Socially extended. By this he means that it deals with the lives and experiences of ordinary people, not kings and social leaders; or in other words, social realism that is inclining towards deals with the working class’s experience of subordination in an industrial society.
Reality shows are inclined with dramatization to add more spices into the show. What makes them not an ethical thing to do is because the uses of ‘reality’ word become a version of lie.
Question, is this definitely wrong thing to do?
In the other side, reality show could be a true mirror on how rough people reacting in the name of competition. Watching America’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice we could find how intricacies are used for bringing down other contestants.
In one of the challenge for Apprentice season 6, the eight contestants left was signed to sell package of stuff in an amusement park. During the challenge, Arrow team member did anything from stealing clients to persuade amusement park’s visitors that they are better off buying Arrow’s than Kinetic’s.
Certain ways, whether or not it is planned by producers or simply the participants limit as being, are done to make sure each person involved can reach what they need to get. Even Mark Burnett, creator of many successful reality shows, has avoids the word "reality" to describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama." (en.wikipedia.org/Reality_show).
David Nevins, Fox executive vice president of programming, giving explanation on American High (2000), “We need to market the characters and the stories like you would market a good quality drama.”
Is this right or wrong? Remember that television operates from dominant ideology viewers have. Remember that representation means everything to accommodate the pleasure of dominant ideologies. Remember that television is contemporary medium that people viewed to find cheap and easy entertainments.
As Fiske put nicely;
Realism involves fidelity both to the physical, sensually perceived details of the external world and to the values of the dominant ideology. In this way ideology is mapped onto the objective world of reality, and the accuracy of realism’s representation of the details of this real world becomes the validation of the ideology it has been made to bear and I use the term made to in both its sense of constructed in order to and required to.
Reality show does no far different from soap opera. They are trying to get audience sympathy, feeding people thirst on life dramatization, and building solidarity from character identification the audience sees in a contestant. These things are how reality show attracts viewers, how they operates. Almost any kind of television format other than news and quizzes and music, offers their own level of drama.
There is nothing real on TV. The makers of television programs do not and cannot present a portion of reality without first recasting it in the language of television and thereby modifying or “fictionalizing” it to some extent. They will necessarily present it from a certain camera angle and within a certain context of other shots. Many programs would not be existed if we did not believe they were presenting some form of reality. The quiz shows of the 190s, for example, based their enormous success on the believable illusion that real contestants were competing in an impartial, improvised contest, in real time, with an outcome that was not predertermined by a scriptwriter (Butler, 2002: 59).
Reality show’s enigma is how making the show to appear realistic while in the same time it not mend to be flat from planned drama. Thus, the question is how far television producers will go to create an entertaining scene’?
After all, drama is like a scene at a party, something that saves the party from boredom.
*Title 'reality tv unreal' is from Winda Wastu.
Collages on Reality Show
Reality shows...how unreal the format title can be, some people find it as their guilty pleasure. Here are some of them I make time to follow;
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
America’s Next Top Model fan might remember how the bitchy contestants always sent home when they had reached the final four or three. Name Melrose in season 7, Renee in season 8, and Bianca in season 9 (hahaha, yeah…I watch the shows). We could see that these contestants looked a lot older than their actual age was. Even though they were driven and doing excellent jobs in photo shoots, there are no way they could go far in the industry that worships youth and freshness. From ANTM first weeks we could see how girls in striking look without attitude were send home without clear reason. We can tell who is going home by the end of an episode since its beginning. Usually there would be more footage on the person revealed her discomfort, problems, and personal matters. Not to mention Tyra’s many words-of-wisdom right before the elimination that once had been mocked by the cycle 7 finalists (c’mon! She made modelling sounds as important as curing AIDS, which I think, ridiculous). These and the fact that in the global fashion industry, it has been years since real top model have come out of America.
ANTM might be using intricacies to win viewers and we all know even though there are other judges in the show, Tyra was the one that decided which girl to send home, so it might be a little bit subjective sometimes. How awful the shows sometimes, it might also be admitted that ANTM had encouraged girls that not considered slim and pretty for strivings their dream.
THE APPRENTICE
The show might seem all professional and businesslike, but we cannot fully say the same when it comes to the losing team in The Apprentice. The Apprentice, which currently in its preparation for season eight, had chosen their candidates carefully. Either the candidates had graduated from one of America’s finest school or they had a very impressive resume. The men are good looking while the women are attractive. In The Apprentice early seasons, the women attractiveness apparently had become a problem. The women that had viewing the show since its season two accused Apprentice’s female were using their beauty for won tasks. As Nicole in season 6 said, “Sex is sale.” However, it needs more than four attractive women in roller skate to win tasks, and it had Angela the Olympic medal winner fired. Angela was not the only project manager that gotten fired while the mistakes they done could easily argue. We who watched the Apprentice sixth season can named Surya and Aimee that were being fired out of uncooperative team members. Sometimes it was not the one that done an awful job that fired, but the one that defended themselves poorly or being gang up by the rest of their group.
Since the third season, The Apprentice ratings had reportedly flunked from Nielsen Top 20s Most Watched Shows. In Indonesia, The Apprentice Indonesia version lasted in first season.
REALITY SHOWS IN QUALITY CHANNELS
Competition reality (show) not always revealed how rude the real world would be. From the backstabber we seen in America’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice, there is still some shows like Project Runway and Come Dine With Me. Both aired in Discovery Travel and Living, a network that usually favored by Indonesia’s middle class viewers with high intelligence and upper economic status.
Come Dine With Me is about five or four person takes turn hosting dinner at their house in one week. After the night each guests will give their score for the host, points is given for meal, presentation, and how the hosts making their guests enjoying the evening. In the end of the week, after the last one having their turn hosting dinner, it will be revealed who’s the week winner.
Come Dine With Me is an interesting television show. They are giving insight look on ordinary people home, their cooking skills, and culinary diversities. Overall the show is like a good food that cooked with fresh ingredients and simple spices. A kind of good meal itself that food critics are likely praised.
We who are working for particular field outside science, information technologies, economics, legal, restauranteur, et ce te ra, knew how bad people could talk behind our back. We knew the pressure, the so-called-friends and colleagues, that never think twice on adding us in Facebook but loves mouthing us too behind our back. As Fiske said in Reading Television, that is why we have celebrity news channel like E!, gossips have become part of our everyday culture.
Reality show contestants might talks behind their rivals back, as seen in The Apprentice and ANTM. In real working world, people do compete, and it is not always in such healthy way. Reality show is the true mirror of how bad people in everyday life could act. Project Runway was different from all this shows. The judge never let personal subjectivity involved. They were no debates or unimportant arguments on which finalist that should be sent home. The one that landed a show in Bryant Park by the end of the season, were the best from all contestants.
No intricacies and the designers also supportive to each other. Well, nasty things sometimes said but never let into argument or huge fight like in ANTM, for example. And if there were one, it was rare. In fact, only Christian Siriano of Project Runway season four I ever heard saying nasty thing toward Ricky.
Most of the time though, Project Runway’s contestants are giving their listening skills or offers help to their fellow participants that not having their design ready yet, or giving generous advice towards each other. Reality show like these, are rare. They are ones that started from a strong concept based on the skills of the participants. For some people, fashion and food are always an attraction.
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
America’s Next Top Model fan might remember how the bitchy contestants always sent home when they had reached the final four or three. Name Melrose in season 7, Renee in season 8, and Bianca in season 9 (hahaha, yeah…I watch the shows). We could see that these contestants looked a lot older than their actual age was. Even though they were driven and doing excellent jobs in photo shoots, there are no way they could go far in the industry that worships youth and freshness. From ANTM first weeks we could see how girls in striking look without attitude were send home without clear reason. We can tell who is going home by the end of an episode since its beginning. Usually there would be more footage on the person revealed her discomfort, problems, and personal matters. Not to mention Tyra’s many words-of-wisdom right before the elimination that once had been mocked by the cycle 7 finalists (c’mon! She made modelling sounds as important as curing AIDS, which I think, ridiculous). These and the fact that in the global fashion industry, it has been years since real top model have come out of America.
ANTM might be using intricacies to win viewers and we all know even though there are other judges in the show, Tyra was the one that decided which girl to send home, so it might be a little bit subjective sometimes. How awful the shows sometimes, it might also be admitted that ANTM had encouraged girls that not considered slim and pretty for strivings their dream.
THE APPRENTICE
The show might seem all professional and businesslike, but we cannot fully say the same when it comes to the losing team in The Apprentice. The Apprentice, which currently in its preparation for season eight, had chosen their candidates carefully. Either the candidates had graduated from one of America’s finest school or they had a very impressive resume. The men are good looking while the women are attractive. In The Apprentice early seasons, the women attractiveness apparently had become a problem. The women that had viewing the show since its season two accused Apprentice’s female were using their beauty for won tasks. As Nicole in season 6 said, “Sex is sale.” However, it needs more than four attractive women in roller skate to win tasks, and it had Angela the Olympic medal winner fired. Angela was not the only project manager that gotten fired while the mistakes they done could easily argue. We who watched the Apprentice sixth season can named Surya and Aimee that were being fired out of uncooperative team members. Sometimes it was not the one that done an awful job that fired, but the one that defended themselves poorly or being gang up by the rest of their group.
Since the third season, The Apprentice ratings had reportedly flunked from Nielsen Top 20s Most Watched Shows. In Indonesia, The Apprentice Indonesia version lasted in first season.
REALITY SHOWS IN QUALITY CHANNELS
Competition reality (show) not always revealed how rude the real world would be. From the backstabber we seen in America’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice, there is still some shows like Project Runway and Come Dine With Me. Both aired in Discovery Travel and Living, a network that usually favored by Indonesia’s middle class viewers with high intelligence and upper economic status.
Come Dine With Me is about five or four person takes turn hosting dinner at their house in one week. After the night each guests will give their score for the host, points is given for meal, presentation, and how the hosts making their guests enjoying the evening. In the end of the week, after the last one having their turn hosting dinner, it will be revealed who’s the week winner.
Come Dine With Me is an interesting television show. They are giving insight look on ordinary people home, their cooking skills, and culinary diversities. Overall the show is like a good food that cooked with fresh ingredients and simple spices. A kind of good meal itself that food critics are likely praised.
We who are working for particular field outside science, information technologies, economics, legal, restauranteur, et ce te ra, knew how bad people could talk behind our back. We knew the pressure, the so-called-friends and colleagues, that never think twice on adding us in Facebook but loves mouthing us too behind our back. As Fiske said in Reading Television, that is why we have celebrity news channel like E!, gossips have become part of our everyday culture.
Reality show contestants might talks behind their rivals back, as seen in The Apprentice and ANTM. In real working world, people do compete, and it is not always in such healthy way. Reality show is the true mirror of how bad people in everyday life could act. Project Runway was different from all this shows. The judge never let personal subjectivity involved. They were no debates or unimportant arguments on which finalist that should be sent home. The one that landed a show in Bryant Park by the end of the season, were the best from all contestants.
No intricacies and the designers also supportive to each other. Well, nasty things sometimes said but never let into argument or huge fight like in ANTM, for example. And if there were one, it was rare. In fact, only Christian Siriano of Project Runway season four I ever heard saying nasty thing toward Ricky.
Most of the time though, Project Runway’s contestants are giving their listening skills or offers help to their fellow participants that not having their design ready yet, or giving generous advice towards each other. Reality show like these, are rare. They are ones that started from a strong concept based on the skills of the participants. For some people, fashion and food are always an attraction.
It's Complicated, Denise
Dear Denise,
You are a celebrity. Well, seeing the list of films where you had been taking part of, you are kind a minor celebrity. That is not the problem actually. I understand how difficult it is living life in such competitive world, Hollywood world. Only the ruthless could survive, I get that.
See, I think that is where your show problems started. Just so you know, I actually think your new reality show title is cute; It’s Complicated. More like relationship status in Friendster or an insecurity feeling some high school student might feel, but hey, if you think it fit with your intention when you started the show, why not?
Speaking of insecurity, I am here expressing what I think on your show, on how dull they are. Obviously, you agreed to do it because it will give you chance to clarified what people talked behind your back. Maybe that is the reason you had them look so safe and boring. Maybe, or maybe you just do not have what it takes to become reality star?
Kimora is a little bit selfish, but she is alive, busy, and fun. The Kardashians’ might be crazy, but they are not such a boring human that worries so much on what people going to say about them. Kelly Osbourne might doing drugs but at least she was sincere of who she is in front of the camera. You, on the other hand…were as sad looking as Dina Lohan (the woman who treating her children like some beauty product and putting herself as their salesperson while in the mean time childishly refused being blame for taking her children’s childhood out of them).
On your pilot episode, you spent almost thirty minutes of my precious time complaining on how people treating you after your kiss with Kid Rock, scolding a magazine’s editor, and telling the entire world how unfair you were being judged. That’s it. I stopped watching you since your first appearance on the show you campaigning as complicated. What’s so complicated?
Denise, we are big girls in adult world. We stopped crying and complaining when we don’t get a good review since years ago. And let’s do not forget, you are the one that have chosen your own path as actress. Adult life means consequences Denise, so I am sorry to report to you, you got no good review from me because your spoiled acts are just no fun to watch.
You are a celebrity. Well, seeing the list of films where you had been taking part of, you are kind a minor celebrity. That is not the problem actually. I understand how difficult it is living life in such competitive world, Hollywood world. Only the ruthless could survive, I get that.
See, I think that is where your show problems started. Just so you know, I actually think your new reality show title is cute; It’s Complicated. More like relationship status in Friendster or an insecurity feeling some high school student might feel, but hey, if you think it fit with your intention when you started the show, why not?
Speaking of insecurity, I am here expressing what I think on your show, on how dull they are. Obviously, you agreed to do it because it will give you chance to clarified what people talked behind your back. Maybe that is the reason you had them look so safe and boring. Maybe, or maybe you just do not have what it takes to become reality star?
Kimora is a little bit selfish, but she is alive, busy, and fun. The Kardashians’ might be crazy, but they are not such a boring human that worries so much on what people going to say about them. Kelly Osbourne might doing drugs but at least she was sincere of who she is in front of the camera. You, on the other hand…were as sad looking as Dina Lohan (the woman who treating her children like some beauty product and putting herself as their salesperson while in the mean time childishly refused being blame for taking her children’s childhood out of them).
On your pilot episode, you spent almost thirty minutes of my precious time complaining on how people treating you after your kiss with Kid Rock, scolding a magazine’s editor, and telling the entire world how unfair you were being judged. That’s it. I stopped watching you since your first appearance on the show you campaigning as complicated. What’s so complicated?
Denise, we are big girls in adult world. We stopped crying and complaining when we don’t get a good review since years ago. And let’s do not forget, you are the one that have chosen your own path as actress. Adult life means consequences Denise, so I am sorry to report to you, you got no good review from me because your spoiled acts are just no fun to watch.
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