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| Communication Talk: Expert Sharing Session via online (Photo: Istimewa) |
The success of a film requires strong collaborative work. Not only from film makers with a background in filmmaker competence, but also from the promotion team that involved public relations (PR) work and a journalistic approach. That was one of the points of the First Communication Lecture at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Monday (2/11/2020).
The lecture, which was packaged in the form of an online Communication Talk: Expert Sharing Session, presented successful alumni as interviewees in the field of film promotion Novi Hanabi and a journalist Azizah Hanum. Novi is a UMM Communication alumni who is now a film publicist as well as co-founder and COO of GoodWork, Indonesia. Meanwhile, Hanum is a news anchor for CNN Indonesia who is also the drummer for Arah Band and Cast Story of Kale. The discussion entitled "Movies Are Not Just Camera, Rolling, Action" was moderated by Rahadi, MSi.
Secretary of UMM Communication Studies Study Program, Widiya Yutanti, said that this Initial Lecture was mainly intended for 2020 freshmen. But when it was broadcast live on Youtube, it turned out that the number of viewers was unexpected. "Actually, to motivate and provide insight for new students. Alhamdulillah they are very enthusiastic. More than 10 thousand viewers watched it a day. This means, there are very large enthusiasts in the world of Communication, "said Widiya confidently.
In her presentation, Novi emphasized the important role of publicist and film marketing. So far, the discussion of post production of films has been more often on technical issues, coloring, grading, editing, and other technical matters. "Even though the process of marketing a film is equally important and challenging," she said.
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She explained, in contrast to publicist films which focus on media partnerships, film marketing includes many things, such as media partnerships, social media, distribution, activation, digital marketing, including promotion of contents. "Ideally all products should be marketed at a cost of 1: 1 with the production cost, including films," explained Novi, who not only handles freelance films but also serials.
In Indonesia, continued Novi, attention to promotion is still low. Many Indonesian films are still oriented towards production that is good in terms of content, but not yet on the promotion. According to her, if a film is to be successful, then the promotional budget must also be large.
"The film production process requires a large budget, and film marketing is a collaboration with producers who can make films sell well, and can return production costs and big profits," said Novi, who admitted that she was always challenged when she had to market a film that was not good enough.
Novi shared an example of his success in promoting several films. Among others, the NKCTHI (Visinema) which reached more than 2 million viewers. Dear Nathan Hello Salma (Neat Film) successfully reached 800 thousand viewers in a short time. Even more phenomenal, Button Ijo's film also got 800 thousand viewers in just 22 minutes.
Meanwhile, Hanum shared her experiences of being involved in several films. As a band player, she is often involved in both performing and filling out the sound tracks. "When it comes to acting, it doesn't require high skills because mostly I play myself," she said.
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As a news anchor, Hanum sees the role of journalists in the film world as very large. "Journalists can build society awareness on films that will or are currently broadcasting," said Hanum, who has been obsessed with being an anchor since she was a child, inspired by the figure of her senior anchor, Desi Anwar.
Hanum never forgot the interview experience that made her nervous because she was dealing with her idol character. She said interviewing David Foster and Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi was an unforgettable moment.
To new students, the two sources advised them to continue to hone their skills and gain experience. In addition, from the start, you have to build a network. "Building a network from now on because it's very important," Hanumconcluded.
In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, UMM Communication Study Program continues to greet students, alumni and the general public. Through the Communication Talk series, this study program presents speakers from experts, alumni, students, to the general public who have unique experiences in the field of Communication.
“We use social media to continue to build motivation and inspiration to stay productive. A pandemic must not prevent us from continuing to greet and build synergy, "concluded the Head of UMM Communication Study Program, M Himawan Sutanto. (nain/ can)
