Exclusive, Anggy Umbara Utilizes The COVID-19 Pandemic To Do New Things

JAKARTA - As the record holder for the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time through the film Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss! Part 1, Director Anggy Umbara's latest work, is always eagerly awaited by fans. Slowing down at the start of the pandemic in 2020, Anggy took advantage of his time to create new works.

Success as a director of video clips and films, this man who was born on October 21, 2021 made the Cinta Fitri series. The series was a new thing for him, and he got a new experience after filming the series, starring Tissa Biani.

"Alhamdulillah, filming for the series has been completed and now we are preparing several big screen stories," said Anggy when he visited the VOI Office, Saturday, July 2.

Cinta Fitri is a soap opera that was once a public idol in the 2000s era. With 1,002 episodes in 7 seasons, the soap opera Cinta Fitri is the best record from the MD Pictures production house.

"That's the reason why I accepted the offer to make the Cinta Fitri series. Because this is MD Pictures' best IP for soap operas. When I saw the story, the characters were interesting, the story was interesting. Wow, this can be made for an exciting and entertaining spectacle," he said.

For Anggy, the series is a new journey. He had never produced a long, bound story. Of course the challenges faced are different from when making films. "This series is a new creature. I don't know what kind of challenge it is, it's actually fun," he said.

Series, continued Anggy, the duration is very long so it needs different treatment. "If the film is presented in three acts, yes with all kinds of details. In the series, each character has a long section. Keeping the emotions, is continuous, and to what extent it is quite complicated and complex. Even one day can take up to 20 scenes," Papa is the director of Coboy Junior The Movie.

"The challenge is extraordinary, it must be fast and good," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's viewing habits. The shift of moviegoers to Over the Top (OTT) is unavoidable. Because the need for entertainment persists even though people are asked to stay at home.

The My Lecturer My Husband series proves the need is real. Not only soap operas on analog TV that society needs. Watching paid series on OTT is also in demand because it is interesting.

"The success of My Lecturer My Husband is also a consideration for accepting Cinta Fitri. You have never made a series, so you are all going on a new adventure. And there is a lot of knowledge. That's what you are looking for, this experience adds a lot," he said.

Making an interesting spectacle, he continued, is not an easy matter. "What is certain is that you have to have a story telling that will captivate the audience. Building a character that is close to the audience who can depend on the audience's heart to the character is difficult. And it turns out that it is not as easy as it seems," explained Anggy.

The series provides ample room for each character to change significantly. "Rich characters can become poor, the set of mind is different, the goals change every episode. Now, to hang the story in each episode is challenging. How the audience will continue to follow the story is tricky. But if you find the sidelines, it's fun," said the man who also had became a DJ with this stage name D'jackal.

With a mature design, the series is done in a different style. Anggy seems to really enjoy his experience making the Cinta Fitri series.

"If the series approach is more cinematic, the acting is natural. But the medium is mostly watched on cellphones and TV, so it's just a matter of upgrading from the production side of soap operas. It could even become a film if it was raised a little more," he explained.

The advantage of the series for OTT is that there are no country restrictions for the audience. Every story can be enjoyed in various countries easily when OTT opens its access. That means, the Indonesian series can also show off abroad along with its broadcast in Indonesia.

Anggy is optimistic that the original series from Indonesia can be accepted in other countries. "I'm very optimistic, because Indonesia is rich. There are a lot of stories that we want to explore. The series depends on the story that we have designed from beginning to end. As for the artist, the character can change in the middle depending on the rating when it is broadcast," he explained. .

Just like movies, the theme of the series will be the differentiator that captivates the audience. "Indonesian films that can penetrate foreign markets are films that have exotic themes that are not owned by the international community in general. It must be something unique, different, very Indonesian," he said.

Indonesia's wealth of stories and traditions is a treasure trove of series story ideas. "From urban legends, from tribes, Indonesia has a lot of stories that can be extracted. Producers and directors must be directly proportional to create good works," said Anggy.

The biggest challenge, continued Anggy, is the lack of writers. Indonesia needs more talented writers.

"We are short of writers because there are too many to explore but there are few people. Writing a story is not easy. It's difficult, you have to enter a certain zone to channel everything that is in your head into something that tells a story," he said.

The man who had received a nomination as Best Original Screenwriter at the 2015 Indonesian Film Festival for the film script, which was written with his brothers, Bounty Umbara and Fajar Umbara, hopes that there will be more young writers.

"There are many producers, but writers should be encouraged even more," he said.

In addition to the Cinta Fitri series, his latest film with a trilogy concept titled I, Will, and Survive starts to air on Klik Film today, Friday, July 16, 2021. This is an old dream that Anggy has been dreaming of for eight years.

"Alhamdulillah, this year it was accomplished. I really totally worked on this film. Anyway, there are many unexpected surprises in this film," said Anggy.

Showing films in OTT, has a different style than in the cinema. The traces of the audience cannot be seen directly. "If you feel it's sad, it's sad. But just keep trying to see the good side. What's the meaning of all this. Maybe we really should reflect on what we've been doing so far. Maybe we should fix what went wrong yesterday," he said.

As if he didn't want to be too dramatic with the pandemic, Anggy Umbara put the difficult atmosphere of filming to a different broadcast medium as a new step.

"It's like being reset. It's not just the film, all the elements are given a second chance to start all over from scratch. How should we look for each other, how to make this field fertile again, I believe this can be a process of producing fresh new plants that we can enjoy later," said the father of two children.

OTT, he continued, should not be positioned as a cinema rival. "Nowadays, many OTTs are positioning themselves as places for film premieres. This can be an opportunity for directors to try new things. There are many opportunities. We are looking for a calibre point between production, audience, and commercial value. We have to stay positive, but not the corona, our mind-set to bring out this new spirit in the future that must be maintained," concluded Anggy Umbara.