Genesis Timotius of Batavia Pictures: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Keep up with latest technology to share your content — There are many choice of platform where your movie to be seen, plan your ideas, budget and targeted audience to fit your platform, from traditional to digital platform.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Genesis Timotius (Producer & Executive Producer).
I was involved in Film Industry since the beginning of the new era of Indonesia Film industry rising, starting from 1999 in some numerous projects as An Audio Engineer, Visual Effect Supervisor, Music Director and Producer.
With more than a decade experience, in 2011 together with Lucky, we’re initiate animated movie project with it was the 1st movie released in 3D Stereoscopic format in the region and we’re successfully released 6 (Petualangan Singa Pemberani) movie until 2017.
Animation has bring whole new perspective for me in Producing a Film, from building the character, create the universe, give them a soul that inspire kids, those things are gave me energy everyday in developing Riki Rhino. Developing characters to show the real characteristic on each of the endangered animals, making them moving, place them in the deep jungle in Indonesia and finally make them communicate, it’s really enjoyable long journey of production that sometimes can’t believe I spent 7 years already, the feeling of this movie will launch in several places it makes all worth it.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I was grew up in Semarang, a small city in Central java Indonesia, I was staying there pretty much my whole childhood life, I was staying with my grandma while my family staying in Jakarta, I was raised by my grandma in the old style of Dutch influence family rules, I love music and film, had build my own sound system in junior school that’s makes me interested in audio and end up study audio Engineering later taking visual effect course. My dad has guide me throughout my life and always give direction, push me into something new that not many Indonesian think about. I was staying in Semarang until high school and continue my study in Audio engineering and Visual effect in Singapore.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was working in the oldest Production house in Jakarta, I was there 7 years, learn many things from exploring my audio knowledge and learning a lot about video production and film making, that pretty much brought me into this Film business.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
We’re starting a film making with not much standard guide back then, it was late 90’s I was on 2nd film production involved, it was shot without a proper pre production plan, frankly speaking there is no script written, only a synopsis, and the rest of it is the head of the Director, we’re shot this movie in Sydney Australia with no plan just do with day to day shooting breakdown just enough to prepare for the next shooting day, some scene and story was feed into location we instantly met, and amazingly it was done after 14 days of shooting, I learnt a lot about efficiency, problem solving, creativity. Being a film producer in developing country and developing film industry at that time, we have to be efficient and lots of creativity because limitation are in every aspects of the production, and nobody is helping you.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Lucky Hakim and Jony Yuwono my partner in Riki the Rhino, It was start with a dream to produce an animated film in Indonesia, start with many limitation from human resource, knowledge, supporting tools, and long journey of passion to make this happen, this project is almost fail, but finally we can make this happen after 7 years, being able to launch this film in North America makes this long journey paid off and hopefully we can continue Riki’s adventure in upcoming movie.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Richard, he taught me many things in efficiency, fast acting, creativity, high can do spirit, don’t think too much on what we can’t do, just do it and do it right, passionate and finally you’ll be surprise on what we can achieve.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
To live a life, we must lose our fear of being wrong, just believe in what is right, it can never go wrong
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
I’m living in Indonesia, not many people know about our culture, nature, endangered animals, Riki the Rhino was produce as our effort to introduce our endangered animals with their extinction problem, it is to rise awareness about our Rhino and the beauty nature of our country to our younger generation and to the world, so we can appreciate them in part of our ecosystem and avoid extinction
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Riki the Rhino was prepared up to 4 movies, Riki’s journey of adventure will continue with to speak about importance of nature conservancy in an entertaining way, it was a good subject to discuss this matter in the family, especially the kids.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I was initiate the 1st 3d Stereoscopic film in the country and might be 1st in South east Asia, it was in 2009 when I was 1st saw Avatar directed by James Cameron in Singapore with 3D format, because we haven’t got any 3D cinema yet in Indonesia, it was amaze me and keep my mind thinking when will we can make this happen in Indonesian movie, I have learned how to do 3D Stereoscopic myself, do some research, invest on some equipment, and finally start a Animated film project “Petualangan Singa Pemberani” and converted into 3D Stereo film and successfully launch in 2012.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Reach beyond local market — Start to think not just for local market, start with not so local issue as movie ideas, so we can reach more audience.
- Plan movie budget proportionally as you wish as producer the movie will be. — For visual bigger picture means bigger artistic budget and also sound, for me Producer/ sound engineer, visual and sound has to be equal, picture don’t overcome the sound and vice versa.
- Think of movie as promotional tools to gain other bigger opportunity — Riki the Rhino is not just a movie, it is an IP development project that can lead to other business opportunity such merchandises, theme park and also social movement on nature conservation.
- Collaboration — It is the era of collaboration, think of something with your movie to collaborate with others and create opportunity with it.
- Keep up with latest technology to share your content — There are many choice of platform where your movie to be seen, plan your ideas, budget and targeted audience to fit your platform, from traditional to digital platform.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
Viewers, always understand your targeted viewers, make sure you always listen and make some small FGD before release your movie.
When I was 1st release a 3D stereoscopic movie, I made a small FGD to understand what was the idea of 3D movie to them, I found an interesting outcome, for some of the people in Indonesia, 3D movie is a 3 dimensional experience, because mostly they experience it in 4D cinema inside the theme park, having something coming out of the screen it excite them, that’s why we apply some of the effect throughout the movie, it’s not commons to see this kind of thing in Hollywood movie, but in our audience perspective our 3D version of movie is better than what they usually watch in cinema.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I was involve in some animated film project for the past 10 years, I want to inspire many kids around the world with a movie with positive vibes like what we did in Riki the Rhino, so the younger generation aware of natural conservation, for me as Film maker Riki the Rhino project is my part to involve on Global Sustainability.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Reaching out bigger studio like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks etc to collaborate on an Animated film project with local ideas into big screen.
How can our readers further follow you online?
There will be soon coming more movie form Riki the Rhino can be follow up with.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Genesis Timotius of Batavia Pictures: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.