Foxtrot Six is an international-quality action film – and it is the handiwork of Indonesians. This film has all the standards of a Hollywood movie and is adorned with VFX (Visual Effect) and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). This makes Foxtrot Six a movie suited for the Pop Talk held by Popcon inc. and Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) Visual Communication Design study program on November 27, 2018.

This Pop Talk is held as a place where creative industry enthusiasts can gather and build connections. Iwan Harun, a representative of Popcon Inc., said that they chose UPH for their Pop Talk because UPH has a study program that is all about creative industry and therefore is really suitable for the Pop Talk.

In a discussion session held in MYC UPH Multipurpose Room, the cast and producers of Foxtrot Six talked about their experience of working in the film industry.

The Department Chair of UPH Visual Communication Design, Alfiansyah Zulkarnain, S.Sn., M.Ds., gave a warm welcome to the cast and producers of Foxtrot Six.

“For our Visual Communication Design students’ specialization in Graphic Design, Animation, and Cinematography, this event is very important. Seeing real people working in Indonesia’s film industry scene, like this one of Foxtrot Six, will help students to dig deeper into their specific fields. Not mentioning that after they graduate, they will get involved in these projects as graphic designers, cinematographers, filmmakers, and take on other roles as well,” Alfiansyah explained.

This discussion features Oka Antara, Verdie Solaiman, and Mike Lewis from the cast of Foxtrot Six. Joining them are one of the producers, Andreas Ian Tika, VFX expert Andrew Juano, the CG Supervisor Kalvin Irawan, and FX Supervisor, Wenie Rahardja.

“There are not a lot of Indonesian films that utilize CGI effects. In this film, we took about 700 CGI shots, which is quite a lot for a project from Indonesia. The executive producer of the film, Mario Kassar, has produced ‘Rambo’, ‘Total Recall’, and ‘Terminator 2’. Andrew Juano was also involved in ‘Life of Pi’. When you think about it, Indonesia has a lot of skillful talents, but very few of it is explored, and that is why the international scene has not heard a lot about us. This film is a project of eight years, and all that time is necessary because we really aim for people to get to know Indonesian films,” Andreas explained.

In this event, the visual processes of VFX and CGI of ‘Foxtrot Six’ is broken down for the audience – the rigging and skin recreating process as well as the development of FX elements. Andrew, Kalvin, and Wenie explained to the UPH Visual Communication Design students about workflow efficiency in order to not waste production time in projects.

“This film has really complex VFX and CGI effects. We intentionally made it that way so that we can compete with international competitors. And it all paid off – this film lives up to Hollywood standards while still telling the Indonesian story,” Wenie explained to the audience.

Oka added that as people that will be key players in the film scene, UPH Visual Communication Design students should start supporting Indonesian films, that more quality films can be produced in 5-10 years’ time.

“If the only Indonesian productions you watch are drama and horror films, those will be the only kind that will be produced. However, you certainly look to work in quality film productions with international standards, right? So, please give your support to films such as this (‘Foxtrot Six’) so that when you graduate, you can work in quality Indonesian films right away and also lift up the standards of Indonesian films in the global film scene,” Oka encouraged.

Oka and Verdi Solaiman are also keen on the idea that when Foxtrot Six is released on February 2019, UPH Visual Communication Design can hold a viewing party along with a discussion with the cast, animators, director, and even the executive producer.

“This is one of the ways you can use to support international-quality Indonesian films. All support should be done collectively, not individually,” Verdi pointed out.

Iwan from Popcon Inc. says that he’s looking forward to work together again with UPH in a long-term partnership. (it)