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"Dialogue is very difficult. I see it as music, the players coming together as an orchestra. To get it right is so very difficult and it can be so very beautiful," Petet said Monday on the sidelines of the BALINALE International Film Festival's "Becoming a professional actor with Didi Petet" workshop at the Bali Hyatt Sanur. Petet explained that acting is tapping emotion and empathy, and controlling and understanding that emotion, while at the same time sorting out where your hands should be, the angle of your feet, the pitch and volume of your voice and your facial expression - not to mention remembering lines and the timing of those lines while listening to your partner and believing in your character. That's a lot to do in front of a camera. Drawing these many elements together into a rhythmic whole is infinitely more difficult than many of the young actors at the three-day workshop had ever imagined. "Acting is much harder than I ever expected. I had always felt that acting was simply pretending to be someone else, a character. Mas Didi *Petet* has taught me that acting is about truth; he says acting is emotional honesty coming through," said 18-year-old Daniel Jemmy from Makassar, South Sulawesi. That demand for emotional honesty in these young actors was heard when Petet suggested one young actor should spend more time watching films rather than soap operas. "That was pure sinetron," said Petet, following the viewing of takes of the young actors playing a couple breaking up. Getting the emotional expression, physical movements and intonation right, while juggling nerves and dialogue in front of a camera, is heavy-going, said 22-year-old broadcasting graduate, Indra Maulauna from Jakarta. "I came to the workshop because I graduated in broadcasting. Normally I am behind the camera and I wanted to see how this feels. *Acting* is more exciting, this sense of not being yourself," said Indra of her introduction to acting. "But it is also very hard to control my nerves and be someone else. To feel happy and laughing one minute, and then the camera starts to roll and I need to become angry or expose some other emotion. I have to remember the lines, the movements and emotions; to divide my concentration and to make the character believable." Petet, one of the nation's finest actors, best known for his portrayal of Emon in Catatan Siboy, put the student actors through their paces during the three-day intensive workshop. He had them studying voice, pacing, movement, dialogue and the concentration required to bring these together in the "orchestra" of scenes. He pointed out that with the upcoming Bali shoot of the film Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts, some of these young hopefuls could be in line to audition for roles in the film or as extras. "The students were trained to breathe from the stomach, to understand volume and intonation; how to concentrate on different elements at one time - one is focus on their bodies, one emotions, another to block emotions, what to do with their hands; to understand every feeling while acting so they convince the audience," said Petet, adding that actors need to study 24 hours a day, to empathize and tap into the myriad characters around them to be able to apply this knowledge in their acting. With cameras and lighting supplied for the workshop by BALINALE film festival sponsors, Alfatech, the students were able to see their performances on the big screen. Petet then critiqued their work while explaining the importance of body language, such as the different nuances between how people approach a sibling or a lover seen in how a hand is held or the angle of a chin leveled. These nuances, he explained, are the physical displays that create a believable character. Petet said the young actors touched on this mastery during the workshop. "There have been some extraordinary achievements in just three days. I would like another 10 or 12 days with these students," said Petet. Workshop host BALINALE and Bali Film Centre director Deborah Gabinetti said Petet's guiding of the budding actors had been "remarkable". "The first day the actors were nervous, that was to be expected. Acting is working with the emotions, it is exposing," said Gabinetti, a former New York film and television casting agent. "Petet turned that nervousness around so easily. He told the students they were safe in this room, members of a club. After that coaching and with specific exercises, the actors let down their inhibitions and we have seen some extraordinary acting. I am genuinely impressed." Gabinetti added it was reasonable to hope that some of the workshop participants could apply to audition for the upcoming Eat Pray Love filming in Bali. The three-day workshop, the first in the BALINALE International Film Festival's Young Indonesian Film Circle program, was sponsored by the Bali Hyatt, PT Bank Central Asia, Alfatech, Garuda Airlines and the Bali Film Centre, said BALINALE workshop coordinator, Ineka Indriyani. "BALINALE conducts film education programs free of charge for thousands of young Indonesians who would not otherwise have such an opportunity. Our sponsors make this possible," said Indriyani. |
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