#10. Down the Drain

People expect something out of anything, the kind where, in this case, you watch something, you get something out of it.

People expect an example out of somebody, the kind of person who says and does things that win the hearts of many, to the point where parents tell their kids that is the kind of person they want their children to be. Of course it's unlikely to always see that kind of person in real life, so why not look them up on TV? The kind of person on television, fictional or real (and acting), who does not swear, drink, or get into any kind of conflict, nor shall hurt a fly or hurt an ant, whose actions make them believe they are better than the 'bad people'.

Here's the problem with that: it doesn't work anymore. Even if the goody two shoes has been giving some flaws or that relatable stuff, to which other producers tell me, "it's to relate to the people". Ask yourself this: if you were shy and sensitive for example, would you be happy just because you found a (fictional) person that is shy and sensitive like you?

Maybe.

But would you be happy about it?

If you were, say, to see somebody on TV acting like a menace to others, rebelling against everything, you'd think hell no, I'm not like that, and I ain't gonna be like that. And you would be right about that.

Sadly, some people are just too naive or innocent to get it in their heads.

TV producers and I, we just never had that one big connection that makes us all get along happily and get on with what we do best: produce things for television. That sounded like a dream that we wished was true, but a dream is a dream.

Warehouse '09 was a successful production company in the viewers' department. Granted you got them churning out different shows each year, if not a set of new episodes for some soap operas. I knew about them even before I became a producer for Axe Pictures. To briefly explain how Warehouse '09 makes their shows, let me put it in the form of a checklist, and I know this because I used to be involved in their production, not really the show itself, but I was an intern there. I paid attention to everything they did, while listening in on the ideas they had and how they would execute them. .

Storylines may involve teenagers, slice of life, romance, or family affairs?

Check.

Said show has a long title more than five words?

Check, and here's an example: I was Devoted to my Wife, but she used me as a Pawn, or How I Fought the World and got the Girl.

Show has licensed songs but they've been turn up to max volume until you can't hear what the actors are saying?

Check.

Having the actors or actresses raise their voice and look so angry that they're gonna pop out their own eyeballs?

Check.

I'd continue, but it's a long checklist.

Despite this, I tip my hat off to Warehouse '09, since they still follow the number 1 basic rule of television: entertainment. There's an audience for their shows, even if it consists of either teenagers or elderly people.

This is a time where everybody wants to escape the harmful aspects of reality, and they go to TV as their drug.

***

I've never really had control over producing a show here at Great Axe Productions.

Like some other workplaces, Great Axe here has a culture; ranks of producers. Work for 10 years, you're an expert. Work for 5, you're a senior. I'm part of the crowd that has the title of a junior producer, and it's not really because of my looks, it's the experience. I've only had little to get involved.

Also what kind of workplace would this be if there were any meetings? Recurring meeting topic number 1? What's gonna be our next project. Of course most of the senior producers got a clear idea on what to put into projects.

"Just give it action." My mentor and senior producer Yandra explains in the room filled with 10 people including me. We were all clad up in suits."Doesn't really need to have explosions left or right, but action pack thrills, and nonstop crazy actions. 17 years old love that stuff. They love it when something happens. They love seeing bodies piling up. They love to see blood, guts and gore. Heck look at the Buzzsaw film series. There was like what? 6 movies there and get this, Dirty Potatoes said that most of the people in the audience were teens, if not early 20s." He chuckled proudly.

Yandra tells me that the days of moral messaging and lecturing in television were over. Deader than dead. TV is like a door for the audience, he told me since I first started working here at Great Axe. A door for them to escape inner pain

"Of course we're not savages here." He continued. "Throw in a logical storyline and maybe a sub plot. I mean, good action sequences are as good as their stories right?"

"Don't forget the actors and actresses." One guy said. "Everybody loves seeing a good looking girl or guy."

People go through pain at various points in their life, Yandra once said. Everybody knows that, but they can't deny it. And it's not their fault either. People will go to something to release the pain, even if it's as small as taking deep breaths and counting one to ten and back again.

"What would be the point of teaching people about morals they were already taught as a child? On television, that's down the drain! People are smart enough not to believe everything they see on TV, but if they did believe, well they're the problem."

These days Yandra's going all out on a new show titled The Squad, which involves a group of patrolling officers assisting their colleagues with a drug raid, although these officers in particular get as dirty as possible to catch the already dirty criminals. While technically a producer, Yandra went as far as talking to the director, writer, and even the makeup artists to make the show as attractive as possible. And for the first eight episodes, it was a hit, and the first season will be wrapping up before moving on to a second one.

Of course like anything that comes into the country, there's always the group of people who slam it hard. Sometimes, they do have a point. Other times, not so much. For Yandra and the other senior producers, imagine this; give them the choice to listen to either bass boosted music until their ears bleed, or the seemingly negative but honest criticism of the general public.

I could bet you my right foot saying that they rather have the bass boosted music.

Right now, I was accompanying Vanessa. She was part of the main cast for The Squad. Her character was an upright noble officer who doesn't always go by the book, but instead uses her own judgment. Yandra describes compares the character's ideology to that of Lady Justice.

"I've acted before, but I didn't think being an actress would be this hard." She said whilst getting ready to shoot for the next episode of The Squad." I could understand where she was going with this. "Once I was just somebody who liked to take pictures of herself and now people are taking pictures of me."

"Fame starting to bite you?"

"In a way. Paparazzi started asking me about what I do normally in my spare time, and try to find out about 'previous relations'. Nosy people are that desperate to know about a person who plays fictional characters for a living."

Vanessa was never the first person to confide to me when it comes to acting, then again in the TV business I've been approached by the staff. You can say it's like a friend hearing out on a friend.

But the truth is? None of us are really friends even when we're in production. We're all so hooked up on making sure production goes right; make sure the actors and actresses are happy in and out of the studio; making sure we don't go overspend on resources; camera work, the list goes on.

"Who knew playing a female officer would be influential for the public?" Vanessa remarked. "And here I thought people just watch TV just like we do."

"People see something in fiction that can be reflected upon real life. For some people, fiction is the best reality."

"What about you? What do you think?"

I turned my head to her.

"Every show you've helped produced, if not seen on TV, you think it's important to give a message to the people? I mean, my friends have been telling me that my acting has led women to see my character as a good role model for girls. Then again, that teen movie that came out last year, Miara, teens loved that so much it was the talk of the year, even though you and I both know that teenagers aren't drunk love people who try so desperately to look cool in front of everyone."

Often times, I think it varies, I tell her. I'm a producer, meaning I help produce something for television. At my current state, it's never really my call whether or not I should give something meaningful or give something that's essentially a 'turn your brain off' moment. That kind of call belongs to Yandra and the people in the same level as him. I just lend a hand in entertainment on television.

People will talk about anything, and I do mean anything. Gone were the days of turning on your TV and hoping for some entertainment, not just for yourself but for the people around you. Just that. Just pure entertainment. Nobody running around exchanging words about why this TV show is bad for you, your children or the people around you.

After Vanessa went to settle production, I spent the rest of the day helping Finance look at the expenses covered for the production of The Squad, and help the company's viewer analyst in terms of how many views we got for the show's recent episodes. By the time I was done with my work, I went to the parking lot where my motorcycle was parked, then a buzz was felt in my pocket.

"Yes?"

"Good evening. Am I speaking with an employee of Great Axe Productions?" A voice with a polite tone emerged.

"Where did you get this number?" I asked in a slight demanding tone.

"I had asked your boss. I'm a reporter writing a story about the public's opinion on television nowadays, which can contain violent or taboo elements." He said. "I only wish to ask your time for an interview-"

"Where?" I cut him off.

"Taman Kencana. What time-"

"8'o clock sharp." I tell him. "And I'll be wearing a blue shirt."

***

I could have been at home sipping some lemonade on my house's porch the next morning, but now, I'm on my way to an 'interview'

I got my blue shirt on. It was a T-shirt. The last thing I need is somebody recognizing me just because I was wearing expensive things. Taman Kencana was empty at this point. I'm not surprised. People are either clocking in at 7 for their jobs or they're at home watching television. As I approached the center of the park, I noticed a man sitting on a bench. He was wearing a white collared shirt with some stripe on it, with the sleeves rolled up. He had a goatee on his face as well. He stood up on his feet by the time he saw me walking.

Of course, I couldn't give him the nice guy treatment.

"My mother once told me to be wary of strangers." I said immediately. "And this is no different."

He was silent. "Now answer me, how did you get my number?" The man had his head down, before offering me a seat, then he started to sing like a bird.

"You've probably heard of People's Words Group?" he remarked as I had both of my hands on my face, rubbing it with a groan. You've got to be kidding me. "Bear with me, Pak Nasir."

"Other than my number, you had a spy get my name as well?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No. We found on on the official website for your current workplace. The reason I called you here is that I want to discuss the possibility of cooperation."

"You're not really a reporter are you?"

He smiled sadly. "I used to, until they fired me because I wrote an article about your boss months ago, saying he was a leader to promote violence and adult content on TV."

I raised my hand. "Can I say something? The shows at Great Axe were never meant for children."

"Regardless of how old the viewer is, television is something that needs to addressed, especially what it shows things that is meant to be 'entertainment'. I ask for your time and patience with me." He stopped for a bit.

"Give me your ID, and I'll give you my time." I said. "You know my real name. Now let me know yours."

He extended his hand. "Ferdi Prayugo." I shook it back, and then he showed me his ID with his full name and other info. I inspected it with my own hands, looking at when it was issued, who issued it, its material. "You're a very cautious man are you?"

"Ask yourself: should I jump in and interact with a person I've never met in life, or should I just open up and run the risk of running into somebody shady?"

"Fair enough."

I gave him back his ID. "Alright, I'm listening."

The PWG was a small group of citizens, mostly consisting of adults that were together for the sake of commentating and giving criticism to television nowadays. They targeted everything, news, movies, TV series'. At some point during my internship at Warehouse 09', Great Axe Productions had shows that had views which skyrocketed. A huge hit in both viewership and acclaim. Unfortunately, as ever, the shows were criticized by the PWG. It's not that that the criticism wasn't fair, some made sense: like that one time in The Squad where one episode, the police procedure isn't exactly how it would be Indonesia; the production team thought to follow how would police operate in America, but after that criticism, they changed it to follow the system in the country.

Bear in mind, us TV producers and companies in general, we've already planned ahead on who would our target audience be, and that was miles away from actually making the product. The PWG on the other hand, complained that their children were "exposed" to the mature content on shows not just from GAP, but also from Warehouse 09', whose shows were mostly soap operas, but it didn't stop PWG from saying 'the scenes in which characters argue over a serious topic like family or affairs isn't suitable for them."

"Here's my question to you. Why do you people even let your children at the TV?" I asked. "From the way I see it, it's not just us that need to reconsider, it's you. You need to control what your children are watching."

"I will not deny that." Ferdi replied. "I don't have children myself, but if I did I would teach them on why some shows on TV aren't for them, and instead find alternatives for them to enjoy." "You get it."

"I do, but sadly my colleagues in the group, they're having a hard time letting it be. They want to strike at you and the other production companies."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to them. GAP. Tell them to tone down on the mature content, or at the very least, have it air in different areas. Trust me when I say this, in spite of what we think, we're not trying to cause harm, not in a literal way. We're not trying to get you out of business and lose your jobs. We're trying to make society a better place. If you still don't believe television doesn't affect people, then take a look at these articles." He pulled out his phone and went to the photo album titled 'Television news'. All of the photos were screenshots he took from various news outlets, each one related with the content on television, each one having their own headline: Does TV nowadays lack moral messages?, There is far too much violence on television, and TV and the Brain: How what people see on television can affect the way they think."

"Before I got fired, I covered a story about a teen being influenced by Urban Mayhem, one of GAP's shows." Ferdi said. "The teen assaulted a bully at this school, apparently inspired by a baseball bat scene in one of the show's episodes. The bully almost got blind from the assault. Then there was another case, I didn't cover it, but I heard it from a friend in Yogyakarta.

I sighed deeply. "What do you want me to do?"

"Speak to your company. Tell them to tone down on the mature content or at the least air it in certain areas where there's aren't young viewers?"

Is he serious? Does he think every broadcasting company owns a clear view on demographics?

"You know, even if I agree with you on everything you said, I'm not sure the people at GAP would even bother listening." I told him. "And on top of that I'm way below the ranks. I don't get heavily involved, and I can't give a say in anything."

"The PWG will help you. We will give support in regards of letters and paperwork."

"You don't get it do you?" I ask him. The thing about companies or corporations, there is no true personality. It's a large thing with a lot of people involved, each playing a different part in the operation, including me.

I look up to see two men dressed in suits. One had a buzz cut while the other had tidied up hair. They were behind Ferdi.

"Yes? Is there's something you need?" he said before the second man grabbed him by the arms.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Take him to the car." The first man said to his partner, who did as he was told. Then he gave a look at his surroundings, before turning his eyes to me. "You alright, Nasir?" He asked me as I nodded in silence. I knew who he was, and his partner. "The boss wants to meet you."

***

The Boss of GAP had a room with not one, but three air conditioners. I felt like I was inside a freezer in a slaughterhouse. Although aside from the metaphor, what GAP was involved in can be compared to a slaughterhouse.

"Ha! The public. They think they have all the power in the world to make a change." The boss says. The window in his office was covered by the covering, which made him lurk in the shadows. Part of his face at least. On the left side of the room was Yandra, who had his arms folded and was smiling.

"I have to say, I'm glad you told Yandra about this so called meeting." The boss praises. "He told me about your situation: you were stuck up by the PWG. Looks like the wire you had on throughout that meeting was more than useful."

I looked at the wire on the Boss' desk. It was a recorder with a cable, at the end of the cable was a mic. I put that on this morning before I met Ferdi. My heart slightly dropped.

"Had you not approached me or anybody here, the consequences would have been...severe, but thankfully, you've done the right thing!" The boss pats me on the back. "Yandra, please check Ferdi, make sure he's got some company."

Yandra left the room, then seconds later I heard a scream from above.

"I'll be sure to make it up to you. Give you a raise." The boss tells me as I slowly nod. "For now, let us take a moment to be grateful that we're still standing. I can be a man of open mindedness, but when somebody like the PWG tries to force that opinion, I simply cannot let it pass by."

This is what happens behind closed doors, what happens when the company isn't doing their thing at producing TV shows; taking down people who try to take GAP down has always been a routine, at least that's what I've heard of, but who am I to comment? What position I'm in to do so?

Freedom of speech? Sometimes freedom can ask for a heavy price.

"I'll make sure nobody questions you here after what happened today. You've done a good favor. One less person protesting against the entertainment we make means that we're still alive and kicking. Well, us and the other companies, but mostly us."

I shook the Boss' hand. He was grateful for my honesty and willingness to keep Great Axe alive, away from the words of the people that can bring it down.

Like Yandra once said to me. TV is a drug, people use it to escape the painful reality they live in. They indulge in what we provide them, and we take pride in making that entertainment that meets their needs. I can never blame anybody for having a negative perception on something, the PWG in my case.

But even if you take away television, people can still be bad; they can commit violence or any harmful action that threatens the very peaceful thread that keeps society all harmonious, and all it takes is that one big push that throws them off the edge. This is what I'll be doing for the rest of my life; working and knowing my place, speak only when I am required to, and maybe, after today, do my part in making sure the PWG doesn't take GAP down.

I've fallen into a deep hole where I'll probably never get out.