Netflix Holds Master Class to Help Indonesian Writers Sharpen Storytelling Skills

As part of its ongoing efforts to contribute to the development of Indonesia’s creative industry, Netflix organized a three-day workshop in Jakarta to provide creators with techniques and tips on how to write the script for a television series.

The master class from April 18 to 20 was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, TelkomGroup and Indonesia’s Script Writers Association.

The 40 participants from Indonesia’s creative industry got to hear from Joe Peracchio, writer and producer of popular shows that include Deception, The Flash and Trojan War.  Besides presenting their own “scripts’’ for discussion, activities included analyzing the plot development of Netflix hit series Squid Game, and developing the characters of the teenagers in Stranger Things.

Peracchio, lead mentor of the master class, spoke about his experience in drama series writing and gave tips on “creating compelling, relatable, interesting characters for the audience to connect with.’’

Kim Va-da, writer of Netflix K-Drama, My Name, joined the master class as an online trainer. She described script writing as a lengthy process of developing a storyline.  “The master class is a great way to provoke the participants’ thoughts and creativity, which they can apply on the field,” she explained.

The workshop reiterates Netflix’s continued commitment to bring and amplify local stories to the rest of the world. Examples of made-in-Indonesia films which are distributed on Netflix are Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens and The Night Comes For Us.

Peracchio said he appreciated the enthusiasm and passion of the participants. He added: “I hope to see similar events to be organized in Indonesia not only to further enhance local writers’ skills, but also to support these artists in writing stories that are true to them and to their audience.”