Glint Lintjewas: Talk About Movie Directing & Detective Fiction

Interview by Fitrah Tanzil


First time I knew Glint is from my fellow detective author/writer, M. Fadli. He said he found a young boy who very enthusiat in detective fiction on Facebook, particularly in Ellery Queen. Fortunately, in our team there is no one (especialy youth) who love and have huge interest in classic detective like Ellery Queen. There is another one -at the time- who love classic detective, his name is Irfan Nurhadi, but his special interest in locked room mystery (to John Dickson Carr, etc). I think if Glint be in our group. He can make big impact in community and grab more youth to love detective fiction. So then, I add his Facebook, we talk a long and became a friend. Then I found that, beside his handsome face, he is very smart and multi talented young man. Ok, for not wasthing anymore time, you can watch this interview below.


FT: Halo Glint, How do you do?

GL: First thing first, i don't feel quite worthy to be interviewed by you. you know, at this point i still nobody, but thanks anyway. Am I the first male that get interview by you? If that so , it’s  a privilege, I think  :D 


FT: First, basic question. Where is your high school and college?

GL: I get my education at SMK Kr1 Tomohon that's my high school where i never grow my hair more than an inch, and after that I go  to Universitas Negeri Manado Where I never cut my hair less than an inch.


FT: And where you live now?

GL: i grew up in a little village in Minahasa called Tincep. the place that i really pleased to being a part of. 

FT: There is hilarious event in back few day ago. But, before we talk about 'that'. I must ask you some questions.  When and where you first interest in fiction writing?

GL: Man, that a question with a long answer, but I want to keep it short for you. Hehe as a child I like Conan to begin with, because that is the only manga that I read back there which belong to my cousin (the other is shojo manga), she has  Conan manga which is not written by Aoyama-sensei, some kind of special and I can’t believe I solve 1 of the case, as a child that was unforgettable experience.  And in, maybe 2013 or 2014, I read manga a lot and I want to make one.   I came up with the premise of “2015”, an prophecy that about 7 century and 70 years cycle this nation will have a chaotic revolution, that start at Sriwijaya to Majapahit to Indonesian independence and so in 2015 the cycle is come again, I want to write some conspiracy thriller base on that, so I need to research manga with similarity, Bloody Monday, and when I research about the writer Shin Kibayashi-sensei, I meet Kindaichi no Jikenbo, and the experience of solving case in my childhood come again in such enthusiastic way. So the interest start there.


FT: What books that inspiring you to be writer?

GL: maybe, Dee’s “Perahu Kertas” or “Filosofi Kopi” that make me write my short story(romance), her writing style is bite me to make one. Hehe but not until Ellery and Sherlock Holmes, that make want to write mystery Fiction.


FT: From your blog and other social media. I know you really like Ellery Queen. By the way, tell me about it. Why Ellery?

GL: Yep, I really like Ellery Queen. Man, What not to like. My first meet with Ellery is in the TV series, and the first line of the show is “This Woman is dead, Who killed her?” and finish with “Match wit with Ellery Queen, and guess WHO DUNNIT!” It’s hook right there, Challenge to the viewer? The breaking of the forth-wall before solve the whole mystery, I like fair play mystery, and Ellery is the pinnacle of that. After that I read a lot of the novel and match wit with Ellery, and I lost a lot. hehe


FT: And chain of deduction? What is that? Tell us about it?

GL: I forgot to mention it, yeah a Chain of deduction. Call it like this: The Culprit  has the characteristics of X, Y and Z and after we deduct base on the clue, character A and only character A has such characteristics, then he is the culprit. So if we follow the clue in the good way, the answer is just one, no other explanation will fit.  That’s the fun part of it.  Like I quote from the master himself“Pure reasoning has it that when you have exhausted every possibility but one in a given equation that one, no matter how impossible, no matter how ridiculous it may seem in the postulation—must be the correct one”. So sometime it feels like exact science, but in an ingenious way.


FT: Next what your most memorable and highly recommended EQ that we should read?

GL: Start with ‘Nationality’ Novels, The Greek Coffin Mystery or French Powder Mystery is Highly recommended or just start anywhere with the Nationality Novels. Or the short story, I can’t recommended enough. hehe


FT: And what about local detective? Any reference or something that you read?

GL: Wow, Local Detective now have improve a lot. I like S Mara Gd, Daud Hakim and Gozali, but now we have a lot of choice, like Andy Syahrul from Mia Mutiara, I really can’t wait to read  the upcoming book from M Fadli, “Nostalgia Merah”, inverted mystery, isn’t?  Reza Wardana’s “Pemburu Halimun” that have an impossible crime in it,  and of course your book “13.01”. hehehe


FT: Usually, I have fans question. But this time I blank, I doesnt have any of it.

GL: That’s really Show who am I, isn’t? hehe


FT: Now to the main question. You make a movie? What the... Wah, tell me about it?

GL: Haha… like the other thing too… I am kind of guy that, when I read manga, I want to make one, here some music, I want to make one, read a novel, I want to make one, and it comes to movie too, I watch a lot of movie, good one, bad one, and I say to myself, I want to make one too. And when I start it, I become to like making movie a lot. It feels so good, though.


FT: Since when you interested in making movies?

GL: It’s start when I get  assignments in one of my class in collage. Make short movie. The other group make 5 minute documentary, the other make some kind of promotion video, music clip, Animation and I don’t want to do the same. and then I talk my idea to make a movie with my friend in some kind of Brainstorming meeting, they give me a green light, “but what kind movie?” and I say “what about a brainstorming movie, but we brainstorming about an impossible murder of the girl that we like?”, they really exacted about it. And we make ‘one room closed-circle, Locked Room Mystery movie’ in a day, the funny story is, I intentionally play the  movie in the class  that end in just when the detective want start explain. Hehe and that make the lecturer  really upset, and he want the next part, immediately. He want to know the answer, Whodunnit? Hehe


FT: How you got this team of production?

GL: They all my crew from the day one, we called ourselves i2012, they are the crew and the cast of my movie, I need to mention their name, Juan, Itoy, Ridel,Brian, Will, and my partner in crime Christian. They are my classmate that when we hangout i give the a Short mystery that if they can solve it, I give them a reward. So much fun to hangout with them.  

FT: What surprising me is that you directing an indie movie. The question is, how you get there?

GL: It’s start with the Locked Room movie, “ada apa dengan Jayanti?” (not the real title, until now there is still no official title for it :D ), and the lecturer of my class request me to make another movie for Multimedia Expo and we make another movie, a Romance short movie called “101 origami” and after that we make another short “Dirga: Tarian terakhir sang Kabasaran”. All of it is a non-budget short movie.


FT: This Detective Andy movie. What the story behind it?

GL: Detective Andy is Character written by Mia Mutiara. A writer, Programmer that have good sense of solving case but he seems don’t want to involve in it. But he can’t run from it.


FT: Important question. How do you get to work with Mia Mutiara in Detective Andy the movie?

GL: The answer is you. hehe  You introduce me to Mia  Mutiara, we talked about movie making, writing a screenplay, and then mba Mia give me an approval to write my first draft for one of her short story and i chose the “Nyanyian Sandi”. I Sent that to mba Mia, and she ask me if I can make that script to moving picture, so I’m looking for a new Producer for this project, when I meet Rivo from Rivo Production and he interested in It, I give an “okey messege” to mba Mia. It’s because of you. Hehe


FT: Is this your first movie or you have another?

GL:  Nope… it’s my 3rd or 4th. But a lot of it is experimental stuff. And it short.  I really want to make a full length movie but, you know the budget, gear and everything.


FT: Wow, that's awesome. You must be go to Jakarta, you gonna be BIG in here, hahaha. I'm sorry you deserve better, I sugest you must go to Tokyo. Hahaha.

GL: Hahaha… I'm flattered, but I really am not at that level, yet. Hehe, but about Jakarta, I have plan to go there, maybe next year. I'm still working on freelance to raise money. But I hope I can go there. Learning filmmaking and stuff.


FT: When and from who, you first learn writing a movie script and directing?

GL: From watch movie and read other screenplay, I’m curious in how they make those ‘magic’ happen on screen Just by word, amazing, isn’t it? I don’t know another screenwriter around so I just use available facilities to learn like screenplay that you can find in internet, or re watch  the movie that I like.


FT: Is there any movie project that you've been working for?

GL: Now I focus to finish “Detective Andy”, but other than that we have some movie called “21 februari untuk sang penanti” that go to Limbo right now because we lose the main actor, it’s really hard to think about, because I really like the story of it. And I have another project that still in development stage.


FT: Beside movie writing and directing, is there any project like book or literature?

GL: There is.  I want to rewrite my lost novel. A Locked room Mystery novel that disappear  with my broken laptop. The story that set in my campus. And some Kindaichi’s type of story that happen in small village with impossible murder in that. 


FT: Fans question. What is you favorite J-Pop music? Hahaha.

GL: Oh J-pop? I can make a long list of it. Hehehe I was a guitarist of band, and we play a lot of Japanese Rock like Laruku, One Ok Rock, Ellegarden, Pay Money for my pain, but for J-pop I really like old Japanese city pop. For recent music, I like to listen Aimer “Akane Sasu”, back Number “Happy End”, Mondo Grosso, She is Summer, but my old time fav is still an old song by Miki Matsubara “stay with me”.


FT: Another fans question. If in the future you can work with famous cineas, who you really want to working with and why?

GL: Wow another long list right there. Hehe I want to make movie with Joko Anwar, maybe just ordinary crew, 2nd AC, 1st AD or something, I want to learn from him. For across the nation, I want to direct an Aaron Sorkins screenplay(or make one), Work in a project with Roger Deakins or Christopher Doyle  as the man behind the camera.  That’s really a fans answer.


FT: Ok, last question. Is there any indie movie project that you've been working?

GL: The Detective Andy, kinda pilot of the TV series.  Maybe after finished it, my crew will like to remake  “ada apa dengan Jayanti?”  or find the lead actor for “21 Februari untuk sang penanti”,  I hope so, and I still develop a project that still in pre-production, an ambition project.


FT: Thank you for the interview Glint, see you next time.

GL: Thank you for interviewing me, it’s a pleasure for me.  maybe next time we can meet face to face.  hehe

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