Tera was born on 25 October 1920 in
Madiun,
East Java,
Dutch East Indies. He continued his education until
junior high school, later becoming a photographer. Around 1948, during the
Indonesian National Revolution, Tera joined the Dutch-owned production company South Pacific Film Corporation, where he studied cinematography under the Dutch cameraman AA Denninghoff-Stelling. With South Pacific, Tera served as assistant cinematographer for several productions, including
Djaoeh Dimata (1948),
Gadis Desa,
Harta Karun, and
Tjitra (all 1949). It was while working there Tera met
Usmar Ismail, who was the director of
Harta Karun and
Tjitra. After the film was released, it was ultimately unsuccessful. Despite this, Tera remained with Ismail's company
Perfini, later training several of its cameramen, including Kosnen, R. Husein, and Kasdullah. In the 1960s Tera began working for films by other companies, with Perfini's permission. In his later years Tera worked freelance, both for money and because he felt he was destined to be a cinematographer. He made his last film,
Nuansa Birunya Rinjani, in 1989. In 1990 Tera was awarded an Usmar Ismail Prize for his contributions to Indonesia's cinema. He died in Jakarta on 1 October 1992. ==Filmography==