Thailand
Film Locations. Paradise beaches, tropical forests, rice paddies, rivers, waterfalls, caves, mountains, traditional villages, Oriental floating markets, Buddhist temples, metropolis looks, modern architecture. Thailand can double for several international looks.
Bangkok is the main production centre.
Thailand is a popular place to shoot for many North Asian countries. It has seen a marked increase in popularity with servicing European and US production too.
Permits. Permitting is a straight forward process. Filming permits for commercials, documentaries, and music videos typically take about 3 days whilst permits for feature films on average take about 3 weeks if there are no hot issues. Filming topics including anything to do with the monarchy or religion are the most problematic in obtaining permission. Some locations have restricted hours of use such as Chinatown which can only have traffic controlled on weekends or nights.
When to shoot? The best time to shoot is the dry season between late October and mid May. The monsoon wet season is from late May to October.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. Quotes are based in USD. Thailand is not the least expensive place to shoot in South East Asia but on the whole, it is very good value for money given the high production standard and comparatively low costs.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.
Thailand has an abundance of South East Asian looks but also has a regular flow of European and South American models and actors who live and work in Thailand for extended periods of time.
Please see here for examples of locally available talent:
Elite Thailand
JIM Model
Area
Four for Fashion
WM Models
Artiste Model
Red Modeling
Creative talent. Thailand has some of the best DoP's in the region as well as some of the most highly awarded directors in the world.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews. There are no unions as such, rather an unwritten known rate and working hours. Thailand has very experienced crews most of whom speak English so there is no real need to bring key crew over if the shoot doesn't require anything very specific.
Fringes. No hidden extras. All included in the project costing.
Premiums. Perdiums are paid when filming outside of Bangkok. Weekends and nights are paid normal time. Holidays are double time.
Equipment. Thailand is Arri based. Panavision equipment is usually brought in from Hong Kong, Singapore or Australia. Most standard equipment is available in Thailand. Thailand also has Motion Control, underwater housing. Instead of Wescam they have a Baan Rig. Thailand does not have a Technocrane but they do have a MovieBird. Fly Cam needs to be brought in. Shortage of helicopters in Thailand.
Please see here links to local equipment houses:
Cine Rent (Camera, grip, lights)
Lighthouse (Grip and lighting)
Siam Light (Grip, lighting, transport)
Movie Magic (Red Camera)
Art department and set construction in Thailand is flexible and very experienced. Examples of the high calibre of local work can be seen in the feature films shot in Thailand including Alexander, Shanghai, Stealth and The Beach.
Studios. MoonStar is the largest studio compound available although there are several other studios scattered around Bangkok. For more information see:
MoonStar
Backlots. At present no backlots exist.
Tax Incentives. At present no tax incentives exist for foreign features or commercials shooting in Thailand.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. Processing and post production facilities are of an international standard. See here for post production facilities in Thailand:
Oriental Post (Katana)
Post Bangkok
Technicolor Bangkok
Visas and Work Permits. Entry is subject to regulations from country of origin. Contact your local Thai embassy / representative for more information. Please also see:
Thai Film Office
Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world standards. Bangkok airport is a major international hub and Thailand is well serviced domestically by Thai Air.
Accommodation is reasonably priced in Thailand. Recommended Bangkok hotels include:
Hansar
Mandarin Oriental
Metropolitan
The Davis
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Despite the occasional political turmoil Thailand remains a safe place for tourists and film makers alike.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Thailand, please see below:
Our production service companies, line producers and fixers have serviced TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries for:
AXA Belgium, BBC UK, Canon Singapore, Coca Cola Indonesia, Concord Canada, Dove Malaysia, Deutche Bank Germany, Dressman Sweden, Evian France, HBO USA, Heineken Ireland, Hyundai Korea, Intercontinental Hotels Global, ITC India, Kirin Japan, Kraft USA, Landrover UK, LG Korea, Meunil China, McDonalds Australia, MUFG Japan, Nikon Hong Kong, Nokia China, Orange Moblie Slovakia, Philips Netherlands, Proctor & Gamble USA, Chery Riich China, Rimowa Germany, Samsung Korea, Sinoland Hong Kong, Skipper Italy, Smirnoff USA, Sony United Arab Emirates, Stella Russia, Telefonica Spain, Vidal Sassoon China, Virgin Media UK, and much more.
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer in Thailand, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
