Thailand Film Office organizes an inbound roadshow for film makers in a bid to celebrate the convenience of making movies in the Kingdom.
BANGKOK– Projecting over 2, 200 million Baht (approximately US$ 71 million) in revenue for 2012 from foreign production shoots in Thailand – passing the record of 2, 023 million Baht set in 2008, the Thailand Film Office has planned an impressive Inbound Roadshow (familiarization tour) for leading international location managers and select Asian producers which will run November 5 – 13 2012.
While it is impossible to showcase the wonders of the Kingdom which can be used in feature film and TV programming in a short week, organizers of the Film Friendly Thailand Familiarization Tour have painted a broad swath of activities highlighting: Ancient Siam, a visit to the historical ruins of Ayutthaya, Ancient River Life, a tour along the Chao Praya River and its canals (klongs) which emulate earliest life in old Siam; Modern City Life, featuring some of Bangkok’s best highlights; Thai Tradition with early Yi Peng (Loy Kratong) festival celebration in Chiang Rai on the banks of the Mae Kok River; Sustainable Living/Economy, a day spent on the Doi Chaang Coffee Plantation with the Akha Hilltribes people; Ocean Life/Eco Tourism, cave kayaking around the Phang Nga Bay with award winning documentarian John Grey, and last but not least, a Spotlight on Film Tourism showcasing the Tower Club at Lebua’ State Tower. Lebua Tower filming was part of the movie “The Hangover Part II” and contributed to the success generated for Thailand’s tourism.
Participants attending the Roadshow include the president of the Location Managers Guild of America, a representative from Japan’s Nippon Television, producers from Bollywood and international location managers that have worked on major Hollywood feature film productions such as “The Lone Ranger”, “Pirates of t he Caribbean”, “Coyote Ugly”, “The Aviator”, “Rain Man”, “Kill Bill”, “Transformers”, “Iron Man 3”, “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Face/Off” and assorted TV shows.
Participants have worked with acclaimed directors such as Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, Tom Hanks, Barry Levinson, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone and many more.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
