Thai film crews are sought after across the world, why then do Thai films lag so far behind?

[webfact]

 

By Cod Satrusayang

 

Thailand’s film crews are sought after. Directors and producers around the world want to work with Thai film crews because of their low cost and high professionalism.

 

Though Thailand likes to boast about its beautiful locations and diverse environments as major selling points to international movie and commercial productions, the biggest drawing points for foreign films to Thailand has been our crew.

 

From grips to costumes to props to set construction, decades of experience have contributed to a mature and highly competitive industry. That is why Thai film crews are even flown abroad to places like Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea to work on film production.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/37473/thai-film-crews-are-sought-after-across-the-world-why-then-do-thai-films-lag-so-far-behind/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-02-14

 

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[Guest Isaanlife]

Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea are not across the world.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Isaanlife

[Misterwhisper]

If the penny finally drops with Thai film makers that not each and every film MUST have a token villainous transvestite, foul-mouthed maid or ridiculous ghost woven into the story... that might be a good start. Oh, and please do away with the comically melodramatic over-acting that is so prevalent in Thai films. Good looks alone shouldn't be the sole criteria by which to choose the main cast. And because cinematic movies are no low-brow soap operas or childish game shows, the assorted cartoonish sound effects (bang, clang, hoot, whistle!) are superfluous, too.

 

 

[Joe Farang]

23 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

If the penny finally drops with Thai film makers that not each and every film MUST have a token villainous transvestite, foul-mouthed maid or ridiculous ghost woven into the story... that might be a good start. Oh, and please do away with the comically melodramatic over-acting that is so prevalent in Thai films. Good looks alone shouldn't be the sole criteria by which to choose the main cast. And because cinematic movies are no low-brow soap operas or childish game shows, the assorted cartoonish sound effects (bang, clang, hoot, whistle!) are superfluous, too.

 

 

Steady on, next you'll want to ban the practise of people jumping from one body to another in Thai movies.

[The Hammer2021]

Thai films do not lag behind in Thailand! They only lag in countries in non Thai speaking countries.

[jacko45k]

9 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Thai films do not lag behind in Thailand! They only lag in countries in non Thai speaking countries.

Everywhere else then?

[ikke1959]

especially horror movies, where people can scream ..... I think. Because screaming is common in all movies. It seems that nobody can talk normally...But for me Beautiful Boxer is a favorite.. It shows they can do good movies

[The Hammer2021]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Everywhere else then?

Films tend to be language based. The issue is the disparity between the quality of the Thai film crews and their lack of international success  but it is exactly the same with Portuguese, Chinese, Indian, French productions..etc etc. Their strength is their home market. Bollywood is bigger than Hollywood. Portugal is the biggest European  film producer but non of these place have international audiences..The question posited by the OP very easy to answer. As I have explained its a matter of linguistics. The real issue is the Hugh esteem Thai film crews and sound crews are held in. AMAZING THAILAND!

[dddave]

I've worked in a lot of TV commercials and have had small roles in a few movies shot here in Thailand and have always been impressed by Thai film crews.

There are no SAG work rules here.  Shoots often go from dawn to midnight and not a lot of comfort provided yet the crews are always on point and fast at what they do.

One of the pleasures for me working on set was watching lighting, set and camera crews transitioning from one scene to another, working fast but usually staying out of one another's way.  Everyone has their own specific task and their skills are impressive.

 

One shocking and disturbing thing is the total lack of work rules for young children.

I have worked on several commercials involving large numbers of very young kids, from 3 to 6 years old and no allowance is made for them.  

They are expected to be available for costume and make up at 6AM (a parent always accompanies the kids and stays throughout the shoot) and shooting usually starts around 9AM. 

Getting large groups of young kids to stay attentive and act in unison is not easy and directors and especially assistant-directors can be pretty harsh at times...there are a lot of tears.  It is not unusual for these shoots to last well beyond 6PM with minimal breaks.

One commercial for an ice cream company started at 5AM and didn't finish until after 11PM.  The kids (and parents) were totally blitzed.  This could never happen in most Western countries.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

From grips to costumes to props to set construction, decades of experience have contributed to a mature and highly competitive industry. That is why Thai film crews are even flown abroad to places like Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea to work on film production.

Cheap labour... that's all.

[The Hammer2021]

7 minutes ago, dddave said:

I've worked in a lot of TV commercials and have had small roles in a few movies shot here in Thailand and have always been impressed by Thai film crews.

There are no SAG work rules here.  Shoots often go from dawn to midnight and not a lot of comfort provided yet the crews are always on point and fast at what they do.

One of the pleasures for me working on set was watching lighting, set and camera crews transitioning from one scene to another, working fast but usually staying out of one another's way.  Everyone has their own specific task and their skills are impressive.

 

One shocking and disturbing thing is the total lack of work rules for young children.

I have worked on several commercials involving large numbers of very young kids, from 3 to 6 years old and no allowance is made for them.  

They are expected to be available for costume and make up at 6AM (a parent always accompanies the kids and stays throughout the shoot) and shooting usually starts around 9AM. 

Getting large groups of young kids to stay attentive and act in unison is not easy and directors and especially assistant-directors can be pretty harsh at times...there are a lot of tears.  It is not unusual for these shoots to last well beyond 6PM with minimal breaks.

One commercial for an ice cream company started at 5AM and didn't finish until after 11PM.  The kids (and parents) were totally blitzed.  This could never happen in most Western countries.

Kids are tough here. They will survive what you describe. Nothing compared to rice paddy workbook dawn to dusk..

Unions helped destroy the British Film Industry which saw a renaissance once their power was diminished.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea are not across the world.

 

 

It is for most Thais... 

[spidermike007]

Thailand does actually possess some film talent, and they have made some good films in the past, and many foreign films have been done here, using local talent. I have no idea why there are not more films made, that are finer quality, and artistic. Not referring to the junk that is churned out, but the more serious films. Not enough of an audience for the work?

[dj230]

Ive yet to hear of Thai film crews being sought after

[josephbloggs]

22 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Cheap labour... that's all.

Cheap jibe and, as usual, utterly incorrect.

[josephbloggs]

35 minutes ago, dddave said:

I've worked in a lot of TV commercials and have had small roles in a few movies shot here in Thailand and have always been impressed by Thai film crews.

There are no SAG work rules here.  Shoots often go from dawn to midnight and not a lot of comfort provided yet the crews are always on point and fast at what they do.

One of the pleasures for me working on set was watching lighting, set and camera crews transitioning from one scene to another, working fast but usually staying out of one another's way.  Everyone has their own specific task and their skills are impressive.

Yes, this is all correct.  Thai crews work with incredible efficiency, speed and skill - everyone knows their role and they carry out their work as a single well oiled machine, it's very cool to watch them work.

[poskat]

thai film crews just execute the creative vision of the director, i.e., they just do what they are told to do. The lack of creativity and understanding what makes a good film by those responsible for the content are the ones responsible for thai films not being on the level that they are in other countries.

[Purdey]

Not enough artistic integrity. Steal ideas and make a buck before moving on. They won’t spend money on local films because they can’t sell to China and the US. Auteurs here are few and far between.

[hotchilli]

29 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Cheap jibe and, as usual, utterly incorrect.

On the contrary, take South Korea as an example, it makes superb films, has a plethora of dramas, variety shows, other entertainment shows, not to mention a huge music industry.

But they all come at a cost, one way to cut that expense is to bring in cheap set-labour to meet the budget.
 

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea

True, these countries are the hub of international block busters ????

[DaveE13]

50 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

On the contrary, take South Korea as an example, it makes superb films, has a plethora of dramas, variety shows, other entertainment shows, not to mention a huge music industry.

But they all come at a cost, one way to cut that expense is to bring in cheap set-labour to meet the budget.
 

I do like alot of Asian made films especially some of the Korean and Japanese made ones 

[John Drake]

The industry in Thailand isn't big enough to support the type films dreamed about in this article. Filmmakers end up a lot of the time working in advertising and making commercials in order to eat and take on film projects when the money sometimes comes together. The industry here is also small. Everybody knows everyone else who is involved. Hang around for a year or so and you'll run into just about everybody. Lots of scuzzy Westerners here too, trying to survive on the margins mostly or hustle soft porn and video work. At the bottom, production services in Thailand is a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. Lots of people want in and are desperate. Problem is, not many people can write stories. Manipulate cameras, lights, and equipment (although notably weak on sound), yes, but hard to find scripts. (I wish they would stop bringing old Joe into all these stories about the Thai industry. Fact is, he's repetitive and an emperor without any clothes.)

Edited February 14, 2022 by John Drake

[H1w4yR1da]

4 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

If the penny finally drops with Thai film makers that not each and every film MUST have a token villainous transvestite, foul-mouthed maid or ridiculous ghost woven into the story... that might be a good start. Oh, and please do away with the comically melodramatic over-acting that is so prevalent in Thai films. Good looks alone shouldn't be the sole criteria by which to choose the main cast. And because cinematic movies are no low-brow soap operas or childish game shows, the assorted cartoonish sound effects (bang, clang, hoot, whistle!) are superfluous, too.

 

 

And Thai TV still features the mentally-challenged in comedy skits.

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, DaveE13 said:

I do like alot of Asian made films especially some of the Korean and Japanese made ones 

The Japanese are easily the most talented and creative in SE and East Asia. But, they have the budgets and strong local markets, as they have highly defined culture. Also, Japanese cinema has a following worldwide. Their anesthetics are unmatched. 

[Thingamabob]

Don't confuse Thai movies with Thai soaps. The Thais have made some excellent movies.

[humqdpf]

4 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Kids are tough here. They will survive what you describe. Nothing compared to rice paddy workbook dawn to dusk..

Unions helped destroy the British Film Industry which saw a renaissance once their power was diminished.

The last time I looked the British Film Industry was doing rather well. The post production speciality based in a certain part of London ran into some problems with Brexit (who didn't) and covid had an effect. But it seems that the UK is making a huge amount for the 'made for TV' and the streaming services, where the real growth is, apparently. By the way, I am not British although I lived there for ten years. So no axe to grind.

[Mr Meeseeks]

28 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Don't confuse Thai movies with Thai soaps. The Thais have made some excellent movies.

I'm struggling to name one...

 

Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong, Street Fighter... all keek.

[clivebaxter]

13 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I'm struggling to name one...

 

Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong, Street Fighter... all keek.

Monrak Transistor, saw it 3 times at Ekami

[H1w4yR1da]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

Don't confuse Thai movies with Thai soaps. The Thais have made some excellent movies.

Which ones? I can think of 4 or 5 

[zzaa09]

8 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Thai films do not lag behind in Thailand! They only lag in countries in non Thai speaking countries.

Indeed. So that might apply to all films that aren't English-language worthy.