Thailand Location Series: Central Thailand

Filmmakers around the world are, over the recent years, taking advantage of Thailand’s exotic locations, cheap and hard working labor, and high production values, to shoot many of the movies and other productions; contributing millions to the country’s economy. While, these reasons and more were mentioned in a previous blog, we expanded the location factor, covering each part of the country, in a series of blogs to highlight little known locations with list of the popular movies shot in those parts.  

The series having, previously covered Northern, Western, and North Eastern and Eastern parts of Thailand, now looks at the Central part of Thailand, barring Bangkok, which with its popularity, preference by many filmmakers to shoot, locations capable of doubling up for any place in the world, merits a single blog of its own.   

The Central Thailand covers Bangkok Metropolitan, Chao Phraya Basin, Northern Gulf Coast and West of Bangkok. It is the richest part of Thailand, boasting of the complex irrigation system developed for the wet-rice agriculture that provides the necessary economic support to sustain the country. It is also a focal point of trade and transportation from the ancient times and, in the recent times, industrial activity. Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi, and Nakhon Pathom are among the most well known cities in this region.

Due to its historical importance, the area boasts of locations, houses and temples that are influenced by the Burmese reign, establishment of the present Siam kingdom and colonial periods. They have regularly double up for Cambodia, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries.

Selected below are few of the locations from the region.  

Phra Narai Ratchaniwet: A perfect blend of two different architectural styles – French and Khmer. This palace was commissioned by King Narai with the contributions of French architects. It is a beautiful ancient location which can double up for 17^th century European times, or any period of the colonial times in Asia.

Wat Sao Thong Thong: A remarkable, unique and historical importance location of the area. This western style viharn was originally built by King Narai as a church for the Christian envoys. He later ordered the replacement of Thai windows with Western-style windows with Gothic-designs in the secondary chapel.  However, today this viharn is a Buddhist temple with a large seated Buddha image inside, resulting in one of a kind temple inside a church.

Buffalo Village: Most are familiar with the Elephant village up north of Thailand; however the country is home to a large population of water buffalos, an animal very importance to Thailand, culturally and historically. The locations around can also easily double up locations in the South East Asia, many a times set as a village with the buffalos and villages during the Vietnam War.

Bang Namphueng, Damnoen Seduak and Amphawa Floating Markets: The famous floating markets which has been extensively a part of many productions shot in Thailand. They reflect the charm of the canalside lifestyle of the community, in addition to of course the food and drinks. Its beauty has been dubbed, “Venice of the East” by early European visitors.

Atsana Wihan Mae Phra Bangkoet: A beautiful church constructed in French Gothic architectural style built in 1890 by Father Paolo Salmone, a French Missionary; a reminder of the colonial presence in Thailand.

The well known productions to have shot around these areas are Mortal Kombat (1995), Mortal Kombat:Annihilation (1997), The King Maker (2005), Alexander (2004), The Deer Hunter(1978), Casualties of War (1989), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), BeyondBorders (2003), Bangkok Dangerous (2008), and many more. 

Thailand Location Series: The North Eastern and the Eastern Thailand

In our previous blogs, we covered the Northern and Western parts of Thailand.  Both parts of Thailand are populated by national parks, dense jungles and hills. We have also mentioned the international productions While many international movies had been shot in the northern and the western regions; the North Eastern and Eastern regions, except for Pattaya, haven't been featured extensively in the international productions.    

The Northeastern Thailand is popularly known as Isan locally. It borders Laos along the Mekong River and Cambodia in the southeast. Due to this, the population is divided into Lao speaking majority who call themselves as Khon Isan; and the other Khmer speaking community who follow customs very similar to Cambodia.  The region is the least fertile, boasting of exceptionally hot, dry climate. It is culturally rich, and home to many Thai Prime Ministers and other prominent figures in the country. However, the region remains the poorest in Thailand.

The Eastern Thailand is characterized by short mountain ranges alternating with small basins of short rivers which drain into the Gulf of Thailand. It has many popular tourist places, most notably Pattaya, the notorious sex tourist haven, and also other beautiful offshore islands.

Below are few of the least well known locations of the regions.

Phu Kradueng National Park: The ultimate destination for Thai trekkers. Every year, thousands of people come to travel up this famous mountain which is 1316 meters above the sea level. It is perfect for the productions looking for vast wide plain and cold climate pine forest.

The Catholic ChurchChanthaburi: For productions involving beautiful Gothic architectural styled church, this is a perfect choice. The church is the largest catholic edifice in Thailand and boasts of beautiful interiors and surroundings.

Koh Kradan: One of the most beautiful islands with white long sandy beach and wonderful coral reefs. Is one of the favorite locations for the Bollywood and local productions.

Mukdahan National Park: This location is famous for its unusual rocks. Moreover during the rainy season, the flowers of different colors bloom from the rocks giving it magnificent colors. It had been featured extensively in many Bollywood productions.

Mo Hin Khao: This is the Stonehenge of Thailand. The location claimed to be between 195- 175 million years but nevertheless for this is a perfect location for the productions involving ancient Jurassic times or sci fi production to show strange alien lands. The possibilities are endless.

The well known productions to have shot around these areas are The Big Boss or Fist of Fury (1971), TwoBrothers or Deux Frères (2004), Alexander (2004) , The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Shanghai (2010).   

Thailand Location Series: The Western Thailand

In our previous blog, we mentioned the scenic locations of the Northern Thailand. It is geographically a hilly area and boasts of many National Parks. We selected four locations which are popularly used as a background in many local and international productions. Few of the movies shot around the area have also been mentioned.

In this blog, we take you to the Western part of Thailand. The area is characterized by high mountains, steep river valleys and major dams. The area is also the beginning of the Tenasserim Hills (known in Thailand as Thio Khao Tanaosi) a natural barrier between Burma and Thailand. Western Thailand is important for its history and mining industry. It is also the least disturbed part of Thailand.

We selected few of the locations that would interest any location scouts.

Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary: If you are looking for thick jungles with rushing streams, this UNESCO World Heritage site would be the most ideal. Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary is linked with the Thung Yai Naresuan, Huay Kha Kaeng Reserves, Khlong Lan and Mae Wong national Parks. Together these form South East Asia’s top virgin forest. It also boasts of the country’s largest waterfall, Namtok Thi So Lu.

Sukhothai Historical Park: Fans of the Mortal Kombat movie series can easily recognized this location. It is the ruins of old Sukhothai, the capital of Sukhothai Kingdom which flourished in the 13^th and 14^th centuries. It served as a location for the popular Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). Interesting Fact: famous Thai actor and martial arts expert Tony Jaa worked as a stunt double in the movie.

Utthayan Mueang Kao Pichit: A famous historical remains of an ancient town dating back to more than 900 years. There are scores of chedis scattered around the site. This location served as a backdrop for song sequences in many Bollywood productions and is also very popular for the local productions.

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park: A beautiful location with a tragic history, this national park is popular for its vast plain of rocky formations. Its uniqueness makes it ideal for productions that would look for deserted and exotic locations, possibly double up for other planets!  

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park: This location can easily double up for Savannah any day. It is vast grassland against a backdrop of high mountains, endowed naturally with pine trees and wild flowers.

This part of Thailand has not been featured extensively in international productions. Few of the international productions shot in Western Thailand include The Man with TheGolden Gun (1974), Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn (2007) which starred ChristianBale, Vinyan (2008) and both of the Mortal Kombat movies.   

In the next series, we will cover the Eastern and North Eastern Thailand.

Thailand Location Series: The Northern Beauty

Thailand is increasingly becoming a popular destination for the productions from all over the world. In one of our last blog, we covered reasons for shooting in Thailand despite the lack of incentives. In this new series of blogs, we cover locations from each part of the country.  Many might already know of the locations we will cover. A few we believe are unknown to many of the international location scouts. The series will show that there is more to the country than the notorious nightlife and the beautiful beaches.

We begin with the Northern Thailand. The north of Thailand is geographically a hilly area. There are many national parks, indigenous villagers and rare wildlife and plants. The area is often hailed as the most culturally significant part of Thailand. Chiang Mai is the largest city of this part of Thailand in addition to being the second largest city of the country.

Below are few of the locations

Doi Inthanon Chedi

Doi Inthanon National Park: Imagine for a moment. A beautiful location populated by beautiful waterfalls. All around you can see the source of the rivers. And this location is located at the highest point of the country, at 2,599 meters to be exact. This is Thailand’s most well known national park and one whose beauty make your work more than enjoyable.

Doi Mae Salong plantation

Doi Mae Salong: The area’s plantation doubled for many local and international productions notably American Gangster (2007), Ridley Scott’s helmed project starring DenzelWashington and Russell Crowe. It is however a beautiful tea, coffee and fruit plantations and not drugs as depicted. It has also been featured in many productions for romantic backgrounds.

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Chedi Luang: This particular location is very popular for local productions for many reasons. The main reason is its location among the beautiful hills. The second is the long staircase with what is believed to be the most beautiful man made methodological serpents rambling from the entrance of the chapel to the door, on both sides of the staircase. For a shoot that covers exotic Thai temple not flanked by the usual skyscrapers of Bangkok, this is total ideal.

Doi Phu Kha

Doi Phu Kha National Park: If you have watched a little known movie titled “The Elephant King”, this location’s beauty will not be of a surprise to you. The pink flowers are in here in this park, Chomphu Phu Kha to be exact. They are in full bloom during February. This location has been a favorite for both local and international productions alike. Permits can be applied for and accommodation services inside the park are available.  

Some of the international productions shot here in Northern Thailand included American Gangster (2007), Rambo(2008), Rambo 3 (1988), Surf Ninjas (1993), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), TheElephant King (2006), Somewhere (2004), Hot Potato (1976) and Sniper 3 (Video2004).  Northern Thailand has also been featured in the famous TV series “The Amazing Race”. Lost in Thailand(2012), the highest grossing Chinese movie was also shot around in the area. 

In the next series, we will move downward to cover the beautiful locations in the north western.

Benetone Films to line produce “Its Entertainment” starring the Khiladi Akshay Kumar

Bangkok, Thailand – Benetone Films announced that it has been chosen to line produce Akshay Kumar’s next starring venture, “Its Entertainment” which will be directed by the debutants Sajid- Farhad and produced by Ramesh Taurani. The movie pairs the Khiladi with TamannaBhatia and will begin shooting around various locations in Bangkok by the end of June.

This is not a first time that Benetone Films has had an opportunity of working with Akshay Kumar. Over the last few years, the production house had line produced big budget Akshay starrers such Chandni Chowk to China, Housefull 2, Blue and Desi Boyz. In fact, a couple of months back Benetone Films also line produced soon to be released BOSS which is directed by Anthony D’ Souza, the director of Blue.

More information will be updated by the company on its website here and also on its social presence at Facebook.com/benetonefilms and Twitter.com/benetonefilms

“Marty Press Play”, its time adults listen

Benetone Films is proud to announce its patronage of “Marty Press Play”, an upcoming project bought together by a group of young students. “Martin Press Play” is about a 7 year old Marty who lose his father to a horrific car accident after which his mother, terribly scarred remarried Frank who treat him cruelly. But what the step father doesn't expect is that Marty is looking to get rid of him and it won’t be an accident. The project owners are currently raising funds to the total amount of US $ 2,300 on IndieGoGo, one of the largest global crowdfunding platform.

“Marty Press Play” addresses, through the eyes of the young Marty, frustrations faced by the children who are often hold responsible by the adults for the troubles that they haven’t create. Ultimately, the frustrations bottled up for long exploded and young Martin proceeded to do something which involves the title of the film.

“Martin Press Play” starred a young new talent, Nicky Jaques as Martin, the beautiful Colleen Ann Fleischmann as Mom and Ryan Preimesberger as Frank. The first look of the movie with messages from the director and the young lead can be viewed here. 

The project has so far raised US $ 1,962 and has still 16 days left on the campaign. You can contribute to the project at http://bit.ly/12alKGF with many rewards available depending on the amount of funds that you will support the project.

The other members of the team include Tom Byrnes (Assistant Director); Jeffrey Men, Mia Christo, Adithep Narula (Producers); Sean Kiely (Sound Mixer); Steve Russell (Director of Photography); Michael Sheptock (Assistant Camera) and Andrea Massaad (Production Designer). 

Top 5 Tips For Filming Abroad

The original post is by Nia Genelis of Global Media Desk for KFTV

As anyone in this industry knows, filming can be a complex business, with obstacles and hurdles to overcome even for the shortest project. Shooting in another country can present very specific challenges as well as rewards, with plenty of research to be done ahead of time.

When done correctly however, venturing beyond your borders can be a once in-a-lifetime event. So how do you ensure a drama-free shoot in a foreign country? The experts at Global Media Desk have put together a list of tips, tricks and advice to make your shoot a complete and total success.

1. Plan ahead

When arranging crews, permits, visas, travel, hotels and other services, book as far in advance as possible. Booking ahead of time will ensure that you get the best rates and save a lot of money.

Also, don’t forget the time difference. If you’re reading this during the daytime in the United States, it is already evening in Europe. And in Asia, it’s already tomorrow. So, if you happen to be organising a shoot in either of these regions, and you’re based in Berlin, you’re already a day behind.

You can look at the KFTV country guides to find time zones of 149 countries around the world, or visit sites such as the Time Difference Calculator.

2. Things you need before you travel

Some countries require visas to be obtained in advance. This process can take anything from one week to one month to complete. KFTV has details on specific visa requirements and where to find them listed country by country. Or you can refer to VisaHQ.

Another vital point to remember before you travel is that voltage and power outlets vary around the world. You should have the right plug adapters and power converters before setting off. Most plug adapters do not convert the power.

Laptops and video cameras usually have built-in converters, but you will need to buy a separate power converter for all other devices. If your voltages don’t match you could end up blowing a fuse. You can find a list of electrical systems around the world here.

3. Go local

By working with local film crews in the country or region you are shooting in, you end up killing two birds with one stone.

First of all, you reduce or eliminate travel expenses considerably, and save on having to ship in large amounts of equipment. This can often incur customs fees, not to mention the hefty extra baggage charges at check-in.

Secondly, and most importantly, you will be working with people who know the local terrain, language, and customs. This kind of local knowledge is the single most effective way of reducing potential problems, because your locally based team will know how to avoid country-specific risks.

4. Know the local laws, customs, do’s & don’ts

Imagine your reaction if your production had to be shut down because you did not get the right permit, or decided to shoot on a major local holiday when everything was closed? What would happen if you chose to shoot on a forbidden location, or didn’t follow the specific local shooting code?

You can spend quite a lot of time researching the filming laws in your destination country, checking with the local film commissions and other government organisations.  Alternatively, hire a local fixer, scout or production assistant who knows the right people and permits, and who can take care of everything prior to your arrival, thus saving you valuable time.

5. Have fun

Don’t forget what a gift it is to travel and to have the opportunity to discover new places and people. If possible, schedule some time to get out there and explore a little.

Your local crew will probably have some great advice on places to visit in the area. Enjoy yourself; you won’t regret it

Why shooting in Thailand without incentives is still an attractive option

In our last post, we mentioned the importance of incentives and how Thailand loses a lot of potential businesses from the big international studios for the lack of it. Yet, there is no denying that the country is still attracting filmmakers from all over the world who find other factors prevalent in the country to be attractive. In this post we will highlight these factors. 

During the one day seminar of the Thailand International Film Festival 2013, many of the guests agreed that Thailand is one of the best places to shoot a movie and some including Mr. Daniel Zirilli and Mr. Andrew Pfeffer (Bangkok Dangerous, Running Scared and etc.) shared their wonderful experiences of shooting their projects here. During their stories, they repeatedly highlighted some of the factors that make Thailand an attractive place to shoot. In this post, we will detail each of the factors and share the experiences from the filmmakers to illustrate how without the incentives, Thailand is still one of the most appealing place to shoot.

Hard working and experienced crew: Daniel Zirilli recounted an incident on one of his earliest shoots in Thailand when heavy equipment was urgently required for a shoot on top of a hill and it was proving to be difficult due to some unforeseen problems. One of the crew members solved the dilemma by lifting the equipment and went all the way to the top without once complaining. This story is one of the many examples of hard working attitude of the locals who are not afraid of working hard and are always ready to brave any kind of situation. Additionally, with many upcoming film production services in the country, more and more people are gaining the valuable experiences and thus become what one of the guests said “the most attractive workforce for film production in the region.”

Locations: When the Chinese government suddenly revoked the permit to film a week prior to shooting, Weinstein Company’s ambitious project Shanghai ran into trouble. They had to walk away from an expensive set and find a new location in a short time. Fortunately for them, Thailand has the locations that can double up for the historical time China and at a lower cost. In other instances, Thailand’s beautiful (and the popular notorious side) beat out Rio to be featured in Hangover 2; and of course the beautiful paradise for Leonardo Di Caprio in TheBeach. The country is no short of having beautiful locations and has in fact been a favorite for many Bollywood filmmakers who increasingly using it to double up for places such as New York, Bahamas, to name a few.

Low cost of production: Thailand as mentioned above was used to double up for many other locations primarily not only because of its beautiful locations, but also of the low cost of production. The production services down here are not only reasonably priced but other factors including logistics and accommodation are among the best and cheapest in the region. Moreover, sets construction is admittedly by many of our clients one of the cheapest at the highest quality in the region. This all contribute to the lower cost for the filmmakers and thus saving costs to a large extent.

Excellent Infrastructure: Thailand’s infrastructure is undeniably one of the best in the region. Many filmmakers find it easy to shoot in Thailand and easy to transportation of the equipment or the crew to locations quickly. In fact we have had finished shoots that take place at 3 different locations in a single day itself!

Professional Production Services: The guests had praised highly of the professionalism of the production services in Thailand and this made us proud. We at Benetone Films had strive to be the best of the crop and we value transparency and honesty highly when servicing the clients.

Friendly atmosphere: Thailand is popularly known as the land of smiles and this is always pleasant for the filmmakers who come back to Thailand again and again to enjoy the hospitality and joy of working with the locals. Moreover, Thai people are gracious and go out of their way to make sure the visitors are comfortable. Mr. Kulthep Narula representing Benetone Films in fact shared how during the 2010 Thai political protests,  the shoot went on without any trouble a mere distance away from the protests. Moreover the protesters were handling out water or refreshments to the crew.

The above factors are one of the other many others to make the filmmakers choose Thailand despite not having incentives. In the end, we welcome you to experience the country for yourself and for any assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Bottom Line: Incentives - Thailand International Film Festival 2013

This post follows our earlier post on Thailand International Film Festival 2013 highlights. This is an expansion of that blog on the issues discussed during the seminar with incentives being the primary concern. You can read the earlier post here.

Attractive locations, hard working crew, high quality production and lack of tax incentives and other factors came into discussion at the one-day seminar of Thailand International Film Destination Festival Bangkok, 2013. The seminar as mentioned was headlined by two of the leading location managers from Hollywood and international filmmakers with experience of shooting in Thailand. The guests collectively provided interesting insights into the factors that determine studios’ decision to choose a location and shared their experiences of working in Thailand

In both of the sessions, as challenges of shooting in Thailand were discussed, the discussions of course inadvertently turned to the lack of incentives.

Incentives for those who do not know are usually something that motivates an action to occur. In the context of filmmaking, incentives (known as Movie Production Incentives) are usually tax rebate, co-production treaties, government grants and other attractive packages like free transportation for the cast and crew and etc. These attract the filmmakers to come to the locations where they can enjoy the incentives and help them lower the cost of the movie productions.

Despite being in the spotlight for many movies being shot here, Thailand unfortunately have had no incentives. Regardless, many foreign movies continue coming to shoot here for there are other reasons such as low cost of production, hard working and experienced crew, exotic locations, excellent infrastructure, availability of equipment and etc. making it one of the most attractive in the region.

However, many big budget movies are reluctant to come and shoot here for the executives running the studios behind those movies consider incentives as the most important factor while considering a location to shoot. Moreover, their time is limited and thus if there is no incentives, other details of what Thailand has to offer is of no interest. The issue of not having the incentives thus makes it difficult for Thailand to be on the shortlist of locations for only the countries with incentives and so deemed cost effective will be more favored.

We do understand the importance of incentives however, in the same discussion other factors of Thailand were too highlighted which made it attractive. In the next post, we will thus explore those factors and how without incentives, Thailand is still very attractive place for filmmakers to come.

Stay Tune!

Micromax: Celebration of HD Color

The prisoners were lined up under the hot sun. Tears streamed down their faces as they looked at each other before turning to stare at the firing squad in position with the guns pointed ready to fire upon the command. The commanding officer strutted, spit out the chewing gum and looked at an officer sitting in an idle jeep, a distance away before turning to the photographer standing next to him with a nervous expression. The overweight office asked the photographer if he was ready and as the latter nodded apprehensively, the officer took aim and in loud voice ordered the squad to fire…

The commercial for Micromax (12^th largest handset manufacturer in the world), line produced by Benetone Films (Thailand’s premier production house), started off on somber note but take a surprising turn and in the end become a celebration of life and color. The short commercial conveys the beauty and multi color of lives.

The challenge of bringing such a beautiful commercial with vast arrays of exploding colors was a challenge. The colors were meant to explode at the exact moment and also with colors needing to explode on the wall and everywhere around, it means the usual bag of colors under the shirt trick (use for blood scenes) is no longer adequate.

However for us at Benetone Films, the more challenging it is the more fun it is. For us to handle such tasks and bring it to fruition in result for such a colorful commercial was certainly fun and yes exhausting. Moreover, we were supported by our hardworking crew and the cast who braved the scorching heat to participate in bringing this commercial to life.

By the end, the director and the client got exactly the commercial as they had envisioned and we feel proud to have helped them in bringing this vision into a reality.

The commercial has so far aired with the accolades pouring for the high production quality, the cast, the crew and the location that blend perfectly in this short but entertaining commercial.

You can check out the commercial below.

For more check out our works at www.benetonefilms.com

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The Latest Effort in Luring Filmmakers to Thailand - Thailand International Film Festival 2013

Thailand International Film Destination Festival which debuted from April 1 to April 10 was part of an effort to promote the country’s exotic settings and production facilities to the international screen industry.  Thus it came to no surprise that the movies screened during the festivals were the ones that were filmed in Thailand, headlined of which were the dystopian backpacker film, The Beach and the raunchy comedy, The Hangover 2.

(For the list of the films, click here)

The event included a one day seminar held on April 5^th at Centara Grand, Bangkok with two discussion panel sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with local well known figures from the film production in discussion with the foreign guests. Mr. Kulthep Narula represented Benetone Films which have had experience in the field for over a decade.

The morning session hosted two well known location managers from Hollywood, Mr. Michael John Meehan (Pirates of theCaribbean trilogy, Master and Commander: Far Side of The World, Oblivion and etc.) and Mr. Mike Fantasia (The Amazing Spider-Man, Catch Me If You Can and etc. ), Mr. Daniel Zirilli, a young filmmaker who has directed and/or produced over 250 music videos. The afternoon session hosted producer Mr. Andrew Pfeffer (Bangkok Dangerous, Running Scared and etc.), director and cinematographer Mr. Adam Kane (Formosa Betrayed, multi episodes of Heroes and etc.) and actor, producer and writer Mr. Will Tiao (Formusa Betrayed and etc.)

The local speakers besides Mr. Kulthep were actor, producer and writer Mr. Jude S. Walko and producer Ms. Sasisupa Sungvaribud who is also the president of the Film Production Services Association.

Even though, the sessions were dominated by different concerns, there was however one common issue that was raised and discussed extensively: lack of incentives in Thailand for the foreign productions. All of the guests concurred that while Thailand is an attractive option for the filmmakers, thanks largely to the exotic locations, professional and hard working crew, excellent infrastructure and film production services, its lack of incentives is hurting the business that the country should have been getting.

In our next blog, we will detailed the discussions and explore more on the issue of the incentives.

You can follow Benetone Films at 

Facebook: facebok.com/benetonefilms

Twitter: twitter.com/benetonefilms

Youtube: youtube.com/benetonefilms

Mobilink Commercial starring Ali Zafar and Nargis Fakhri

The gorgeous Nargis Fakhri (of the Rockstar fame) and Ali Zafar, Pakistan’s multi talented artist starred together in the latest commercial from Mobilink, line produced by BenetoneFilms in Thailand. The melodramatic commercial is very much like a Bollywood movie with a boy having a crush on a beautiful girl and later heroically rescues her (in this instance) from  the fiery flames.

Mobilink is Pakistan’s leading cellular operator with a subscriber base of 31.5m and a market share of 31% (as of October 2010). The company’s commercials has had been shot in Thailand in the past with Benetone Films hired as the line producer. This is a testament to our company’s professionalism and strong customer service which focus on the minimal disruptions, hassle free legal process and comfortable affordable stay that keep the customers coming back.

Ali Zafar is one of the most famous Pakistani entertainers. He has also in recent years, achieved superstardom in India by starring and singing in movies like Tere Bin Laden, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and London, Paris, New York. Besides being a well known actor and singer, Ali Zafar also excel at painting. Despite being a huge superstar, the actor was a delight to work with and very professional.

Nargis Fakhri, on the other hand, is trying to make a mark in the entertainment industry having had starred in Rockstar, one of the most critically acclaimed movie of 2012. This was our second experience of working with the world famous model who as always is charming and sports one of the loveliest smiles.  

"Watch Nargis Fakhri in a commercial for Fashion & You! line produced by Benetone Films"

The commercial with the story line culminating in the hero rescuing the damsel in distress became one of our exciting and challenging projects of the year. Shooting with fire does raise complexity and a maximum safety measures is required. Thus, adhering to our high standard of quality, we hired one of the best pyrotechnic team in the country. This helped us to ensure that the effects would be very realistic.  Moreover, this has also made the actors more comfortable, knowing the professionals were handling it rendering more realistic performance.

However at the end, as we celebrate the success, it was a shame to see the sets go up in flame. The beautiful set was designed and constructed by a superb art team and focused on bringing the melodramatic to be more poetic.

For more pics, check out our album on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/10JTkF0

Also check out the news at http://bit.ly/12hxqxy in regards to the two actors together in Bangkok for the commercial shoot. It was all hush hush in our line of work!

Thailand Location Series 2: Phi Phi Islands

Our second post on Thailand locations is on Phi Phi Islands made famous by Leonado DiCaprio starrer TheBeach (2000) and later devastated by the disastrous Indian Ocean Tsunami ofDecember 2004. The island Ko Phi Phi is now almost fully restored and once again seeing an increasing number of shoots thanks to its scenic beauty.

Phi Phi Islands is believed to be one of the oldest communities in Thailand, thanks in large part to the archaeological discoveries dating back to the prehistoric period. The name Phi Phi originates from Malay, however the original name of the islands were Pulau Api-Api (The Fiery Isle) referring to the Pokok Api Api (literally translated as the Fiery Tree) or the Grey Mangroves, commonly found throughout the island.

There are six islands in the group and is part of Hadnopparattara- Koh Phi Phi National Park which is home to an abundance of corals a marine life. Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lee are the largest and most well known islands with the latter gaining popularity after being the location for The Beach, Leonardo DiCaprio starrers which depicted the island as the lost paradise.

Benetone Films have also had line produced many commercials and feature films shot in Phi Phi Islands which includes the Bollywood multi starrer Blue and commercial of Spring Tea from Israel as example. 

Our work with Caisse D’ Epargne: French’s 2nd largest co-operative banking group

Benetone Films recently have had the pleasure of line producing commercial for Caisse D’ Epargne which was one of the memorable experience. The commercial with the romanticism concept show a boy’s journey from signing a loan to the day he graduate, encompassing creativity with a rich story telling and of course a background music that helps moving things along, rather than being a distraction.

Caisse D’ Epargne is one of the oldest and largest French financial institution being founded in 1818 and operating around 4700 branches in the country and recognized as the 2^nd largest co-operative banking group in the world.

To communicate their educational loan services, the bank decided upon a concept that is uniquely artistic, colorful with an aesthetic feel in addition to the natural flow of the storytelling. The commercial needed to be shot as per the concept with reasonable cost and importantly a professional and disciplined team who can do exactly as the concept requires.

Thailand became a strong contender for such winning over many other European options owing to the reasonable cost factor; besides having a strong reputation in the region for the creativity and high caliber of the art department. Despite being only a studio shoot and not on location, those two factors contributed heavily in the country’s favor.

After considering many options, Benetone Films was selected to be the line producer for the commercial meeting the high standards and the values required. The work started off in the earnest and as the shoot progress, we find ourselves enjoying the work and everyone involved was learning a lot from the experience.

In the end, the commercial came out beautifully as per the concept with the client satisfied and promising to work with us again. Another job well done!

Enjoy the commercial below and leave us a comment on what you think.

You can also check behind the scenes of the shoot at http://on.fb.me/ZVNSNj

For your production needs in Thailand, contact us today at info@benetonefilms.com

“The Inherited Marriage” (БРАК ПО ЗАВЕЩАНИЮ) comes to Thailand

We were recently honored to be a part of one of the most popular award winning series of Russia, “The Inherited Marriage” as the line producer in Thailand. The series continue its story in the beautiful locales of Thailand and star the gorgeous Tatiana Arntgolts. This segment of the series is produced by Anastasia Rozhdestvenskaya and directed by Borz Nickolay.

The series follow the story of Sandra Seymour and her romantic and exciting journey. It is the second sequel to the popular series which was originally aired way back in 2009 and has accumulated huge fandom across the globe.

The shoot in Thailand was done in multi locations which include a dangerous sequence of the blasting of the car and a sequence shot in Thailand prison. Benetone Films as the line producer handled everything from location scouting, local casting, legal paperwork and other details which were handled professionally and expertly with no hassles to the production. This helped accelerated the work and the shoot was completed in little more than a month itself.

In the end, we received this e-mail from Anastasia and we are happy to know she is satisfied and enjoyed working with our crew.

“I would like to thank you and Benetone Productions for high quality services and friendly atmosphere that you have provided for my crew in Thailand. I will be more than happy to give excellent references for you to any production house here in Russia and worldwide.  

Best Regards,

Executive producer
Anastasia Rozhdestvenskaya”

For your production needs in Thailand, contact us at info@benetonefilms.com or for any other information relating to shooting in Thailand, drop up a mail!

For behind the scenes album, check out http://on.fb.me/1336r9M

We look forward to hear from you.

Thailand Location Series: Phuket, The Southern Paradise

We will begin with a weekly location series highlighting various locations around Thailand. This week we start with Phuket, one of the most well known destination and many production companies' favorite location to shoot in Thailand. 

Phuket is one of the most popular tourists’ destinations in the world. It is famous for its nightlife, fine dining, beautiful beaches and islands.  Phuket has also been a popular location for film and commercial shoots.

Phuket was formerly known as Thalang and historically been a major trading route between India and China. The region formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, however in modern times; the region’s economy is driven by rubber tree plantations and tourism with areas like Patong, Karon and Kata being the most popular ones.

Phuket’s popularity as location shoot is chiefly from the exceptional topography of the region. 70 percent of the area is covered with mountains which stretch from north to south while the remaining 30 percent are plains located in the central and eastern parts of the island. This make it possible to shoot any kind of story in Phuket and with excellent infrastructure of Phuket, it is not difficult for transportation for the crew from the location to the excellent hotels on the island.

Benetone Films has also in the past line produced many feature films and commercials notably Bollywood blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger and Pepsi commercial respectively.

Below you can check out our selected pictures from Phuket. To book a shoot in Phuket, feel free to contact Khun Rachvin at info@benetonefilms.com