Benetone Films latest commercial for Yamaha is out of this world!

Marking the first futuristic commercial to be line produced by Benetone Films, the largest, most prolific production servicing company in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia, the Yamaha RevStation commercial brilliantly highlights the world class standard of the arts and sets capabilities available in the country.

Shot in a studio in Bangkok over three days, the work for the Benetone Films team began weeks before on the meticulously crafted present-day and visionary sets for the future.  Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, creativity and a vast assortment of led lights, green and blue screens, rubber, wood, slick and shiny surfaces and more, a total of five unique sets were constructed specifically for the commercial including the Moonstar’s Lab Screen, the Lab Hologram, the Meeting Room and the super smooth Test Tunnel.  The physical building of the sets took 10 days and more than 60 employees to complete.

Also masterfully made-up and impeccable, the final looks for the robots, following a creative collaboration between client, director and Benetone Films.

“Benetone Films is so proud of the Yamaha RevStation commercial,” said Kulthep Narula who co-founded Benetone Films with his brother Rachvin more than a decade ago.  “It is a timely reflection of the timeless results we are able to achieve, either on any one of our countless spectacular locations throughout Southeast Asia or in studio.  It equally demonstrates the tremendous pool of top tier above and below-the-line talent based in Thailand which is necessary to bring a commercial of this magnitude to life.”

Benetone Films, along with Taiyokikaku, the production house based in Japan that served as producer of the commercial, employed a crew of more than 150 people to create the commercial

You can view the Yamaha Rev commercial on Benetone Film's YouTube Channel here.

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).