Phuket, a perfect film location
by
Rungtip Hongjakpet Izmen
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The 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach may not have broken
box office records but it did help Phuket and the surrounding
area break previous tourism records as travellers flocked
to the Andaman coast to swim in the same green waters and
frolic on the same white sand as “Leo”.
While here, many also made the pilgrimage to Koh Tapu, more
widely know as James Bond Island, location for one of the
most dramatic scenes in the 1974 Bond movie, The Man With
The Golden Gun.
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Movie makers like the spectacular scenery and bright sunlight of
the Andaman coast, and dozens come here every year. That translates
into very good business for Thailand.
Filming in Thailand
In 1922 Miss Suwanna of Siam was the first Hollywood movie shot
on location in Thailand.
No copies of the black-and-white silent movie have survived. But
its success in promoting the delights of Thailand (then Siam) was,
decades later, an inspiration for the Tourism Authority of Thailand,
which recognised the potential of movies to boost tourism. As a
result, the TAT now plays a big roll in supporting film crews shooting
footage in Thailand.
In February this year the Minister of Tourism and Sports chaired
a meeting to set guidelines for the establishment of a one-stop
service center for movies in Thailand. The meeting resolved to assist
the making of movies, TV commercials, music videos, TV shows, documentary
that are perceived as having no negative impact to the country,
with an application consideration process of not more than three
days, and using the Internet to share data and documents among the
various government departments involved.
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Money from movies
Quite apart from the ability of film to showcase Thailand’s
attractions and attract tourists, the movie industry is itself an
increasingly lucrative source of income for Thailand.
In 2006, a banner year, Thailand earned 1.9 billion baht from a
total of 491 productions shot wholly or partially in the country.
This year, 263 foreign feature films, TV series, documentaries,
advertisements and music videos have been shot in Thailand, bringing
in 488 million baht – and there are still months to go to the
end of the year.
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Films shot in the Andaman region
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| James Bond Island
- Phang Nga Bay |
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The Andaman coast, which includes Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi,
is particularly popular among movie makers. Here’s a partial
list of recent major film productions incorporating scenes shot
in the area:
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) starring Roger Moore
The Killing Fields (1984) starring Sam Waterston, Haing S.
Ngor and John Malkovich
Good Morning Vietnam (1987) starring Robin Williams and Forest
Whitaker
Casualties of War (1989) starring Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn
and Don Harvey
Heaven and Earth (1993) starring Haing S. Ngor and Joan Chen
Cutthroat Island (1995) starring Geena Davis and Mathew Modine
The Phantom (1996), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Zane
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh
Return to Paradise (1998) stars Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche
and Joaquin Phoenix
The Beach (2000), Leonado DiCaprio and Tilda Swinton
Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason (2004) starring Renée
Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant
Mysterious Island (2004) starring Kyle MacLachlan, Gabrielle
Anwar and Patrick Stewart
Stealth (2004), Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx
Rescue Dawn (2005) starring Christian Bale
Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005),
Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman
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Did you know
A representative from Thailand Film Office, which is part of the
Ministry of Tourism and Sport, must be in attendance at shooting
locations for foreign film productions. This representative is there
to ensure that what is being shot follows the approved script. If
a scene differs from the script, the officer has the authority to
decide whether shooting may proceed or not.
Tips
Next month is a good one for film buffs in Phuket, with the Phuket
International Film Festival. Click here for details.
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