From the ready-made “dystopia” of Bangkok’s skyline to the moody limestone cliffs of Krabi, Thailand has for decades served as the backdrop for foreign filmmakers’ flights of fancy.
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Now, the country is looking to fly even higher by luring in global streaming platforms with a combination of generous tax breaks and highly skilled local production crew.
Its largest and most recent catch is the sci-fi series Alien: Earth on Disney, created by Noah Hawley with Ridley Scott serving as one of the executive producers. Thailand points to the US$90 million spent on that series in the country as an example of what Thai production houses can do as well as anyone: making new worlds from scratch.
Thailand offers “jungles, beaches and tropical locales”, Chris Lowenstein, founder of Living Films, a Thailand-based production services company tasked with bringing Alien: Earth to life, told This Week in Asia.
“But what’s really kept secret about Thailand is the craftsmanship of our artists here. It’s at such a high level. I don’t think people realise that,” added the 60-year-old American, who is based in Chiang Mai.
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“Ten years ago, we worked on a show where we built an ice cave – a cave entirely made out of ice – and the producer asked: ‘Why Bangkok?’ The reason was the craftsmanship here; we build things so well.”
