WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILMING ON LOCATION IN THAILAND
Thailand offers a unique marriage of prime filming locations, diligent crews, and established infrastructure. This country has it all, with an incredibly diverse number of locations for a single country. Beaches, private islands, jungles, rooftops, urban areas, and over 50 sound stages.
Popular Thai filming locations include Bangkok, Koh Phi Phi Leh, Phuket, Koh Samui. Other sites of interest that stand out amongst Thailand’s cities, resorts and islands are Railway beach, Similan Island, The Grand Palace, Phang Nga Bay, Ao Nang, Chatuchak market, Erawan National Park, Khoa Sok National Park and Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets.
The Thai baht (THB) is the official currency of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Climate
Thailand has a tropical climate, with annual temperatures hot all year round but peaking in April and May at about 30C. The summer months through to October mark monsoon season. Rainfall is heaviest in September. January and February are generally the driest months.
THAILAND LOCATION PERMITS
A location permit and a filming permit are not the same thing, a film permit is required by the government and The Kingdom of Thailand. A location permit is the actual permission given by the land or location owner or management.
Contacting a local production company to obtain a location permit is highly recommended, it can be a very challenging take to get any type of written permissions in Thailand.
WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT EQUIPMENT AND FILM CREW IN THAILAND
Equipment hire | Entry requirements.
There are nine major equipment suppliers in Thailand. All makes of camera (Arri, Moviecam, Panavision, Phantom, RED, Sony & Panasonic HD) are available. Grip and lighting are also well covered, all manner of cranes, dollies, camera cars, low loaders, quad track and bike rigs, wire rigs, fly cam, stunt cams. Lighting ranges, rain, and smoke SFX, pyrotechnics and armoury are all available.
Thailand does not dry-hire equipment- crews come with the gear and they are responsible for it.
If you are planning on bringing equipment in the ATA carnet system would be the best approach.
Local crew
Filming crews in Thailand have been trained by international cinema professionals and many speak fluent English.
TAX INCENTIVES AND CREDITS
Vetting and approval for Thailand film incentives is convenient and streamlines, to qualify you will need to plan to spend an equivalent of $1.4 million USD locally, these incentive payments are capped at around $2.17 million USD. Thailand’s Tax Rebate on average ranges from 15% to 20%, with an additional 3% bonus for hiring Thai key positions. An added 2% bonus if the movie promotes Thai tourism. To start the process for the tax incentives and rebates, you will need to have your local film board coordinator process and coordinate with the Thai government offices before, during, and after the production. The expected return time is 6 months to 1 year.
THAILAND DRONE LAW
The main authorities to deal with to legally fly a drone in the country are The Civil Aviation of Thailand (CAAT), and The Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). Obtaining a permit from both authorities can prove challenging, it requires an experienced approach. When applying for a permit, the applicant will get validation from three other authorities. These entities are the National Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, and the Immigration Bureau.
