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THAI
FILM LOCATIONS
AND PERMITS








Offering uniquely thai looks as well as a range of locations that easily double for other countries, Thailand is one of Asia’s most popular film production services destinations. Thailand is known for palm-fringed paradise white sand beaches, turquoise waters, islands, modern villas, tropical forests mountains, underwater photography, waterfalls, rice terraces, exotic street markets, buddhist temples and traditional villages. Want to know more about shooting in Thailand?
See below for an introduction to Thailand locations, permits, when to shoot, costs, talent, crews, equipment, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits, film friendly hotels, transport, communications and safety advice. Contact us for referrals, questions, cost estimates and references. We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.

Welcome to Film Service Thailand for all your filming in Thailand… and beyond!
Thailand is a popular destination for filmmakers looking to shoot a wide range of projects, from documentaries and music videos to feature films. Its a film friendly country with a straight forward permitting process. Filming permits for TV shows, documentaries and corporate videos take about 3-7 days, TV commercials and TV dramas take about 14 days, and atature films take about 3 weeks to process. Special permits are required for filming in National Parks and Historical Parks.
Locations of particular interest include Railay Beach, Koh Phi Phi, Ao Nang, Mu Ko Ang Thong, Phang Nga Bay, Similan Islands, Khao Yai National Park, Erawan National Park, Sukhothai Historical Park, Khao Sok National Park, Mekong River vistas, Amphawa and Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets, Chiang Mai Wat Rong Khun, and Chiang Mai temples and Night Bazaar.

To apply for film permits, our Thai service producer / fixer will require a final list of locations, crew and talent list, complete schedule, passport scans and current photos of visiting crew. Processed permits can be changed with a few days notice, depending on the extent of the changes.In case where the script is not approved, the Film Board may ask the filmmakers to revise it.
The cost of each of locations will be very depend upon the scale of your film production, action scenes or blocking street, blowing up the buildings or decorations / props that have to be building on film set with Art Department and all of these factors have to be negotiated between the owner and your service production / fixer in Thailand.

A good example of this would be to assume you would like to shoot at the MUAI THAI GYM on a street in Samui. For this, we would get permission from the owner of the gym. Furthermore, if it also involves shooting on the sidewalk in front of the gym, a location permit is required. The permission can be obtained with your production fixer or production service company from the local police district in Samui.

In another scenario, let’s say it involves shooting at a REGGIE BAR in a National Park area. In this case, it is required to obtain permission from both, the bar and the National Park. While the location permit from the bar is relatively simple and quick, National Park is a 2-3 week process. Note that process to obtain film permit in National Park has to start with the issuing permit from Thailand Film Office, Office of Tourism Development.
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Locations
& PERMITS

During 10 years filming in Thailand, we are experienced how to make it almost in all locations here. Doing locations scouting we will present you all the photos and technical information related to the location intended for your project. We're collecting and providing for your all the details about permits, film permissions, restrictions and places available nearby, everything be needed for comfort shooting. A location survey, scouting - is a scouting expedition to find suitable locations for filming. It is a site survey to assess the feasibility of a location and identify any potential issues that could arise during production.
The location survey typically involves multiple trips to different locations and takes place before any filming is done. During the location survey, the crew takes photographs, videos, and notes about the location. After the recce, the crew will determine if the location is suitable for filming, or if they need to find another location or adjust the script to accommodate the limitations of the chosen site.

Our rates:
Production Fixer's Fee = 10,000-15,000 THB per shift
Location Manager's Fee = 3,000-5,000 THB per shift
Location Survey = 10,000 THB per day for Location Team
**excludes transportation, meals, accommodation and per-diem

LOCATION SURVEY AND RECCE


Without a location survey, you run the risk of encountering unpleasant surprises on the day of the shoot, like discovering that the building you wanted to use as a backdrop is undergoing construction. A recce provides an opportunity to scout locations in advance and ensure that you know exactly what you’re working with. Additionally, the recce process allows the crew to get a feel for the place and develop creative ideas to use in the production. The initial consideration should be given to the accessibility of the location. Factors such as parking and the area’s general safety should be considered. A risk assessment must be performed to avoid dangers such as sharp drop-offs or fire hazards.
The time of day is a crucial factor in location scouting. The sun’s angle will change throughout the day, so it is important to know where the sun will be positioned relative to any building or structures before the shoot. The level of foot traffic in an area can also differ greatly, making it advisable to avoid peak hours in busy locations. As stated above, the light can change drastically throughout the day. It is important to take this into account when planning shots. There must be adequate natural light coming in to capture your subjects cleanly. It might necessary to bring artificial lighting in some cases. The camera operator should know the lighting situation before the shoot.

WHAT IS A THAI FILMING PERMIT AND WORK PERMIT?


For filming in Thailand foreign production or independent filmmakers are required to have filming permit first before shooting. You always need a work permit unless you are a Thai Citizen. If you, your actors or anyone else working in your crew is not a Thai citizen and does not possess a work permit, they are not allowed to work in Thailand. To avoid shoot disruption, legal issues and possible prosecution, for law violations, it is essential that foreign crews go through the appropriate process to get their filming plans approved by the Thailand Film Office, Office of Tourism Development. Thailand Film Office permit is not a permit that covers all locations, its only to APPROVE the content (SCRIPT, STORYBOARD, SYNOPSYS, TREATMENT) of the film or video being shot by the Tourism Association of Thailand (TAT) and makes sure that foreign film crews will showcase Thailand nation with the cultural treasures to the world that the local culture and the laws are respected and not cast in a negative light.
There is a part of burocraty like everywhere around the world and it sometimes confusion between a work permit and a work visa. Your local production services company would apply for this after your film permit is granted. WORK VISA doesn’t give you legal work status, only your WORK PERMIT does.

When a permit is granted, a Monitoring Officer will be appointed by the Thailand Film Office who is sent form the concerned government agencies to monitor and give advice at the shooting locations. Filming is not allowed, under any circumstances, without acknowledgement of the Monitoring Officer. There is no permit fee, service charge or cash guaranntee necessary to complete the application process. But production is required to pay for Monitoring Officer fee of 2,000 Baht per day/person.

FILMING LOCATION PERMIT IN THAILAND


A Film Permit is required by the Government and The Kingdom of Thailand. However, a Film Permit is completely different from a Location Permit. Location permits in Thailand are one of the most commonly misunderstood regulations for teams wanting to film in Thailand. Location permission depend separately upon who oversee and manages them. Permit for filming location is a Production Contract or Agreement for Location between your service production company / production fixer in Thailand and the location manager or owner. For shooting in public locations filmmakers will need local district permission and local police office permit in most cases and if you own before Film Permit from TAT it will be helpful. Then your service production with the document from the local district will contact with other private businesses that are in the location area that we will need to be shooting and working in.

We do film and video production services in Thailand to assist you with shooting Movies, Commercials, Music Videos with every details to your production. Filming in Thailand is not only a great choice because of the locations but also because of the cost and how affordable it is. If you need any assistance with securing locations, please contact us at howtomakeitinasia@gmail.com and we will do our best to help ensure a successful shoot for you in Thailand.