BANGKOK ? A 45-minute drive north of the Thai capital, the Kantana Movie Town offers a ?one-stop shop? for film and TV productions here and abroad.

Media people from Singapore and the Philippines, including Inquirer Entertainment, toured the 300-acre compound in Salaya district of Nakon Pathom province, on the first day of the Bangkok International Film Festival.

30-acre set

Vuthichai Jan Charoenthai, Kantana coordinator, explained that the sprawling compound has space and facilities for pre-production, production and post-production processes.

He showed off a 30-acre set depicting an ancient Thai kingdom, complete with a courtyard, a palace and a replica of Ayutthaya city?s Sri Sanphet temple.

At the time of the visit, the TV show ?84,000 Rpa-Tham-Makan? was taping inside the temple miniature, which features an impressive array of golden Buddhas.

Charoenthai said the set was first used in the TV show ?Phob Pee Fah,? a period vampire love story: ?We can use a three-camera setup because the wires and cables can be hidden on the set.?

Hidden vents

There are provisions for air-conditioning through hidden vents, he said. ?The air-con is turned off when the cameras roll because we use live sound. Our mics are very sensitive.?

He noted that the sets can be reused for other projects and redressed for specific purposes.

?All the structures in Movie Town are made from fiberglass,? he said. ?We just paint them brown to make them look like wood ?or white to make them look like stone.?

The reality shows ?Big Brother Thailand? and ?Big Brother Croatia? were taped in Kantana as well.

The $30-million Movie Town was built in 2002 with tax incentives given by Thailand?s Board of Investment.

A rural set, with nipa huts and a stable for 20 horses, was also built. Indonesian horror film ?Ghost Wife? was shot here.

Pinoy clients

Kantana?s film labs worked on Hollywood movies like ?Memoirs of a Geisha,? ?Superman Returns? and ?Casino Royale.?

Filipino filmmaker Mark Meily?s ?Crying Ladies? was finished in Kantana?s sound mixing studios, with a Dolby 5.1 system.

Kantana is also known for animation work. It produced the elephant cartoon ?Khan Kluay 1 and 2,? entries in the Bangkok International Animation Film Festival which was held in the same week.

Filipino director Robert Quilao?s ?Dayo? was screened in Bangkok?s animation fest.
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