The Impacts of Digital Technology upon Thai Filmmaking Process

Abstract

This research aims to study 1) the impacts of digital technology on the process of Thai filmmaking, during the production and post-production stages, 2) the impacts of digital technology on the process of Thai independent film production, and 3) the impact on the process of Thai in-current film production. The research was qualitatively conducted by analyzing related foreign academic journals, foreign academic films, and reliable online journals. The data was collected through interviewing groups of independent film directors and in-current film makers in Thailand. The results shows that, according to similar opinions from groups of independent film directors and in-current film makers in Thailand, the impacts of digital technology on the process of Thai film production were 1) budget of production being decreased due to lower cost of film production process, 2) increased variety of scripts and stories being written and possible interpretation, 3) changes in working format during the pre-production stage, 4) changes in production design and art direction resulting in improvements of make-up styles, 5) changes in film directing styles, and 6) the changes of cinematography techniques. The results also shows that the impacts of digital technology on post-production filming process involves reduced steps required for certain tasks, such as developing photographic films, telescening data files for editing, film printing step for projecting, film editorial, color grading, and visual effects. This is due to 1) the shortened process of film editorial, consequently resulting in more difficulty with file management, 2) the shortened process of color grading, while accuracy and efficiency is increased, being more up-to-date, and 3) the changes in applying visual effects with more realism and efficiency with less time used.