A new semester at the academy

Thailand’s popular reality show “True Academy Fantasia” turns 10 this year and to celebrate, the producers are opting for a new look, introducing a broader age range, a new format and even some new instructors. For the first time too, would-be contestants from all 77 provinces can apply near their homes rather than having to travel to one of four regional points.

“Phi Ohm [Chatree Kongsuwan] and Phi Dee [Nitipong Hornak] both say that AF is more like a music institute than a singing competition. We have instructors with a great deal of experience in singing, dancing and acting training the contestants intensively throughout three months as well as grooming them to be artists,” says Attaphon Na Bangxang, chief programming officer of pay-TV operator TrueVisions and executive producer of “True Academy Fantasia”. 

“In this 10th year, the house will be more like a real school with the contestants covering many more subjects taught through different methods. The show is getting a makeover.

“The new look will include a new way of telling the stories of the contestants as they live together around the clock and perform on stage. It will be more interesting. We also won’t be using the previous way of voting this year. Our research reveals that while many viewers want us to stick to the usual way, a much larger number feel it should be changed to ensure it’s all above-board. So while we’ve stuck to reality show style, I will be finding a new way with a new gimmick,” he adds.

True is also making the contest open to more applicants by setting an age range of 15 to 30 years old. Young talents aged from 15 to 25 has been admitted since the seventh year and the first six seasons covered the age range of 18 to 28.

“Again our survey tells us that an increasing number of viewers feel the applicants should be more mature. Personally, I’m not sure it’s important as our selection criteria have more to do with suitability than age. It’s subjective. The winner of AF7 was a teenager, so the time we need to build him as artist is obviously longer,” says Attaphon.

Academy Fantasia has revolutionised the way standard music institutes operate with contestants being given the opportunity to show off their prowess on stage every week. At music schools, students only get to perform after completing the advanced level.

“It’s like taking extra tutorial classes for an entrance examination,” Attaphon laughs. “All 12 contestants receive the benefits of learning and even though some of them fail to go to the finals, the lessons they receive impact their lives. Take Mint, Tao or Tui, all of whom are acting in dramas and movies. Our concerts are like real shows, very different from those countries that use CDs as the backing track. The owner of the franchise says we have perfect concerts.”

Changes in consumer behaviour have affected the way in which the reality show’s popularity can be measured, as an increasing number of viewers use the Internet and YouTube to watch reruns of the show in addition to catching it on TV.

“Nielsen has announced it will also survey the ratings from social media. Statistics indicate that the rating of Academy Fantasia from Season 1 through 9 has increased every year, which to us is proof that it has a large fan base. More important is that the number of votes has also increased every year, with the ninth season achieving 30 million votes. But rating measurement is hard, as the programme is broadcast not just on our cable channel but also on several social media networks,” says Attaphon.

 

LOOKING FOR TALENT

 

The auditions for Academy Fantasia Season 10 continue through June 2, with online audition running from April 20 to May 10 at Facebook/TrueAFThailand.

 

For more information, watch “True Inside News” on Channels 27 and 61 or visit Facebook/TrueVisions.