Big ideas for the small screen

 After gluing viewers to the small screen with its hit TV series “Hormones Wai Wawun”, GTH is aiming to keep them in front of the box with “Side Story”, an eight-episode series that draws on the studio’s movies. It will air on the GMM One cable channel.

Produced by Vijabhat Kojew, one of the six directors who made their debut with the hit movie “Fan Chan”, the series is made up of works by those GTH directors who haven’t released movies recently – Komkrit Trivimol, Parkpook Wongpoom, Nithiwat Tharatorn and Vithyaya Thongyooyong. Other directors taking part in the project are Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Adisorn Trisirikasem, Sophon Sakdaphisit and Chayanop Bunprakob.

“GTH’s priority is still making films. However, as we have only two or three projects every year, a TV series is a good platform for our directors. It also means that great ideas come to the screen before they get forgotten simply because we don’t have the production channels available,” says Yongyoot.

The directors have nonetheless decided to stick with their moviemaking style and this, while considerably bumping up the production budget, has helped them maintain their standards.

Each episode is around 30 to 40 minutes long and the directors are thinking of their contributions rather like short films inspired by a main story.

“Making films is a very detailed process but a TV series is completely the opposite. If we switch to TV for a long time, we are worried it will kill our movie making,” Yongoot explains.

And, of course, bringing movie standards to the small screen also meets GMM One’s objectives of putting on productions that are distinguishable from those of other TV channels.

Kicking off last Saturday with “Suc K Seed”, a spin off from Chayanop’s teen rock-band comedy “Suck Seed”. The episode played with twins K and Kung (Patchara Chirathiwat) long after they finish high school. The smart K is now a rock star and has to ask his less-talented brother to take the stage when he falls sick with chickenpox.

The second episode, showing this Saturday, is the drama “Makhin”, and focuses on the tragic life of Makhin, the ghost who haunted the family in hit movie “Laddaland”. The episode is like a prequel and shows how the mean people on the housing estate took advantage of the innocent Burmese maid before one of them took her life. Sophon shows he’s lost none of his touch in directing this tense drama.

Vithaya’s episode is taken from “Baan Chan Talok Wai Korn (Por Son Wai)” (“The Little Comedian”) and this time focuses on smart-alec little girl Mon and her mission to compete the national youth comedian contest with help from her big brother Tok.

Yongyoot sticks to horror for his offering “Phuan Thee Khaojai”, which is loosely based on “Ngao” (“Loneliness”), his contribution to the three-segment “Phobia”. Komkrit returns to GTH with a comedy developed from his last movie, “Sailab Jab Banlek” (“Bedside Detective”). The protagonist is Chalermpol “Jack Fanchan” Tikumpornteeravong who has now been promoted to detective.

Parkpoom’s “Korn Ja Pen Rot Mue Song” is inspired by his “Phobia 2” instalment “Rot Mue Song” (“Salvage”).

The series will end with a romantic episode from Adisorn’s “Rot Fai Fah Ma Ha Na Plern” (“Bangkok Traffic Love Story”) that sees Plern (Angsumalin Siraphatsakmetha) in a new relationship followed by a spin off from Nithiwat’s “Dear Galileo”.

 

“Side Story” airs on GMM One on Saturdays at 10pm.