In the month of September 2022, Radiate Studios constructed a new lifestyle branding video for the opening of the brand new retail store and exhibition sites located inside the Jim Thompson Heritage Quarters, Bangkok’s brand new iconic landmark.
THE 'JIM THOMPSON' STORY
James H.W. Thompson was an American businessman who helped revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1960s. Prior to that, Jim Thompson was an architect, designing homes for the elite in New York City, and when war broke out in 1939, Jim worked for the Office of Strategic Services and was stationed all over the world. In August of 1945, Jim arrived by military plane in Thailand.
This is when the ‘Silk King’ discovered an enclave of Thai weavers who lived as a small community in the heart of Bangkok, and fell in love with the people, the craft, and the silk they were using. Then, in the 1950s he built the company that transformed Thai silk weaving traditions into a global enterprise, and became the ‘King of Thai Silk.”
PLANNING AND LOCATION SCOUTING
The Jim Thompson Heritage Quarters has now become one of the most iconic landmarks in Bangkok, Thailand. It entails a museum, home furnishing exhibition, cafe, and retail shop, which our team at Radiate Studios were briefed to capture on video.
Since there were many different locations for us to shoot in, it was essential for us to send a team to scout the location before we start the production of our video. Through location scouting, we were able to identify the different lighting situations in each room and establish which tools and equipment were most needed for the day of the shoot. Also, since we were shooting inside a museum, we had to be extra careful and bring only the essentials.
In Addition, we were able to inform our client ahead of time about removing certain obstacles such as the plastic wrappings on the furniture, and any other definite concerns we had on the day of location scouting.
SHOOTING DAY: EXECUTION
Even with great planning and location scouting, one may never be entirely prepared for the unpredictable weather on the day of shoot. And as it was pouring rain nonstop, our lighting team came in handy with the lighting setups where we used the artifial lights to recreate the sunlight. We were able film our desired shot on a gloomy day and made it look like it was shot during a bright sunny day while maining the nice low-light ambience inside the Jim Thompson House Museum.
DRONE SHOTS
When it comes to the branding video, drone/aerial shots go a long way in showing off the beautiful surrounding of a location. As part of the shoot, we flew our drone Mavic 3 Pro at the Jim Thompson Heritage Quarter right after the sunrise and was able to capture a collection stunning aerial shots.
This was very important to the branding video for our client as we were able to show their iconic quarter being situated by the cannal in the middle of Bangkok city.
POST-PRODUCTION: COLOR-GRADING
Another crucial part we needed to focus on now was the color grading that our team did in post-production, as the cloud was blocking the sun and all of the natural light in exterior and interior shots went missing. Therefore, we needed to add a natural glow to each video, and with the use of professional color-grading techniques make it seem as if the sun was shining on that day.
Play the video below to see 'before & after' of our color-grading process:
By the end of the day, we were able to maneuver through the rainy weather and manipulate each lighting situation to our favor, allowing us to capture stunning shots of the Jim Thompson House, Retail Shop, and Art Center nonetheless. Add a sprinkle of color grading magic, a well written script, and a professional voice over, and we were able to create a video that stands out and elevates the luxury branding of Jim Thompson.
It’s been a great pleasure working closely with the benevolent team at Jim Thompson on this lifestyle branding project. And it gives us great comfort and motivation to know that our clients feel the same, as well as love the final result that Radiate Studios was able to provide.
WHY DO YOU NEED A BRANDING VIDEO?
Videos are a great way to engage and attract an audience, while you get to interact directly with them and exchange knowledge about you and your brand at first hand. In this day and age, video content has become one of the most powerful forms of marketing as everyday social media platforms continue to grow in popularity.
HOW RADIATE STUDIOS CAN HELP
Our video production company in Bangkok, Thailand produces world-class content including video production and photography with creative storytelling, and eye-catching visuals in a way that is guaranteed to bring more engagement to your website and social media platform.
We also work with brands like Marriott Bonvoy, RedBull, Sala Hospitality Group and help them standout by creating immersive content and provide video solutions that help brands grow significantly.
Need a video like this for your brand? Find out more on our website or contact us to find out how we can help.