Kantana Group is a production company established in Bangkok, Thailand in 1951 by Pradit and Somsook Kaljaruek. Kantana took its first step from radio dramas to films, television dramas, variety programs, and eventually moved on to become an integrated entertainment company.
History
Kantana began in 1951 as a radio drama troupe founded by Pradit and Somsook Kaljaruek. The company branched out into television in 1958 with the drama series ''Ying Kor Mee Hua Jai''.
The company has since expanded to include the production of feature films, commercials and documentaries.
Structure
The business operations of the company and its subsidiaries are divided into three core areas: television production, film and post production, and "edutainment" and government relations.
Television
Family and variety programs
Family and variety shows are produced for
Thai television
Thailand has a well-developed mass media sector, especially by Southeast Asian standards. The Thai government and the military have long exercised considerable control, especially over radio and TV stations. During the governments of Thaksin Shina ...
channel 5 (Royal Thai Army TV),
BBTV Channel 7 and
TITV. The shows include the cartoon series, ''The Adventure of Khan Kluay''.
Drama series
Around 18 drama series, or
lakorns are produced for
BBTV Channel 7 and
TITV.
Film
Kantana Animation Studio
Kantana Animation produced the first Thai
computer-animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
feature film in 2006, ''
Khan Kluay
''Khan Kluay'' ( th, ก้านกล้วย; ) is a 2006 Thai computer-animated adventure film set in Ayutthaya-era Siam about a Thai elephant who wanders away from his mother and becomes the war elephant for King Naresuan. It is based on the ...
'', which took three years and cost 150 million
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...
to make. ''Khan Kluay'' was the top film at the Thailand box office in 2006, earning 91 million baht, and winning several awards. Also, a ''Khan Kluay'' television series was created for
BBTV Channel 7. Kantana Animation was spun off into its own subsidiary in 2007, Kantana Animation Studio Company, Limited.
Post-production
Kantana is a hub for film
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
services in Asia. Kantana's film lab provides overlay subtitling, negative cutting, color analysis,
digital intermediate
Digital intermediate (typically abbreviated DI) is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics.
Definition and overview
A digital intermediate ...
processing, optical effects, sound transfer, film cleaning and film print copying. The facility has provided lab work on such films as ''
Memoirs of a Geisha
''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and wo ...
'', ''
Superman Returns'', ''
Casino Royale'', ''
Echo Planet'' and dozens of Thai feature films.
The company's sound studio provides audio dubbing and mixing services for feature films, television shows and commercials, including recording, sound effects, foley, sound design and voice dubbing/ADR. Kantana was the first Thai company to receive permission from
Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (often shortened to Dolby Labs and known simply as Dolby) is an American company specializing in Noise reduction#In audio, audio noise reduction, Audio data compression, audio encoding/compression, spatial audio, and ...
to record sound using Dolby technology.
Oriental Post
Oriental Post Company, Ltd., which is 50-50 joint venture by Kantana and Loxley Video Post, provides digital post production facilities. The services include digital compositing in PAL, NTSC, HD 24p in multi-format, telecine, digital editing and special effects creation. Using digital intermediate technology, Oriental Post's services also include film processing, scanning conforming, color correction, offline and online editing, digital effects, computer graphics and audio recording to film printing. The company has provided post-production work on the films of
Wong Kar-wai, ''
2046
In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st century, 21st to 30th century, 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies se ...
'' and ''
My Blueberry Nights
''My Blueberry Nights'' is a 2007 romantic drama film directed by Wong Kar-wai, his first feature in English. The screenplay by Wong and Lawrence Block is based on a Chinese-language short film written and directed by Wong. ''My Blueberry Nights' ...
''.
">IMAGICA Scanner Used by Oriental Post in 4K DI for 'My Blueberry Nights"
/ref>
Franchise
Drag Race
*
** The Switch Drag Race
*
** Drag Race Thailand
''Drag Race Thailand'' is a Thai reality competition show based on the American version with RuPaul. The series was licensed by the Kantana Group and premiered on 15 February 2018. The show is hosted by fashion stylist Art Arya, while drag per ...
*
** RuPaul's Drag Race
** RuPaul's Drag U
** RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars
The Next Boy/Girl Band
References
{{Animation industry in Thailand
Film production companies of Thailand
Mass media companies established in 1951
1951 establishments in Thailand
Companies based in Bangkok