The Impact of Streaming Platforms on the Work of Thai Film Directors in the Digital Era

Abstract

The study "The Impact of Streaming Platforms on the Work of Thai Film Directors in the Digital Era" is qualitative research aimed at understanding three aspects related to the work process of film directors, namely: Film Development, Film Production, and Film Exhibition, as well as the adaptation strategies of Thai film directors in the digital age. Data collection included documentary analysis and in-depth interviewswith nine Thai film directors, encom passing all age groups, genders,production styles, and the period when their works were released to the public, between 1997-2023. The research findings are as follows: 1) In the film development process, Thai film directors can now present more diverse perspectives and creative ideas, as well as dissect aspects of societal context during the respective periods, morethan in the past. This is due to increased budgets for investment from streaming platforms, which also allow the freedom to present a variety of stories through different application channels in the streaming system with clear categorization of each film. 2) In the film production process, Thai film directors maintain their freedom to work and the power to make decisions as before during the pre-production and production stages. However, they might use consumer behavior data from streaming platforms to inform some decisions, except in post-production. The arrival of streaming platforms has had a clear impact on this stage of the director's work, as the channels and devices for viewing films through streaming vary greatly among individuals, making it impossible to control the quality and standardize the viewing experience in terms of picture and sound. 3) In the film screening process, Thai film directors are directly affected by streaming platforms, as their work in the streaming system is complete once film production is finished. Subsequently, the responsibility for promoting information, content of the film, and organizing screenings falls directly on the application owners of the film works on the streaming platforms. 4) Regarding the adaptation strategies of Thai film directors in the digital age, it was found that older and middle-generation directors can adapt and accept technological changes in communication more than new-generation directors who work during the flourishing period of streaming platforms. This is because the older and middle-generation directors have experience working and solving problems during the transition of communication technology, enabling them to adapt and accept changes more readily than new-generation directors who have not lived through a period of change in the industry. Additionally, they must seek their own identity in film production to be accepted by a diverse audience on streaming platforms, which requires more time to adapt and develop their filmmaking than directors from previous periods.