The past few years were a challenging time for everyone, including those in the film, television, and commercial production industry. Embracing new opportunities can bring expanding experiences during these times, as it did for Set Lighting and Camera Expert Samon Siripanichgon. Having worked on films with such notable actors as Welker White (of Oscar Award—nominated film The Irishman and Oscar Award—Winning film Goodfellas), Jade Pettyjohn (of Deadwood: The Movie and The Righteous Gemstones; both Primetime Emmy—nominated), Samon’s reputation in the industry carries weight; leading to offers for work on productions in Thailand upon his return.
Cinematographer Bhurin Treetampinich reached out to Samon and enlisted his talent for a Nestle’s Brand Bear Milk commercial. As head of the lighting department on this production, Mr. Siripanichgon brought a slice of the American production style to this Thai team; an enlightening experience for all involved.
Samon imparts, “It was an amazing experience for me. I was younger by far than anyone else in my department yet they showed me the utmost respect. I had not been living in Thailand for about thirteen years and my Thai was rusty, which was not ideal for the person telling everyone what to do. Still, these were some of the most gracious people I’d ever worked with. These types of experiences are something that you keep with you for quite some time.”
Bhurin Treetampinich was a fan of Samon’s artistry, having worked with him in NYC on such films as Yuan Yuan. With the knowledge that both were in Thailand, the DP acquired Mr. Siripanichgon for this commercial production supporting Nestle in Thailand. The mood of the production hinged on a thunder/rain look which contrasted with a sunny look. The strong comedic tone of the storyline relied upon successfully and quickly manifesting both. It’s not an exaggeration to say that what Samon achieved is a perfect state of subtlety.
His skill masterfully hints at ideas about which the mind fills in the gaps. While these extremes of weather are the drama/comedy of this brief production, they transform the story into something special and believable.
Samon describes his process stating, “When it came to the thunder and rain look, I thought it was best to use the Arri Skypanel. The Skypanel had a strong output while also being able to program lighting effects into it. The lighting effect that we needed was thunder and lightning. From the light itself, I was able to adjust the intensity, the speed of lightning flashes, and when to queue the lightning flashes. I’ve used the skypanel previously on other productions for lighting gags and lighting effects.”
“For the sunny look we used a 2.5K HMI which is a type of high powered light that burns at 5600 Kelvin, the color temperature of daylight. The light was very big and bulky which made it a little difficult to maneuver but it was the only light, at the time, which could produce the amount of intensity that we needed while also being a hard light. Other LED’s at the time only produced soft light.”
Companies like Nestle (with an SA net worth of over $300 Billion USD) understand the importance of relatability in selling their products. While the message of Bear Brand Milk should communicate in a manner that originates from a Thai sense of humor, the production value should be on the highest level. Samon Siripanichgon possesses both of the factors.
Whether working on the set of a television pilot (Parked in America-SXSW Grand Jury Award—nominee) or a film (Francesca Scorsese’s Fish Out of Water which starred actors from Goodfellas, The Irishman, and other iconic films) or a milk commercial in Thailand, Samon engages the same massive talent and work ethos. For him, the lasting memory that makes his time on the Nestle Bear Brand Milk project is that he took his talent back home for a little while.
Writer: Basil Thomson