The Aesthetic Features Of Thai Film (1997-2010)

To analyze the special aesthetic feature of seven Thai commercial art films thatsucceeded in high revenue, win both Thailand and international awards during the years1997-2010. Each film used narrative structure and visual language as the core analysiscompose with the use of mass media and post-modern art concept factors, semiotic,psychological process requirement and social cultural aspect. The result of analysisfound that the similarity of mass’s aesthetic feature in both producer and audience werethe film’s "ideological"(reflected social and film culture) and the film’s"entertainment"(the various genre film aesthetics), each film should combine theentertainment and ideological at the equilibrium point of contemporary mass aesthetic.Each film had core story that related to the feeling of the masses about love andcondition of the era. The story’s detail was full of local culture and based on theconflict that made the masses understand or agree such as the conflict from family andgender issues problems of homosexual (The Love of Siam), the conflict from politicalproblem in biographical film of traditional music competitions (The Overture), theconflict from globalization and communication technology problem in musical love andridicule society films (Transistor Love Story), etc. Through the Hollywood model ofplot, speculated the audience by creation the main character in gray that had good andbad characters in one person. The main character usually done for belongingness, loveneed, esteemed need and self-actualization need by ignoring physiological andpsychological safety under the plot used to develop and resolve the conflict that themasses thought that correct and agree such as praised the principles of religion, nativeculture, morals and ethics.The aesthetic created film of the masses was the narrative style from real drama byproper mix of different genre film such as used real self-inductance screen narratedhorror experience in coming of age films (Dorm), used the real dramatic conflictnarrated myths and legends of romance (Nang nak), or narrated about gangstersbiographies (Dang Bireley and Young Gangsters), etc. In sequence of time and space,there was inserted the past event, folk beliefs, imaginary and emotional features ofsymbols through the objects of everyday life that to identify the special meaning. Inaddition, the simbols were used to be the omen and finally were used to build thefeeling of the film. Films also used postmodern art concepts of sex and violence in some screen as mechanism engine to drive the story forward and to liberate spirit of themasses, used past nostalgia to let the masses absorb beautiful memories that combinepast and present together such as the main character in “Midnight My Love” listenedmodern drama from AM. Radio, he often imagined the Thai classical drama in the sixtyperiods.These seven Thai’s films demonstrated strong content in local culture and had thedifferent forms to make them success in combination of commerce and art. Thai filmscould step into an international forum because the film’s creations come from life of thelocal people in the various environments. There were simple and loving–fun character,various traditions, idea in everyday life, religion, belief, philosophy, knowledge, valuesand spiritual. These things made aesthetics of the film reflected the characteristics of theThai national culture, therefore watching each country’s films means watched theunique culture of each country.