page_title: Bad Genius
section_title: Filming
hierarchical_section_title: Bad Genius / Production / Filming
caption_attribution_description: Platform 11 at Redfern Station. This is one of the station's underground platforms.
context_page_description: Bad Genius, known in Thai as Chalard Games Goeng, is a 2017 Thai heist thriller film produced by Jor Kwang Films and distributed by GDH 559. It was directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, and stars Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying in her feature film debut as Lynn, a straight-A student who devises an exams-cheating scheme which eventually rises to international levels.
  Inspired by real-life news of students cheating on the SAT, the film transplants the heist structure to a school-exams setting, and features themes of class inequality as well as teenage social issues. The young main cast consists of relative newcomers Chanon Santinatornkul, Teeradon Supapunpinyo and Eisaya Hosuwan as Lynn's classmates Bank, Pat and Grace, while Thaneth Warakulnukroh plays Lynn's father. Filming took place on location in Thailand and Australia.
  Bad Genius was released on 3 May 2017, placing first at the Thai box office for two weeks and earning over 100 million baht, the highest-grossing Thai film of 2017. Overseas, it broke Thai film earning records in several Asian countries, including China, where it grossed over $30 million, making it the most internationally successful Thai film ever.
context_section_description: Most of the filming took place in Thailand, while approximately 30 percent, by Nattawut's estimate, was shot on location in Sydney, Australia. Some ten crew members flew to Australia from Thailand, while most of the Sydney filming unit was sourced locally. Filming in Sydney was subject to many more restrictions than in Thailand, including strictly limited shooting times. A particularly challenging scene to film was a chase sequence shot at the underground section of Redfern railway station, which had to be fitted into the trains' normal running schedule.
  Nattawut had, since his early advertising work, frequently collaborated with cinematographer Phaklao Jiraungkoonkun. According to Phaklao, while most of Bad Genius's shots were designed in advance, some were improvised and designed on set. Others, like the mid-story exam sequence, necessitated advance detailed storyboarding and blocking. Nattawut also noted the challenge posed by the exam scenes, as the mundane action forced him to rely on the camerawork to convey suspense; the mid-story scene in particular comprised 200 shots for four pages of screenplay. Compared to his earlier work on Countdown, Nattawut says he learned to accept more input from the cast and crew instead of strictly trying to fulfil his visions. He found that asking Phaklao for opinions on shots led to better results, and editor Chonlasit Upanigkit also helped with his keen sense during post-production.
  Stylistically, Nattawut says he was inspired partly by 1970s thrillers such as The Conversation, The Parallax View and All the President's Men, leading him to mix in a certain retro/vintage style in Bad Genius. Stills from The Godfather were used as a colour palette reference during post-production work with Kantana Post Production. Nattawut also used 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as a reference. The retro style was also factored in the costume design, according to costume designer Pawaret Wongaram, who was also familiar with Nattawut from their work in advertising and joined Bad Genius as her first feature film. The score was composed by Hualampong Riddim's Vichaya Vatanasapt, who employed gradually intensifying cyclical elements to help build suspense.
  The film was officially announced by GDH at a press event on 20 April 2017, along with the release of its theme song "Mong Chan Tee" (มองฉันที, which translates as "Look at Me"). Performed by Suthita Chanachaisuwan, the song is a rearrangement of the song "Why Can't You See" by Thai indie pop band Fwends, with new lyrics by Apiwat Eurthavornsuk.
caption: Redfern railway station was the location for a particularly challenging scene.
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