Movie

Tripping trio

Jay hits the road

By Suwitcha Chaiyong

• Did you know •

Jay is producing Slot Machine's next album.

It's been a while since music producer and actor Montonn Jira (Jay) was on the big screen, but he recently accepted the role of Somchoon in the new road movie Rao SongSam Khon (That Sounds Good), directed by Riew Kittikorn.

In That Sounds Good, Somchoon is a driver with female passengers Soontaree (Ploy Rattanarat) and Ter (Yipso Ramittra) on a road trip from Thailand to Laos and Vietnam. Lots of funny misunderstandings ensue during the trip because Soontaree is hard of hearing and Ter has a very short-sighted. The film was shot in just 29 days in Laos, Vietnam and China.

Student Weekly recently met up with 32-year-old Jay at the M39 office to hear about the making of That Sounds Good.

Student Weekly: Is it true that you accepted this role because it provided an opportunity to go travelling?

Jay: That was one reason. I also liked the idea behind the film. Riew Kittikorn said that it would be made in a semi-documentary style. It eventually became more of a comedy. But it was interesting because Riew let the actors design and develop their characters. I think that made the acting seem much more natural.

Student Weekly: Did you do your own driving in the film?

Jay: Yes. The driving was fun. We had some training in driving a four-wheel drive. I did well during the training, but during the film shoot I got stuck in water! They had to tow us out with another car.

Student Weekly: What was it like filming overseas?

Jay: It was great. I felt really lucky to have been picked for the movie. It was great to film overseas, but there was a time limit and everybody was very focused and busy. We couldn't leave the set and we always had to stay in character.

Student Weekly: Which location did you like the most?

Jay: The sand dunes at Mui Ne in Vietnam. It was so strange. When the director said we were going to drive in sand, I thought it would just be a small patch of sand like a golf course bunker, but it was like a big desert. It was the first time I'd seen something like that in Asia.

Student Weekly: Could you date a girl who was hard of hearing or visually impaired like the characters in the film?

Jay: Possibly. It would be challenging to communicate, but it could be fun.

Student Weekly: If you had an opportunity to go on another road trip, where would you like to go?

Jay: Scandinavia. I've never been there, but I have lots of friends from Denmark. I told them to let me know next time they're going there. I've seen pictures of Iceland and Norway, and they look like paintings.

Student Weekly: What was the most challenging thing about creating the music score for the horror film Secret Sunday?

Jay: The hardest part was trying to understand what director Yoo Saranyoo wanted. He gave me a lot of freedom, so I had to try and understand his ideas for each scene. I'm satisfied with how it came out.

Student Weekly: Why should people go to see That Sounds Good?

Jay: Because I'm in it! [Laughs.] The director said that when people see this film, they'll want to pack their bags and travel. That's what happened with Ploy. After we finished the film, she wanted to travel more and try lots of new things.

	big screen (n): the cinema ensue (v): to happen after or as a result of another event hard of hearing (adj): unable to hear very well short-sighted (adj): able to see things clearly only if they are very close to you documentary (n): a film, television or radio programme giving facts about something tow (v): to pull a car or boat behind another vehicle, using a rope or chain time limit (n): the length of time within which you must complete something set (n): the place where part of a movie is filmed focused (adj): with your attention directed to what you want to do sand dune (n): a hill of sand made by the wind on the coast or in a desert bunker (n): a small area filled with sand on a golf course desert (n): a large area of land that has very little water and very few plants growing on it impaired (adj): damaged; not working properly challenging (adj): difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability