A business mogul worries his son may be kidnapped, so he hires eight bodyguards to pose as students to protect him at school. The eight bodyguards do not know each other, and this leads to confusion and conflict.
The plot is from the webtoon Million Boys: Chan Rak Nai My Bodyguard (Million Boys: I Love You, My Bodyguard), which was released on the Read A Write app and facebook.com/gmmshow to introduce readers to a concert of the same title. The concert "Million Boys: I Love You, My Bodyguard" caught the attention of local and international fans since eight popular actors from boy's love TV series -- Ohm Thitiwat, Fluke Natouch, Perth Tanapon, Plan Rathavit, Copter Panuwat, Kimmon Warodom, Kao Noppakao and Up Poompat -- who play the role of bodyguards will sing and dance at Union Mall on Oct 8 and 9.
The idea for the Million Boys concert came to Saksakul Kaewmat, director of creative and production control of Idea Fact, a subsidiary of GMM Grammy. Saksakul has been the key behind the success of music festivals and concerts such as "Getsunova Atmosphere", "Peck Palitchoke 15th Anniversary The Final Odyssey Concert", "Fantopia 2020", "Nanglen Music Festival" and "NangLay Beach Party and Music Festival".
Saksakul said when creating the Million Boys concert, he was addicted to webtoons and thought about creating a concert for young audiences. He wanted to see eight good-looking actors perform together. Million Boys refers to actors who have over a million followers on Instagram. The concept of the concert is "a mix of concert with scenes from the TV series".
"To serve all target audiences, Idea Fact creates various concerts. 'Million Boys: I Love You, My Bodyguard' targets young audiences, so we searched for popular performers and thought that young actors in popular TV series would fit the bill. Our marketing communication department created 10 episodes which became the plot of the concert. The concert is divided into several sequences like a TV series and audiences can learn of the ending of the webtoon at the concert," Saksakul explained.
Before the concert tickets for "Million Boys: I Love You, My Bodyguard" went on sale on Aug 19 at theconcert.com, Life spoke to Saksakul about what audiences can expect at this concert and his experiences in the industry.
Does the audience need to watch the 10 episodes of the webtoons before attending the concert?
No. But if the audience reads the webtoon before, they will understand how each couple met. Each couple's first meetup in the webtoon is different from their meetup in the popular Boy's Love TV series. At the concert, there will be a section for the audience to participate in answering some investigative questions. For example, there will be a crime board in front of the concert for taking pictures, but if anyone looks carefully at the crime board, they may get the right answer for a question in this section.
What were some challenges in producing a concert where the performers are not professional singers?
Since some performers had never sung and/or danced on stage before, they were worried. We had to encourage them to feel confident about singing and dancing. Some performers have nice voices, but had never been trained in singing and dancing. However, singing and dancing coaches can tell if someone has potential. We also had to understand there is limited time for practice. Some performers practice very hard, but their results may be mediocre, so instead of pressuring them, we should try to highlight their strengths and find the right songs for them.
Among these eight actors, who is the most outstanding singer?
Copter Panuwat and Kimmon Warodom were in the boy band BKC, so they are able to sing and dance well on stage. Kao Noppakao and Up Poompat have taken singing lessons, but they are still new to singing in public, so we have to find the right songs for them. Perth Tanapon had performed at the 'Fantopia 2020 concert' before and he can sing, dance and play the guitar, so we did not worry about him. Perth will perform with Plan Rathavit who has a nice voice but has never taken any singing lessons. However, we believe they can pull it off.
Is there any special performance for the concert you can reveal?
There will be performances that fans have never seen before. Copter and Kimmon co-wrote a special rap which was added to one of the songs. Some actors will also play musical instruments that they have never played before.
Will there be an online concert for international fans who cannot fly to Bangkok?
We are still discussing this because the cost of copyrighted songs for the online concert is high. If it is possible, we prefer to welcome international fans to Bangkok. Watching the performance live is much more captivating than watching from a computer screen due to the lack of interaction and atmosphere.
Did you use big data to create this concert?
Yes. We checked with Customer Relationship Management which has audience data to ensure that the actors we chose have solid fan bases so that fans would be willing to pay for tickets. We used data to help us choose performers or to ensure we made the right decision.
How has the Thai live concert industry changed over the last two decades?
Competition is high nowadays since there are a lot more concert organisers than in the past. Also, there are local organisers who put on gigs and festivals in their own provinces. Concert equipment such as lighting, sound systems, monitors and laser light shows have improved and there is more variety. The live concert industry's revenue has increased every year [except during the Covid-19 pandemic].
Did the revenue of the live concert industry increase due to the increase in ticket prices?
No. We have never increased the price even though our expenses have gone up by 10% to 15% each year. In Thailand, people consider concert tickets a luxury, so we maintain the price even though our production cost is high. For example, the production cost of 'Nanglen Music Festival' was 18 million baht, but we have maintained the ticket price at 1,500 baht for six years now.
How would you describe Thailand's concert industry after Covid-19 has been labelled an endemic disease?
There is a long list of concerts at the end of the year. Besides local performers, there are also concerts by international performers. Some audiences are fans of both local and international artists but have a limited budget. They have to choose to go to only one concert. Having many concerts is good for employees who work in the concert industry. Audiences also have choices, but as local concert organisers, we have more competition which is exhausting.
Have you been able to successfully create a concert that can attract more international fans?
'Fantopia 2020' was the first endeavour since performers who are actors in the popular Boy's Love TV series have both local and international fans. I believe that events related to Boy's Love TV series can attract international fans and will be popular for many years. The Thai government also supports Boy's Love TV content. I want to have a concert that can draw international fans because it can help our economy. These international fans will spend time in our country, and spend money at restaurants, shopping, staying in hotels, and visiting tourist spots.
"Million Boys: Chan Rak Nai My Bodyguard" will take place at Union Mall on Oct 8 and 9. Tickets cost 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, 3,500, 4,000 and 4,500 baht and are available at theconcert.com/concert.
