The webmaster from Footsteps on the Beach and three of his students went down to Phuket in late March where, by a stroke of luck, they found the film crew busy at work on Surin Beach on the western coast of the island. The photographs on this page are copyrighted and cannot be used without the permission of ThaiStudents.com.

The film-makers are setting up a tracking shot. The camera is on a dolly and will be pushed towards the bus. The scene is for when the three main characters (Richard, Francoise and Etienne) arrive at the Seashell Bungalows on Ko Pha Ngan. It is here where they look for a boat to take them to the secret lagood and the mysterious beach. In this shot, the bus is pushed away by the men standing on each side. This is not a working bus and is only used for close-ups. There is a tow bar on the front which was hooked up to the camera truck to shoot the arrival scene. A different bus (though looking exactly the same) was used for the wide shots.

(Left): Darius, the director of photography, setting up this shot. (Right): Danny Boyle the director, second from left, checks out the scene as the camera crew are setting up the shot. Danny is holding his shooting script close to his script and talking to one of the production assistants.

It can take a long time to prepare the shots. Not only does the lighting for the camera have to be correct, but the crew has to rehearse camera moves too. The three people here are the stand-ins for the stars. It is their job to stand while the stars sit in comfort. On the right is Leonardo's stand-in. Not a very glamourous job. Standing around for hours and never actually appearing in the movie. Once the stars come out their job then finishes.

Virginie Ledoyen (on the left) waiting to be called for her scene. You can just see that the name on the chair to the left is "Richard". It was reported in the press that Leonardo was using his screen name of Richard rather than his own. (Right): The three main characters (Virgine Ledoyen, Canet Guillaume and Leonardo DiCaprio) have just got off the bus and are about to walk towards the Seashell Bungalows. The man in the black t-shirt is Leonardo's personal bodyguard. He was working as part of a two man team. The other man was closer to the crowd watching for troublemakers.

In-between takes, Leonardo receives some attention from the make-up artist while Virginie looks on. Background detail is just as important. These people on the right will barely be glimpsed in the final version but their job is just as important. As Leonardo gets off the bus you might just see them in the distance!

The photographs on this page are copyright ThaiStudents.com and cannot be used without their permission