EXCLUSIVE:Beach House Picturesis riding the crest of an Asian true crime wave.
He was living the life most kids dream of and living it all out on Instagram, said Chan.
Then one day, he sent a foreboding text home from India.
Clockwise from l-r: Donovan Chan & Rob Sixsmith; ‘Raincoat Killer’; ‘Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee, & Jessica Wongso’; ‘Lost’ (center)Beach House Pictures
He then simply disappeared, and his family never got closure.
That was about American culture then and this is about it now.
The East-meets-West nature ofLostplays into Beach Houses Asian true crime strategy.
With all the experience weve gained from previous docs, well be able to provide a new perspective withLost.
The strategy paid off.
It topped the Netflix charts in the U.S. and UK.
The case was the first to be broadcast live on Indonesian TV and saw Wongso convicted of the killing.
What the story exemplified is the Beach House model of making Asia true crime stories, said Chan.
This isnt a gratuitous love of superficial true crime, added Sixsmith.
The stories we seek are very layered and multifaceted and a window into different worlds.
Theyre a surprising way of looking economic, social and cultural trends.
Its a way of investing in the country and the wider context of an Asian country.
Thats the nuance that this true crime can provide.
Every story is different, is tricky and has its own pitfalls and landmines.
We have to do that as sensitively, slowly and methodically as possible.
A lot of this is 24-hour discussions with the families.
Youre never off the hook when you make these stories.
These are real people and yet you have to make the story compelling for the television.
ForLost, weve had very close relationship with Justins family from day one.
We always have to remember there are people who are at the heart of this.
We are a forerunner so we are bringing those learnings to our projects.
Hopefully doing that will influence what true crime making is about in Asia.
