GEN: Melbourne-based feature gives nod to Genesis

[Paul Mailath]

I got this note today - not sure where it should go but I thought it might be of interest>


Melbourne-based feature gives nod to Genesis
by Peter Galvin

Playing for Keeps, a privately-financed coming-of-age drama will be the first wholly Australian feature to use Panavision’s Genesis camera, a fact described by producer Franziska Wagenfeld as “a real coup for a small film”.

Set amidst the industrial-scapes of Melbourne’s outer western suburbs, the script (written by first time feature director Pene Patrick) centre’s on a 15-year old boys effort to improve life for his infant brother and a mother who is suffering from multiple sclerosis. The plot, according to the production’s synopsis, combines rugby, dreams of athletic success and a hero who flirts with the very edges of society.

“It is a real story about real people,” Wagenfeld (co producer on Irresistible) told Encore. “It’s a touching and heartfelt story that dares to enter into an emotional territory.”

The cinematographer is Leilani Hannah ACS (The King). “Using the Genesis is a tremendous opportunity [for this project]. I’ll be using Primo lenses’, which I love, and shoot wide open, giving us an equivalent light sensitivity of 500 ASA, which is a huge advantage for us in terms of our lighting resources.”

Patrick told Encore that the production explored all mediums before deciding finally on the HD which she hopes will give the film the “special aesthetic” the filmmakers want to achieve.

Jane Norris of Mullinars is performing casting duties on the project with several key roles yet to be finalised. Keith Thompson (Clubland) was script editor; Ken Sallows is picture editor. The shoot begins on August 13.