Making ‘Partners in Crime’
Leading lady Ebony Westman between takes.
'Partners in Crime' is a no-budget comedy/noir feature film that we shot in late 2019. Cast with friends and filmed with no crew, it's a debut film that was designed to teach its director (me!) how to produce a feature film cheaply without sacrificing entertainment value. By performing all behind-camera roles, from writing to camera operation, sound recording, editing and music, I gained valuable experience in many of the crafts required in putting together a film.
But I was aware that a technical exercise does not a fun movie make, so I endeavoured to write a story that leant into the style of film noir. This gave me the opportunity to explore the little white lies and suspicions that tend to pop up in romantic relationships and to exaggerate the consequences through the tropes of the genre. Luckily for us and our shoestring budget, noir films also tend to employ small casts, limited locations, and black and white photography - all of which are very handy for keeping costs down.
The movie was shot on weekends over two months with an energetic, accommodating, and all-round lovely cast of actors, and it was all kept on the rails, on schedule & on budget by my calm and collected producing partner Harry. Once filming wrapped, I locked myself away to do the post-production alone over 2020. While this solo-post production was always the plan, it was made a necessity during Melbourne's marathon COVID-19 lockdowns that persisted through the year.
Performing multiple roles across the entire filmmaking process was an amazing challenge and learning experience that I wouldn’t change for the world, and I was glad to be working on a fairly lighthearted comedy during what was a pretty lonely period. In the end, what started as a project to be done quickly and cheaply was put on ice from the end of 2020, while film festivals were submitted to and rejected from.
Now, it's both a joy and a relief to release this picture: delayed but done. I'm so thankful to the 'Partners in Crime' team - my wonderful cast and unflappable producing partner Harry - for all of their hard work on this project, and I hope you enjoy it.
Peter Redhead , April 2024
Me enjoying the music making after a busy shoot.