London-based DP Oscar Partridge has recently wrapped on LGBT coming-of-age feature Ganymede in Kentucky, USA. Co-directed by queer directors Sam Probst and Colby Holt (well-known SXSW alumni), the film follows a high school senior who, after developing a crush on his openly gay classmate, is stalked by a faceless creature.
“Whilst the film is in many ways a traditional queer coming-of-age story, we wanted to ensure that we stayed true in capturing the aesthetics of the region, and the archetypes that exist in the conservative American south – hence a strong Southern Gothic undertone runs throughout the entirety of the film,” explained Partridge.
He added, “With only 19 days for our principal block, we moved quite nimbly as we had a large page count to cover each day – lighting scenes with large soft-source LEDs and adding a considerable amount of neg to shape – shooting towards natural light sources for texture and depth.”
Crew representation was a key concern for Partridge on this production. “Along with all above the line crew being LGBT or female, every HOD across the film was LGBT+, female or BAME. In particular, I was fortunate to have an incredible G&E department led by my gaffer Amanda Kulkoski and key grip Nikki Hill.
“With the support of CAA in casting the film, we were fortunate to have some fabulous talent come on board including David Koechner (The Office, Anchorman), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things) and Robyn Lively (The Karate Kid), as well as our incredible leads Jordan Doww and Pablo Castelblanco.
“ARRI Rental also came on board for the project offering us a lovely Alexa Mini/SXT Plus + Atlas Orion anamorphic package out of New York – in particular, a big thank you to Andy Shipsides, Russell Allen, Simon Surtees and Lynn Gustafson for their support.”
