Archive - Higher Plane (2009)
Film Stills Photography
One never knows where one will find oneself when leaving the house with a camera.
Selected Archive Credit
Higher Plane is a 2009 Australian short film produced by Bigg Pictures, written and directed by Anthony De Fazio and Travis Bigg. The film explores addiction, desire, and psychological descent through the story of Evan, a high-functioning heroin addict whose carefully constructed life unravels after encountering a cursed object that feeds both craving and sacrifice.
Higher Plane - Art Director Clancy Burrowes and ActorJay Bowen, day one.
Higher Plane - Official Poster IMDB.
This project marked my first professional stills photography role on a narrative film production, undertaken during a concentrated week of filming in Melbourne. I flew in for the shoot and was collected at the airport and taken directly to the first location, with no pause for accommodation check-in before filming commenced.
The pace was set for the week as the schedule moved quickly across multiple locations, including a penthouse apartment in Melbourne’s Docklands, an office in the CBD, a suburban pet store, and a heavily transformed warehouse set used for key dramatic scenes, with long days extending late into the night.
Higher Plane - Actors Kathryn Tohill and Jay Bowen, Filming-2009.
The production demanded long days, fast adaptation, and sensitivity to performance, lighting, and continuity. Working alongside the directors and cinematography team, my role was to document the film with a stills approach that respected mood, character psychology, and narrative tension rather than promotional gloss.
Higher Plane - Makeup Department - Mia Kate Russell 2009.
Many of my favourite images came from the warehouse sequences, where the physicality of the environment, transformed through art department set dressing and graphic surface work, shaped the visual tone of the scenes. These conditions also offered highly atmospheric stills and strong portrait moments, with cast and extras in full makeup contributing to the visual density and emotional charge of the scenes.
Higher Plane - Makeup Extras 2009.
Higher Plane - Warehouse Scenes 2009.
Higher Plane - Warehouse Final Scene 2009.
Alongside principal scene stills, my role also included documenting cast, extras, and key behind-the-scenes moments, including the staging and execution of the final scene, where a chair was thrown through a window at the close of the day’s shoot.
The production concluded with a wrap gathering in Seddon, overlooking Melbourne’s industrial landscape and a vividly lit city skyline, a fitting closing note for a film rooted in rawness and psychological edge.
Higher Plane - Warehouse Scene - Actor Jay Bowen 2009.
This work sits within my screen and film archive prior to ART1, and forms part of the foundation that later informed my fine art photography practice, particularly my sensitivity to atmosphere, embodiment, and emotional presence.
Film Details
Title: Higher Plane
Year: 2009
Format: Short Film
Runtime: 17 minutes
Production Company: Bigg Pictures
Status: Completed
Country: Australia
Higher Plane is officially listed in Screen Australia’s Screen Guide, confirming its production status and national screen record.
Higher Plane Cast and Crew - Bigg Productions.
Key Credits
Written and Directed by:
Anthony De Fazio
Travis Bigg
Producer:
Todd Buttery
Cinematographer:
Benjamin Hidalgo De La Barrera
Editor:
Travis Bigg
Sound Designer:
Rhys Richards
Original Score:
Rohan Workman
VFX Supervisor / Digital Compositor:
Hayes Brien
Makeup Department Head:
Mia Kate Russell
First Assistant Director:
David Leadbetter
Stills Photographer:
Raymond Mather
Full cast and crew details are published via IMDb and archival production materials.
Archival Notes
• First narrative film stills assignment
• Shot across multiple Melbourne locations
• Combination of controlled interiors and raw industrial environments
• Emphasis on psychological realism over promotional styling
• Forms part of the pre-ART1 screen and film archive
ART1 Archive Context
This page sits within the ART1 Archive, documenting professional experience and cultural engagement prior to the launch of ART1.
View other professional related works prior to ART1 here in the Selected Credits.