Isaac Davies on the set of For Old Times’ Sake.

Written and directed by Austin Lawrence, For Old Times’ Sake (2024) follows a young singer named Myles who struggles to reconnect with his estranged father after many years apart. 

Family can be… interesting. But no matter how messy or fractured one can be, we always find a way back together. This film explores the complex relationship between a father and son and how we can use art to help communicate the issues hanging over us.

Austin Lawrence and Isaac Davies on the set of For Old Times’ Sake

Why I made For Old Times’ Sake 

By Austin Lawrence (Writer, Director)

The idea for For Old Times’ Sake came about during a difficult period in my life. I wasn’t on speaking terms with someone close in my life and I found myself struggling with the want to reach out and mend things while at the same time being cautious about why we weren’t speaking in the first place. Like the film’s protagonist, Myles, I find it hard to express the way that I feel, usually turning to some form of art to convey what I can’t quite put into words. I see a lot of myself in Myles. His stubbornness, his struggle to emotionally communicate, his smartass attitude. Though where Myles finds his emotional outlet through music, I find mine in scriptwriting. It felt, at times, throughout the writing process that I was holding a mirror up to myself, forcing me to come to terms with where I was at that point in my life and allowing me a safe space to navigate through it.  

This film felt like a big step up from anything I’d attempted before. From shooting at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital and The Ellington Jazz Club, to hiring a bus from the Bus Preservation Society of WA. From reaching out to Universal Music Group to get the rights to cover our opening track to working with a number of talented artists to write our final song, this project couldn’t have been made without an incredible crew of collaborators. There is no better feeling than turning to every member of the cast and crew and knowing you have complete trust in the ability and the effort they collectively bring to the film. I’m beyond grateful to the people I got to work with and I’m itching to get back on set to collaborate again. 

Peter Brudelin and Austin Lawrence on the set of For Old Times’ Sake.

Cast and Crew 

By Charlee Crook (Producer)

Austin is a very talented writer and director who I love working with. For Old Times’ Sake was one of the smoothest productions I have ever helped produce, and I think a big part of that was the crew’s chemistry. We worked with an incredibly talented and dedicated group of filmmakers, many of whom are still some of our closest friends. Having known each other since our studies, we really understand how we work together. Everyone poured their heart into this project and I think that effort clearly shows on screen. 

Behind the scenes of For Old Times’ Sake.

Our cast was small but strong and an absolute pleasure to work with. Isaac was the perfect fit for Myles. Austin had previously worked with him and Charlotte Watson, who plays Grace, on his previous short All Good, and had written the script with them in mind. Finding Greg, Myle’s father, proved more time-consuming, but Peter Bruderlin embodied the character we had envisioned. His chemistry test with Isaac captured the complicated father-son dynamic with genuine authenticity, and we knew it would translate to the screen. Natasha Martelli played the role of Greg’s nurse, and her performance in scenes where Myles and Greg spoke in the hospital really solidified the uncomfortable tension between them.

Charlotte Watson in For Old Times’ Sake.

Behind the Scenes

By Justin Vu (Producer)

When I first read through the script from Austin, I knew we were in for a fun shoot. Neither of us had worked on a project that involved characters performing songs, but I was keen to work with both Austin and Charlee again to tackle our approach to the subject, which felt rather personal towards Austin. I immediately began brainstorming ideas and ways to bring about Austin’s vision to life.

Because of the variety of filmmakers we had on set, we were able to lock down many aspects of the film easily to ensure a smooth production. In particular, the music and the songs that Austin co-wrote played an important part in For Old Times’ Sake, and it was equally important that we were able to capture Myles perform live on stage in front of a crowd of people. Being able to shoot at the Ellington Jazz Club was a great experience (despite the random power outage in the middle of shooting), and this helped us set the tone for what we wanted to achieve. 

As Isaac hadn’t played the guitar as much but had practiced plenty of times beforehand, this seemed daunting at first. Working with our sound crew, we were able to “mime” the performance by having Isaac’s friend Devin (who also plays Rich) play his guitar off-screen while Isaac performed on camera, following along with Devin. This solution captured both Isaac’s beautiful singing and acting, as well as Devin’s live performance off-camera, which resulted in an emotional scene that I and everyone else could not be prouder of.

Isaac Davies and Devin Pullyblank on the set of For Old Times’ Sake.

Looking Ahead

This film is just the beginning for Another Take. We are excited to continue building our team and collaborating with some of Perth’s most talented creatives. We’re grateful to Ian Hale and Halo Films for providing us with the opportunity to promote our hard work. Every project brings new challenges, learning opportunities, and the chance to tell stories that resonate with people, and that’s what we hope to achieve as we build this production company.

The cast and crew of For Old Times’ Sake at WA Made Film Festival 2025.

You can watch For Old Times’ Sake below. 

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