Today we’d like to introduce you to Philip Roy.
Hi Philip, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a curious kid in high school with a good friend, Nathan Richardson, who loved making films with his VHS camera. I was the cameraman and immediately fell in love with filmmaking. At the time, I had no idea you could actually make a living doing it.
I graduated from SFA film school in 2006. A year later, I was funding and shooting my first feature, The Lawless, for $7,500 with a group of college film friends. We sold the film and got it into 2,000 Redboxes in North America. Since then I have shot over 40 features.
Around 2010 I had the incredible opportunity to work with Academy Award–nominated director and photographer Bruce Weber for about eleven years on fashion and lifestyle campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie, Lands’ End and Vogue. In 2010 I was one of the models for Abercrombie while shooting the campaign at the same time which was a total trip. Bruce has a unique ability to elicit and capture raw untapped emotions of people. All the while he treated everyone with tremendous respect and knew everyones name. I absorbed all that I could on his sets which profoundly shaped my perspective on life.
Another pivotal photographer and friend who helped mold my eye is Robb Aaron Gordon. Together, we’ve worked on Four Seasons shoots around the world, including a decade photographing the island of Lanai for Four Seasons and Sensei. I’ve also had the privilege to shoot and edit Paul Mitchell with Robb the last five years and counting.
The second half of my career I was fortunate enough to work with Markiplier on his last three projects including Iron Lung, which became an instant cult phenomenon and breakout box-office success this year. This was by far the biggest film of my career. I also share an Emmy nomination with Markiplier and Amy Nelson for In Space with Markiplier though they were the key players in it’s success. The experiences, trust, gifts, and opportunities that came from Mark and Amy changed my life and helped me to build something of my own.
Today, that’s Misty Valley Studios, a private state-of-the-art 2,000-square-foot soundstage on a romantic five-acre hill in the Cedar Park area. The studio is fully equipped with top tier gear to produce high-end commercials and feature films, on location or in the studio, alongside gifted friends and collaborators. Less restrictions allows more freedom to craft without cutting corners. The first big campaign at the studio was for Peachybbies (Austin company) creating nearly 40 product commercials of their sensory toy slimes.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Most of the journey felt uncharted. I was just trying to find my path through a lot of self-discovery. There was plenty of doubt—What am I even doing here?—along with imposter syndrome.
Independent filmmaking can also be surprisingly dangerous. There were a handful of near-death experiences along the way. We get in our heads while making films and forget of the dangers around us. Having a strong insulated team helped minimize these situations.
Financial struggles eventually eased as I found more consistent work, but I think that uncertainty is a challenge almost every creative faces as gigs come and go, feast or famine style. I was mostly finding it as I went. The relationships formed along the way were what kept me in the film industry. My parents and sister were always there to help support me when times were tough. Family and friends were critical in overcoming the many struggles.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a cinematographer, I’m responsible for the look of the film or commercial being captured. I work closely with the director and many others to develop the lighting, camera movement, and overall visual language of the project. It’s a very collaborative space.
I’m known for having a strong work ethic who’s willing to go through harsh conditions, night or day, to get the shots for the betterment of the project. I also really enjoy the collaborative process and how to make it more efficient. I also took up photography a few years back winning second place in advertising at IPA which is the most prestigious international photography awards.
I’m most proud of Iron Lung. I don’t believe it could have been more challenging or rewarding at the same time. For most of the production, I was trapped inside a small submarine set mounted on a hydraulic motion rig that threw us around like a theme park ride for several months. It was physically demanding, technically complicated, and exactly the kind of filmmaking I love, something thats never been done before. Shooting a film that played in 4,000 theaters around the world is an experience I’m forever grateful for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Sound and visuals are tricky to capture at the same time. Luck has merged the two as much as it’s broken them. The more you work, the more you experience both extremes. The film gods are tough smiting us with Murphy’s Law—anything that can go wrong eventually will, but sometimes everything goes right. That magic we chase outweighs the heartache. Trust the process and it will all work out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mistyvalleystudios.com
- Instagram: mistyvalleystudio
