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I was born beside the Atlantic Ocean into a family of business men and bankers from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. My mother, a war bride from England had married my father, the oldest son, a banker. We lived in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Montreal but when I was six my parents split and I was taken to live in England with my Mother and her family, on the south west coast of Devon.
My mother was a semi-professional actress, a music hall performer and a hairdresser, and from a young age I wandered among a community of entertainers, artists and artisans. She would take me with her to help out in
the dressing rooms and behind stage and sometimes I would fill in on rehearsals for absentee or late chorus line members. I was also able to observe directors stage and plot the dramas and the musicals. It was an education to see the directors help actors bring forth performances even the actors didn't know they had .
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From this early exposure to the world of theatre, I knew I did not want to be an actor (with the odd exception of possibly being a clown in a circus), but I loved the creative world and the arts community in which the artists thrived
The seaside town of Blackpool is where I spent my teenage years growing up with the music of the Beatles and all the other pop groups who came out of Northern England. Blackpool is a center for stage and film actors, singers, musicians and performers of every kind. It's the artistic and entertainment capital of the North. There I met as many artists and groups as I possibly could. I loved watching them work. I would sneak into the back of the theaters and glimpse while the best entertainers of the sixties rehearsed for their nights performances.
Influenced by the photography of the National Geographic Magazines and films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, I made up my mind to enter the creative profession of photography. Taking pictures on Blackpool beach and telling the tourists to come back the next day and pick up the prints was fun while it lasted but it was only a seasonal job. I came to my senses when winter arrived and I took myself to college, to Photographic art school and Art school. There I learned the subtleties of photography, that each plate or photo must have a structure and tell a story. The photographer must also show an intent and a motive behind each image. An image is an image? No! Each image has a story to tell, an emotion to convey, an atmosphere and a design concept. In each photo there exists a dramatic purpose and a reason. Every successful advertising company asks, "What does this picture tell me? "
As a commercial photographer I worked extensively in the fields of portraiture, fashion and theatrical subjects, but it wasn't until late 1968 that I moved back to Canada and began my work in the film industry. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation gave me my first break, as an assistant cameraman on the series "The Whiteoaks of Jalna". My first introduction to a film director was John Trent, a rather flamboyant, theatrical individual, the epitome of a movie version of a film director. I always wondered if he was actually directing or just trying to be a showman. A few years later when I was a Director of Photography, I discovered his real talent. Unfortunately he was killed in a car crash just before we were about to shoot our third film together, as friends.
With the CBC I matured. My career progressed from an assistant to cameraman and my education in drama grew. During the mid 1970's the Director of Photography I worked with as a camera operator, encouraged me to work closely with the directors. That experience was the ground work for my true understanding of film drama. Together with the directors, I would choreograph the shots, the actors and the shows, and I loved being behind the camera. It was and is so creative. In fact most camera operators say that it is the best job on the set, we get a chance to view the film first hand. We are the first audience and a major part of the magic making process. And being let loose to create is like a drug, the adrenaline pumps and the artist emerges from within. Far from being simple technicians, the camera operator and the Director of Photography can be a truly creative force to establish the total "look", photography, feeling and atmosphere of a film.
During the nineteen seventies I produced a few films of my own. "The Short Train" was produced with a young Canadian film maker named David Scott, aka Zale Dalen, now an accomplished director. I then directed a mime film "El Matador" about a Spanish Matador who wins a bullfight because of the amount of liquor he consumes to drown his fear of the bull. I also produced, wrote, directed, and photographed a half hour documentary film about the restoration of a Toronto Island, steam paddle, ferryboat named "Trillium". This film was co-funded by the Ontario Arts Council and premiered at the St. Lawrence Center for the performing arts, sponsored by Standard Broadcasting and CKFM radio. In 1978 and 1979 I won a contract to produce, write, direct and photograph an audio/visual diorama presentation for the Canadian National Exhibition centennial year project. "The Battle of York" was about the US invasion of Canada in 1813. The presentation was so successful that it ran a second year at Canadian's largest annual fair.
I had major plans to work as a cinematographer for a few years until I would eventually cross to directing films full-time but my career as a Director of Photography grabbed hold of me and took me on a great career ride. My profession gave me success and fulfillment while giving me a chance to work and create with some of the best film makers in the country. With the CBC I was also sent around the world on assignment as a documentary cinematographer. During my documentary days I was sent Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific and the Americas, and with each and every assignment I learned more about the human condition and how life works and doesn't work on this earth.
With each documentary the cinematographer must cover the event, capture the action, find the moment and photograph it with as much creative skill to tell the story, pin point the emotion and expose the heart. The photographer is not there just to record the event but to bring the story to the audience in the most dramatic way possible. This was a great experience in the art of storytelling. With all this travel and interconnecting with different peoples of the world, I am now able to bring a unique vision of the world to my work as a storyteller/film maker.
I became a drama Director of Photography in 1978 and since that time I have photographed over 300 productions of various genré. As my career as a Cinematographer grew I was able to work side by side with over eighty directors, and I contributed extensively to the overall feeling of the productions I was involved with. Each director approached me with a various assortment of experience but on each film I collaborated very closely on the overall film making and visual story telling.
My observations of directors reveled that the good ones work hard to sculpture performances and create a wide range of characters with actors. I have enjoyed developing a trusting and collaborative working relationship with many artists in the industry, together we have set style and created form to the visual structure of many films, enhancing the photographic language and dynamics that work with the drama to tell the story. I have blocked shots, set mood, choreographed actors, established looks, created feelings and atmosphere, and given a quality to each of the many films I have photographed. And making quality films has become my life's passion because I love the work that I do.
I am now producing and directing corporate films and videos while developing the exciting potential of The Robert-Royce Company to be the best in multimedia production, both in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver & Toronto, Canada. We are creative storytellers and visual artists.
The future holds many great opportunities and possibilities for adventures in and out of the arts, and I will continue my personal quest to create a great body of work and accomplishments.
