With an oeuvre defined by his unique ability to balance emotionality with Australian grit Garry Phillips is one of the country’s most experienced and highly acclaimed Directors of Photography.
Recognised multiple times by the Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts (AACTA) and the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS), Phillips’ 30+ years of experience across commercial, film and television projects has seen him deliver some of Australia’s most iconic film works to date; including Gettin’ Square (Universal Pictures),Candy (Renaissance Films), Picnic At Hanging Rock Fremantle Media/Amazon Studios),Bump Series 1 (Roadshow Rough Diamond/Stan) and all three seasons of the critically acclaimed series Total Control (Blackfella Films/ABC).
Phillips began his career as a focus puller and camera assistant for noted Australian DOPs including Russell Boyd ACS ASC, Dean Semler ACS ASC, David Gribble ACS, David Lewis ACS and Garry Wapshott among others… whose collective insights and teachings Phillips carried into his work as an independent cinematographer. Renowned for his ability to bring distinct aesthetic languages to each project, Phillips draws upon a variety of ever-shifting inspirations; anything from the photo archives of the likes of Man Ray, Bill Brandt, mid-century thriller films and street photography to the way that the morning light once broke through the window of his Munich hotel room. In combination with an innate understanding of the importance of framing and the intimacies of even the most majestic landscapes, Phillips’ body of work is not only a testament to, but an enrichment of, the vital worlds he captures on film.
This edifying work can be observed in his feature films Spit (Tracking Films), The Monkey’s Mask (Arenafilm), Better Than Sex (Better Than Productions), Burning Man (Archer Street Productions), Kid Snow (Unicorn Films), The Railway Man (Lionsgate) and Catch A Fire (Working Title Films). For The Railway Man, Phillips was the recipient of Australia’s highest cinematography honour; The Milli Award, Cinematographer of the Year & The Golden Tripod Award at the ACS Awards, and a nominee of Best Cinematography in a Motion Picture at the AACTAs.
Phillips’ commitment to deepening audience experiences of cinema can be seen again in his diverse and prolific work in television. He was the Director of Photography for all 3 seasons of the critically acclaimed series Total Control (Blackfella Films/ABC), Picnic At Hanging Rock (Fremantle /Amazon), Director of Photography for One Night (Easy Tiger/Paramount+), Year Of (Roadshow Rough Diamond/Stan), Irreverent (Matchbox Pictures/Netflix), The End (See-Saw Films/Foxtel), Bump (Roadshow Rough Diamond /Stan) and Jack Irish (Easy Tiger/ABC).
As well as acclaimed international series including A Discovery Of Witches (Bad Wolf/SKY UK), Indian Summers (New Pictures/Channel 4), and The Missing 2 (Company Pictures/Starz). Phillips’ work speaks to his particular interest in telling the stories of that which is sought, those who seek it and, inevitably, everything which remains lost. A highly skilled cinematographer praised for his use of colour and movement, Phillips’ work glides from the raw to stylised, the harsh to tender, with the same energy and dedication that has defined his career. Today Phillips remains committed to producing artful and dauntless cinema as we move into increasingly urgent times.