What Makes Us HAPPY: Led By the Creative, Driven by the Cause
They say do what makes you happy, and for Miles and Angela Murphy this means prioritising the creative vision. Having often lamented the lack of creative focus at some other production companies, the couple saw an opportunity to start their own company built on creative focused objectives. Rather than reinventing the wheel altogether, HAPPY strives to refocus the collective mindset to make room for exceptional work that stands out.
HAPPY was built upon Miles and Angela’s diverse experiences in the biz. Growing up in a filmmaking family, Miles went on to create a successful career for himself, including a 15 year stint as a grip and working on blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Meanwhile, Angela spent her early career living and working abroad in various industries, before gaining invaluable experience working in well known New Zealand production companies and as a feature film production coordinator. Coming at the creative from different angles, Miles and Angela were able to combine their logistical and technical learnings, crafting inventive solutions to common production and directorial challenges.
Now with a multifarious roster of directors and a stable team of experienced producers, HAPPY is firing on all cylinders with more far-reaching and diverse capabilities than ever before. Uninterested in pigeonholing themselves as a niche market production company, the Australian prod co executes a broad range of styles and genres: cars, tabletop work, lifestyle spots, comedy, drama, performance, highly technical work, VFX based spots and visually dramatic pieces.
After successfully putting down roots in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and New Zealand, Miles and Angela decided to turn their attention to a longstanding passion project - their very own motion control robot, HAPPY SLIM. LBB’s April Summers speaks to the courageous couple about the secret to creating a HAPPY working environment, the most noteworthy accomplishments of the company to date, and how acquiring their very own robot has opened up a world of filmmaking possibilities.
LBB> Why ‘HAPPY’? Where did that name come from?
Angela> The name ‘HAPPY’ was carefully chosen to reflect who we are and how we like to work. It embodies our core values of positivity, creativity, and collaboration. We believe that happy team members create happy clients, and this ultimately leads to more successful projects.
Miles> In addition to happiness, another adjective that sums up our work style is "calm." We strive to maintain a stress-free environment as much as possible, as we believe creativity cannot thrive under duress. The filmmaking process is complex and comes with a myriad of variables that inevitably shift at some point. It's important to stay calm and level-headed to navigate these variables and come out on top. We believe that a calm, happy team will be more hyper-focused and driven, and we welcome the opportunity to prove it to you. Give us a job, and we'll show you what we can do!
LBB> One of the driving forces behind founding HAPPY was a desire to help creatives upskill. Having noticed that other production companies don’t always offer upskilling opportunities, how do you ensure HAPPY puts people first?
Miles> That's a good question and something that is at the top of the list for us. We believe it comes down to having the right company culture. At HAPPY, growth, mentoring and inclusivity are a big part of creating a company culture that puts people first. We believe that a workplace should not only be enjoyable, but also a place to grow.
We always encourage personal and professional growth. We recognise our team's ability to grow as an essential part of creating a thriving company. You need to invest time into your team in order for them to evolve. This year, we are taking our producers and directors to SXSW in a bid to learn and grow together. We throw our resources into our junior directors and producers’ short films, and more experienced team members’ feature film proposals.
Angela> We know we are doing it right when we repeatedly get comments from agencies and clients about how transparent the process is, but also how professional our crew are. We have a reputation for organised and happy shooting environments.
LBB> How do you cultivate creative focus at HAPPY? What is your approach to a brief?
Miles> We prioritise the creative above all else. Starting with a bold and imaginative idea, we work to find ways to make it achievable within the budget, keeping all creative possibilities on the table. Literally nothing is off the table until we find the best solution. We encourage our team members to take risks, challenge the status quo, and think outside the box. More often than not this approach leads to new and exciting ideas that would not have otherwise been considered. This is one of the most obvious ways in which we cultivate creative focus.
LBB> What HAPPY projects are you most proud of? And why?
Miles> It's difficult to choose just one project to highlight, as we are proud of so many of our achievements. In our first year of business, we completed a significant campaign for Isuzu Utes, delivering over 30 spots. We were thrilled to receive the news that main spots were sent to the head office in Japan and came back with zero changes.
We also had the unique opportunity to build and float a 9 1/2 metre long subway sandwich on Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. This was a particularly fun and memorable project. We’re always having to show people the BTS to prove it was executed on camera and not a CG job!
In addition to these large-scale campaigns, we have also worked on projects that required technical precision and creativity, such as cutting the roofs off cars and rigging a motion control crane to transition through the front and rear windscreens of four vehicles for a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services campaign.
Despite the many complex, large-scale projects we have taken on since we started, we are equally proud of the very first commercial we made under the HAPPY banner, for Deadly Choices, an incredible ambassador for indigenous health. We feel privileged to be a part of the message they are communicating - it's projects like these that really ground us as filmmakers. Our ongoing work with this client and their agency Red Suit are some of many returning highlights.
LBB> You’ve worked with a lot of automotive brands – how did you get started in that industry? What do you enjoy most about this work?
Angela> Right from the beginning actually. Miles' first car commercial was created while he was working as an assistant to his brother, Matt Murphy, on a big-budget Toyota commercial. The commercial marked Miles' first-ever TVC, and it led to him creating seven out of his first ten commercials in the car category. His focus shifted after winning a bronze Lion for a comedy spot featuring Olympus cameras and this win led to an influx of performance and comedy commercial opportunities. Since forming HAPPY, Miles has enjoyed reconnecting with his early expertise as a car director. His brother Matt - who is on our roster - is widely known as one of Australia's top commercial directors.
LBB> Tell us a bit more about HAPPY SLIM – where did the idea of a motion control robot come from?
Miles> SLIM is a filmmaker's dream robot sent from the future to make our life soooo much better. Well, maybe it’s not from the future, maybe we lease it from the clever people at D2 Motion, but it is 100% a game changer when it comes to creating next level cinematography.
In a nutshell, SLIM is a flexible and portable robotic motion control system. In layman's terms it’s a really cool toy that makes it easier to make intricate, hard-to-execute shots a reality. Not only can it greatly reduce rigging time for tricky camera angles during any shoot (which saves heaps of money in overtime), but it's repeatable move capabilities opens up a world of possibilities for creating cool visual effects shots, without blowing the budget on post production. Sorry post houses, we still need you for other stuff!
LBB> How has SLIM enhanced HAPPY’s capabilities?
Angela> What sets SLIM apart is the fact it is made by filmmakers for filmmakers, so it does all the things you wish other equipment could do. In addition to that, several members of the HAPPY team - Miles in particular - possess intricate knowledge and expertise of motion control systems. This allows them to maximise SLIM’s potential and get the best out of it during shoots. While motion control systems can be triggering for some due to their time-consuming and unreliable nature, SLIM is different. It is incredibly quick to set up and manoeuvre - fitting in the back of the car, meaning SLIM can travel wherever you do - making it the most reliable motion control system that the HAPPY team has ever come across.
It’s been a valuable addition to the team's equipment, allowing them to take their creative visions to the next level and achieve previously impossible shots with ease. Its flexibility, portability, and reliability makes it a game changer in the film industry. Our talented team ensures that they make the most out of its capabilities.
LBB> What excites you most about the future of HAPPY and the industry itself?
Angela> The past four years have brought significant changes to the creative industries, with the expansion and evolution of viewing platforms leading to new and exciting ways of consuming entertainment and advertising. The industry is in a constant state of evolution. However, this is exciting as it provides opportunities to play in the grey space and push the boundaries of what is possible.
We embrace any tech and software that saves us valuable time and allows us to spend more of this time being creative. AI is very useful for getting the ball rolling, but also to help spark creativity.
Miles> We are passionate about innovation, growth, and creative exploration. We value our industry relationships and enjoy creating new ones. We also are excited to build our team and expand our capabilities so we can stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving industry. We see a bright future for the industry and we are thrilled to be a part of it.
