Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Murphy
Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My primary education background is in science and medicine. I graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a focus in Biochemistry. I went on to earn my Doctor of Medicine degree from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. My career in medicine brought me to Memphis where I am currently completing my residency training in pediatric medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Outside of my primary career path, I am also a freelance videographer and have been working on projects in the film industry for almost a decade. I have always had a passion for the arts, but I got my start in filmmaking by founding my high school’s first video newscast. I found the process of following a vision through to create videos from the ground up to be a fun creative outlet and a welcome change of pace from the majority of my academic coursework. During my undergraduate education at UAB, I had the opportunity to pursue a minor in film with focuses in documentary and presenter-led educational films. This opened several doors for me, including contract work with the UAB Department of Chemistry and the UAB Human Resources Department. I further applied my skills in video production to pioneer my own narrative filmmaking projects, including the completion of my first feature length film, SCP D-Classified, during medical school. At this point in time, I am no longer accepting contract work, but I am continuing to develop several passion projects of my own under my brand, Scruffy Chandelier Productions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say the road has been smooth, but in the grand scheme of things, I have lived a fortunate life with good sources of support. I have a loving family, the best friends I could ask for, and my incredible fiancée, Amanda, who is always supportive and my greatest source of comfort. Though I have been set up with the tools for success, some level of struggle is inevitable. When I think of my biggest struggles in filmmaking, they almost always boil down to limited time and resources. By far the most challenging project I have taken on was completing my first feature-length narrative film, SCP D-Classified. As the film was a passion project of mine, the budget for the production was low and initially internally funded by myself and my co-producer/lead actor, Faaiz Saad. We had to get creative with how to approach our set design, costuming, and prop production to keep costs manageable. This included a great deal of education in other art forms, including carpentry and painting, as well as creative ways to acquire supplies we needed; I remember we responded to a good number of free listings on Craigslist for scrap wood, Styrofoam, and anything else we could use to build the world I envisioned for the film. I was also in medical school at the time, which is time demanding on its own, so scheduling time to write the script, construct the props, film the scenes, and edit the final film was particularly challenging on an already tight timeline. While my years working on the film were some of the most exhausting years of my life, the production process was also the most creatively challenging and exciting videography I’ve worked on to date. I’ve found the more significant struggles often necessitate finding the most creative solutions, which in turn results in better art and a more enriching learning experience for the artist.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been a filmmaker for about a decade, specializing in documentary and presenter-led nonfiction work, but I have worked on a number of narrative projects as well. It’s hard to narrow down a project I’m most proud of. If I had to pick just one, I would have to say my film SCP D-Classified, but I have a number of active projects that I’m very proud of as well that I’ll list below. All of these projects are available online for free for anyone interested in checking them out!
Ryan and Amanda Try Snacks (or RATS) is a short-form snack food review web show that I make with my fiancée. Each episode is about a minute long, and usually focuses on a limited-time snack food or drink. We share some brief history and context behind the promotional snack and what makes it unique, and then try it together to give our ranking on a scale of one to ten. Check out our videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts!
RATS: https://solo.to/r_a_t_s
In the Queue for Two podcast, my cohost, Matthew Strachan, and I discuss some of our favorite theme park rides and attractions across a variety of different theme parks. Each episode is focused on discussions about the history, theming, hidden secrets, and our personal tips and musings about a specific theme park attraction. Our first two seasons focus on the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Six Flags Over Georgia. We will be releasing a new season this Fall about Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re a fan of theme parks, this is the podcast for you!
Queue for Two: https://solo.to/queue_for_two
In the Creator Consult podcast, I set out to interview and feature a variety of artists. From other filmmakers to authors, actors, photographers, musicians and more, each interview on the Creator Consult focuses on the creative process and motivations of our guests. We also review pertinent teaching points of the trade that our guests have to offer for any aspiring talent tuning into the podcast.
The Creator Consult: https://solo.to/the_creator_consult
SCP D-Classified is my first (and currently only) feature-length film. SCP D-Classified is the story of Omar Minhaj, a death row inmate imprisoned by a top-secret organization known as the SCP Foundation (Secure, Contain, and Protect). The Foundation is responsible for capturing, containing, and studying supernatural objects and creatures for the protection of the entire human race. Omar serves as a human test subject utilized to study dangerous entities of interest. While Omar is unable to remember much about his life prior to his imprisonment, he believes that one mysterious figure from his past may be the key to uncovering the nefarious plot lurking behind his incarceration. Will he be able to reconcile his past, or will he succumb to the hazards posed by the abominations contained in the Foundation? Tune in to find out! The complete movie is available to stream for free on YouTube.
SCP D-Classified: https://youtu.be/qa0MAqi5dAY?si=fLAXXtt8TsBe54zZ
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Hands down the answer is a strong work ethic. Having the drive and determination to see a creative vision through to completion is in my opinion the difference between being a dreamer and being an artist. Having a talent for your medium of choice and/or developing the technical skills in your artistic craft are of course crucial as well, but if you don’t have the motivation to put the work in to see a project through to the end, then it will never be anything more than a dream. Without seeing projects through, you’ll never get the experience of creating new videos, and if you never have that experience then you’ll never hone your skills to make better art.
In one of my favorite Casey Neistat videos titled “Losers and Closers,” he applies the Pareto principle to filmmaking, explaining how the first 80% of making a movie is only 20% of the work, and the last 20% of the movie, often the editing stage, is 80% of the work. That last 80% of the work can often feel overwhelming and is the biggest barrier to the completion of films. Casey goes on to define a closer as “someone who starts something and always finishes it,” and I think there’s a lot to be said for pushing yourself to always be a closer. It’s easy for me to have a vision for a project that excites me creatively, but it’s nothing more than a dream until the hard work is put in to shape a thought into a tangible, sharable work of art. I certainly don’t have the time and resources to see every idea that I have through to a completed film, but for the ones I feel are worth my time to pursue, I always strive to see them through to the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thescruffyc.wixsite.com/scproductions
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_scruffy_c/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_scruffy_c
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVa_bcZT3aks2gee2LGxjpQ
