From filming motocross stunts on the family station at Marree as a child, to videoing livestock ahead of stud sales, Andrew Morphett loves being behind the camera.
Andrew runs Pandy Films - named after his nickname, Pandy - and when COVID-19 locked down SA and left him out of work, his uncle David Woodard suggested he try filming livestock inspections for ram sales, after watching a cooking video he created for YouTube.
"I wouldn't trade my childhood with anyone else's, we had 89,000 hectares of a backyard so my three older brothers and I, we just rode motorbikes and we never spent much time inside," Andrew said.
"We didn't have a video camera as a kid - when I was 11 Mum got this camera that did a 30-second video, so my brothers and I would do 30-second videos of motorbike tricks and I'd edit them.
"The best moment of my childhood was whenever we saw Dad rock up to the school room, we knew he needed a hand so we'd get on the motorbikes.
"I started riding bikes when I was four and then started moving cattle and moving sheep shortly after.
"As soon as I finished school, I worked around the district in Marree, mustering on neighbouring farms, then Dad told me, 'There's a big world out there for you, I've got it handled here'."
Andrew travelled to and from WA in a fly-in, fly-out position as a driller for four years, and made videos of his international travel in his spare time, which was a big foundation for his hobby, Pandy Films.
"I saw more of the world than I have of Australia and that was good, but I wanted a change, so I moved back home and met my fiance", Andrew said.
His fiance, Tamsin Woods - a chemical engineer from Northern Ireland - then convinced him to head to the city and look for more filming work.
Tamsin supported Andrew through the year-long course at Media Arts Production Skills film school.
"Tamsin has continually stuck-by my side in every occupation I've had," Andrew said.
Andrew majored in editing at film school and minored in production, due to the high number of students who were majoring in camera studies.
"I always liked editing but I just wanted to get to know a bit more and so that's what I majored in," he said.
He then expanded into food photography and later food videography, with special guest appearances including his 93-year-old grandma Carman Woodard, Fullarton.
Andrew recreated childhood favourites like a fritz sandwich and also experimented with new recipes while working for an Adelaide audio visual company, which was forced to lay off casual staff due to COVID-19, leaving him without work.
With COVID-19 restrictions meaning on-property livestock inspections were no longer able to occur, his uncle David felt Andrew could help fill the gap.
He conducted his first on-property filming for free to test the waters, not knowing if his product had a market.
"Once I did that video, I sent it to a few livestock agents and I didn't really think that much of it, but then I got a call from Ian Michael from Nyowee, saying, 'Can I get you?', that's when it sort of went crazy and that's when Elders were scoping me out," Andrew said.
"I only went full time six months ago.
"Elders' stud stock has put me on a little campaign and it's just been fantastic, they would get me work or get people to call me and sometimes they'll do some filming and I'll do the editing.
"For bulls you have got to know how they stand to take a good picture, you've got to know the right angle to take, and get down to their level.
"Any one of my film mates would rock up and they wouldn't know the first thing to do and they wouldn't know which way the animals are to go, so it's definitely a huge advantage of me being from that environment to know what to do.
"It makes a massive difference just to be able to understand livestock and to know to keep a distance.
"I think the best thing is when farmers see me in the yards, just from watching me they understand that I know what I'm doing.
"I've got two things I love - being out on the land with livestock, and film work. I've found a niche, I honestly don't feel like I work.
"The thing I miss since living in the city is being on the station, so it's a dream come true."
ANDREW TAKES ON EGG-CELLENT JOB
ANDREW Morphett works closely with Mrs Clucks at Lower Inman Valley on the Fleurieu Peninsula, promoting their fresh farm-laid eggs in an influencer-type style.
He makes cooking videos using eggs produced on the property, which are then posted to Mrs Clucks' YouTube channel.
Mrs Clucks wanted Andrew to be the face of cooking videos promoting their eggs.
"I make videos of cooking with their eggs, of egg recipes, sometimes they'd be Mum and Dad's recipes, a passed on pavlova recipe and other times would be a freestyle omelette recipe," he said.
"We did try pumpkin ice cream - it was a bit funky, but that's what Mrs Clucks is, it's sort of like a funky, hipster chook."
Pandy Films has captured videos of various businesses who use Mrs Clucks eggs, which promotes both the brand and the businesses involved.
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