Bio

A native of Alberta and infused from birth with a deep and life long connection to the mountains of Western Canada, Roger Vernon solidified his love for life behind the camera at the age of 13 when his parents gave him a film processing kit for his birthday.  Watching black and white images emerge off the paper in the dark room fuelled his imagination.  He went on to combine his love for the mountains and his desire to make images into a flourishing career as an internationally respected cinematographer.  

Although his early passion was rooted in the documentary world, Roger has made  significant contributions to numerous feature length dramas, notably Unforgiven, the western that was nominated for best cinematography and won four Academy awards including Best Picture. Other productions which include his work are: Legends of The Fall, Godzilla, The Twilight Saga,  Deadpool and War for the Planet of The Apes, to name but a few. Recently he both photographed and directed  the second unit of The Last of Us. 

For over 50 years, Roger has applied his skills throughout the genres in motion picture photography. Fictional films, documentaries, educational films and TV commercials, are all part of his visual language.  Among his areas of expertise he is internationally recognized for his mountain and adventure related subjects, which have taken him into the most remote corners of the globe.  

Through the years he has garnered numerous nominations for direction in addition to his photography. He is the recipient of a Gemini Award for Cinematography and ten awards from the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association. Additionally, he has been awarded the Golden Sheaf for cinematography from the Yorkton Film Festival, The Kodak Spectrum Award, recognition for “Best Cameraman’s Work” from the Moscow Festival of Mountaineering and Adventure Films and a Certificate of Merit from the British Guild of Television Cameramen.

In addition to his achievements as a cinematographer, Roger has earned admiration from his peers for his dedication to mentoring the next generation of filmmakers.  For 20 years he was a contributing mentor to the Women in the Director’s Chair, a workshop until recently held annually at The Banff Centre.

A significant milestone in his career was the recognition afforded him by the Summit of Excellence Award, presented to him by The Banff Festival of Mountain Films in recognition of a “significant contribution to mountain life in the Canadian Rockies”.   Further to that recognition, in 2022, in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Seventieth Anniversary he was presented with the Platinum Jubilee Medal of Honour in recognition of his contribution to the province of Alberta.

Roger has had the good fortune to experience the world and some of its peoples through his lens.  While he has traveled to many remote corners of the earth including Tibet, Mongolia, Kashmir, Bhutan, the Karakoram to name a few, he says that nowhere inspires him quite like the Canadian Rockies, which is why he continues to return to his mountain home in the Bow Valley.

Copyright © 2012, Roger Vernon - Mistaya Film Services Limited. All rights reserved. | Administrator