Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

My time here is coming to an end, so I wanted to share two projects that have meant a great deal to me this year that are both in post-production.

In March, I spent two weeks in Kenya filming with the Samburu, an ancient tribe who live on and with the land. They are nomadic pastoralists who move with the weather, guided by long-standing rituals that shape their instincts and their collective rhythm. I was there to document everyday moments, ceremonies, and the stories shared by elders. We were there as part of an ongoing project to safeguard Indigenous knowledge.

We camped deep in the bush: bathing with a bucket of fire-warmed water, charging batteries and offloading footage twice a day in the short window when the generator came to life.

In August, I had the incredible opportunity to travel north to Pond Inlet, Nunavut, for another project with a similar purpose. Working with Tanya Tagaq @tanyatagaq and Chelsea McMullan @chelsea.mcmullan, we shot on 16mm as Tanya and her family returned to a remote island (Aulitivik) they had been relocated from in the 1950s. Again, we found ourselves camping on sacred ground, capturing memories, performances, and the quiet continuity of daily tradition.

Both the Samburu and the Inuit share an innate stillness and grounded presence that comes from knowing the land and working with it not against it.

It’s funny that these two projects unfolded in the same year. After moving to Canada, I hadn’t shot much documentary work, so I started reconnecting with people in the field and sharing my interest again. I truly believe that when you focus on what you want, that energy finds its way and eventually comes back to you. This year has been a highlight of my career due to these two extraordinary experiences.

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Lifeline by @neighbourhoodwatchtoronto

A very moving experience to have the opportunity to get to know and capture a number of members of the St Jacobs and Elmira Mennonite community. The process of making the music video was reflected in the way they live. An emphasis on community, a slower rhythm of life and a simplicity in their lifestyle and everyday experience.

Charlie came to me with an enthusiasm and a curiosity to explore the meaning of this song through observing the everyday life and rituals of a Mennonite community. I was onboard immediately. What drove Charlie, Julian, Katie, and me was the opportunity to learn about a way of life that felt distant from our hyper connected way of life. I was excited to be part of a team genuinely committed to understanding, and to finding a visual language that was both respectful and thoughtful.

Thank you to the talented and wonderfully minded @charliehghill for directing and dedicating so much love and energy. And producers @running_in_stilettos_ and @juliuswieler for your effortless curiosity and generosity to make this happen in such a small amount of time.

Edited by @lukaswengorz
Colour grade @abewynen @redlabto
Titles @bec.kid

Special thanks to @grande_camera @opcproduction

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Faces @stephaniecherote

I love collaborating with artists whose primary medium isn’t film. They always bring a unique perspective, something a filmmaker might not think of, or a feeling that shifts the work in an unexpected way. Lilli Waters @lilliwaters , a prolific Melbourne-based photographer, is known for her surrealist explorations of the female body set against intense landscapes or bodies of water. From the start, we knew we had a beautiful location and a loose lighting plan, but much of the shoot was spontaneous. We’d spot an interesting patch of light or a striking angle and place Steph within it. It felt very much like working the way a photographer does, a reminder of how free and creative music videos can be. You don’t always need a storyline. Sometimes all you need is a strong feeling or a compelling visual.

Shooting in black and white is always an interesting challenge. It’s taught me a lot about shaping light when everything is reduced to tone and contrast. Colour can easily distract from the pure form of light, so working in black and white becomes a kind of discipline and a reminder of the important relationship between light and shadow. I’m usually very influenced by colour, so shooting with black and white challenges me to think more deeply about composition and texture, and to be more intentional with colour when it’s present.

Director @lilliwatersphoto
DOP @filmbyalice
First AC @bree_tanay
Set Design @acrispada
Set Design’s Assist @mularchick
Gaffer @jaydandeoliveira
Editor @louibooo
Colourist @abewynen

C500 Mark ii, Leica R’s

#canonc500mkii #leica

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Hows Archie - short film

This delightul short believe it or not has a dog in every scene, was shot on 16mm and my second time in less than 2 months working with Jessie Posthumus @jessiekposthumus. Jessie and I had met for coffee and slowly got to know each other. The very organic meetings lead to creative conversations about life and art. I believe the best films often emerge from genuine friendships and a genuine curiosity about the other collaborators’ ideas and opinions. The goal is never to win the project, but to see if our sensibility, values and most importantly sense of humour are in some form of alignment.

I adore working with film for many reasons. I am a very hands on person, the very tangibility of film allows for that part of me to rely on a checklist that in no particular order finds me focused in and in flow with all aspects of the filmmaking process. The extra physical and mental processes needed are what makes for a kind of riutalistic feeling that permeates on set.

We all knew that working with a dog and shooting on film wasn’t exactly a recipe for success, but thankfully, everything came together. We were clear on our coverage, familiar with the locations, and supported by a highly experienced team.

Starring Grace Glowicki and @nahemaricci with @webberlane

Introducing Ruby Ridge as Archie ❤️

Written, Directed, Edited by @jessiekposthumus
Produced by @nancypettinicchio and @becahecka
Director of Photography @filmbyalice
Production Designer @chevalier__ and @nicolecipriani
Score @peter.czibolya
Sound recordist @ayeaye.lye
Costumes by @ana.popova @shop.oddthing
Make up @hallydoesmakeup
Steadicam @taliawo
Set Dressers @jameskwc Janine Joseph @ooopze
Colourist @abewynen
1st AC the.luis.plana
2nd AC @susannahaight
Key Grip @mattylabs
Best Electric @squirrelpainter
Best Grip @macfiumana
PAs @vanwickiam Rafael Besa, Liban Abdi
Intimacy Cordinator @krystleferdinand
Catering @rob.mcleod
BTS @evanseyes

Shot on the Arri 416 @kodak 16mm film processed by @frame_discreet

Film stock 250D and 500T

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

112 Days - short documentary

This piece was made with very little, but the one thing I did have was time and patience. With those ingredients I was able to push past my own hesitation and judgement and simply create.

I made this piece with my sister, Charlotte as a passion project during the intense lockdowns in Melbourne in 2021. I was inspired by a piece of music that really drove the piece - Nat Bartsch’s @natbartsch ‘The End of the Decade’. It has a hopeful feeling to it, but it’s not without a heavyness that tracks in and out throughout the piece. Written during Australia’s ‘black summer’ in 2019/2020. Some of the most catastrophic bushfires the country has ever witnessed.

I wanted to challenge myself by directing something personal. The voiceovers I received became a kind of guiding thread, each one carrying a feeling or tone that I sought to translate visually. My goal was to create imagery that resonated with the emotion behind each story.
The hardest part was capturing moments that felt genuine rather than staged. Since all of the people featured are family members and close friends, I chose to film them from a distance, through glass, in reflection, or as silhouettes to preserve an honest, unguarded sense of intimacy.

Looking back now at that time, I am really proud that I made something that to me feels like a time capsule from a time. A very scary and uncertain period that reminded us of what was important in life. I was also reminded that creating art is essential for my sense of fulfillment and sanity, and film happens to be the medium I am drawn to.

I shot this piece on my Canon C500 mark ii, Leica R’s with a stocking fitted over the lens to soften the image. The stocking just softened everything in a way that made it feel more textural and filmic.

Cinematography and Edit @filmbyalice
Colour grade @abewynen
Sound Design and mix @andrewcollierichards

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Will Fail is one of those films that comes along very seldom. Extremely personal, with a rich tapestry of anecdotes and dialogue that feels so real you sense it’s been overheard or written word for word from a real conversation. These are the scripts I fall in love with immediately.

It allows me to bring my own experiences and attempt to bring all of myself to the world we are trying to build, with sensitivity and grace for the characters to be present. Bec Pecaut @reverend_mosby (writer and director) and I spent many days in the space talking, walking through locations, and feeling out what felt right and what didn’t. This kind of practice, spending time in the location with the director, leaning heavily on instinct is so important.

I wanted to use as much natural light as possible, shooting with less coverage and long takes in the ideal light. The actors had rehearsals the day before in every space, so their bodies were starting to feel comfortable into the environments. It was a luxury to shoot with less coverage because it made for a more authentic and real experience for the actors and made for a more intentional way of working.

I didn’t want huge and complicated setups that might compromise the actors’ movements. Cinematography is one aspect of the filmmaking process, and it’s my goal to match the energy, look, and style of the rest of the film. That extends to what camera and lenses we use, the lighting package, and the crew.

We shot on the Alexa 35 with Canon K35s thanks to @grande_camera 💕

#arri #alexa35 #canonk35

Writer/Director - Bec Pecaut @reverend_mosby
Producer - Emily Harris @emeiliahairhart
Cinematographer - Alice Stephens @filmbyalice
Editor - Brendan Mills @brendankmills
Production Designer - Abigail Chevalier @abbychevalier
Gaffer - Sabrina Spilotro @sabrina.spilotro
Key Grip - Kat Zoom @katzoum
Sound Recordist - Ian Reynolds @ianreynolds.ca
Colourist - Abe Wynen @abewynen
Original Composition - Gus Callahan @gos_gos_gos

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Make a Baby - Music Video

Emily Dynes @emdynes the director of this warm and loving piece is one of my dearest collaborators. She persists and completely leads a team with process at the forefront while staying grounded and calm. These projects come together with the fuel of a creative idea that powers through the whole crew. Shooting on 16mm was perhaps the extra magic that fueled the love and focus that kept the energy firing.

Finding a messy and classic share house is kind of a rite of passage that every music video ever made in Melbourne must go through. Our wonderful PD @shannon_biv transformed it into a beautiful and charming space, which allowed us to be able to create vignettes that attempt to explore the chapters of relationships and the importance of each one. It’s all in the lyrics, and maybe the reason I love the sentimentality that a music video can zero in on.

The years of making music videos are what set the foundations for creative play, for experimentation and for trying out new things. It was an absolute privilege to learn these skills in my dear home city, Melbourne. Melbourne has a rich indie music scene so it lends well for young filmmakers to collaborate and find their identity.

All of these different formats of film offer something different and it’s something I am very aware of never wanting to lose. I love the variety that comes with this position and the not knowing what might pop up next week, next month, or next year. It’s a part of this role that requires adaptability and a sense of adventure.

director: @emdynes
producer: @__logandavies
dop: @filmbyalice
1st ac: robert hilier
2nd ac: @austincharlesgilbert
steadicam op: @antony_zhao_steadicam
gaffer: @to_be_perfectly.frank
prod des: @shannon_biv
art assist: charlesli_8472 @sashavulling & ryan kennedy
editor: @louibooo
colourist: @abewynen @wearecrayon
cast: @yianapandelis @elishajademoore @1parminder1 @tessmetcalf @lazzbum @aaronrobilliard @rowan_marc @walden.maker @floracarbo gina mcwilliam, suzie macfarlane, alex cameron, helena gallacher
and special thanks to: @_annabelclayton @highwaycasting @cameraquip @kodak_shootfilm

#AliceStephens #AssociateMemberCSC @filmbyalice

Occupation - short film

I`ve always been drawn to stories that grapple with the difficult, often unspoken truths, scripts that dare to articulate what many find hard to express. This film delves into the quiet, cyclical nature of domestic violence within an intimate relationship, one that paradoxically feels both familiar and imprisoning. At its heart is a woman who runs a men’s anger management group in a local hall, a hall she also calls home, and one she cannot leave. Each day, she faces the same men, listens to the same grievances, and remains trapped in a loop of care, control, and quiet desperation.

The film opens with a slow, circular tracking shot of our protagonist engaged in a breathing exercise. This same shot closes the film, reinforcing the painful truth that cycles don’t break simply by enduring them. Without change, they repeat. From time to time we have the luxury to use the tool of a oner. To execute, it takes a team effort of focus, preparation and craft. We used a movi hung off a dolly so that we could adjust head room for each person and keep a floaty feel throughout. We used simple math to calculate how far each person needed to be from each other and the camera. The rest of the cast and crew were all sitting behind the red curtains behind the set holding our breath.

Robin Summons our director and leader is a keen and cherished fimmaker with a unique perspective. I loved working with someone who listens so deeply and respects the detail required on every level of filmmaking. He’s well on his way to making his debut feature about a female truck driver. Looking forward to seeing what he continues to create.

Alexa Amira and Panvision Ultra Speeds

Writer, Director - Robin Summons @robinsummons_
Producer - @alexgillespie23
Editor - Damien Magee
Cinematographer - @filmbyalice
Composer - @chiarakickdrum
Production Designer - @leah_popple
1st Assistant Camera - harrisonbyrne & @cs_cine
2nd AC - Monique Bettello
Gaffers - @sunday_lights_ & @two_suns_lighting
Additional Gaffer - @steadipalms
Key Grip - @gforcefilmservices
Colour Grade - @abewynen