November / 2003

Matt Phillips Chooses Canon XL1S with P+S Technik Mini 35 Adapter for Capturing the Gritty Reality of Moccasin Flats
“‘The Flats’ teaches some hard lessons, and those who live there learn them fast and often at too young an age”

DOP Matt Phillips operates the camera on the set of Moccasin Flats with focus puller Donovan Fraser.

Toronto-based DOP Matthew R. Phillips, winner of three CSC Awards for industrial cinematography, shot a series called Moccasin Flats in Regina this past summer. The six-episode series, from Toronto’s Big Soul Productions, was directed by Stacey Stewart Curtis dgc (North of 60, Mutant X, Blue Murder), and was Phillips’ first assignment as director of photography on an episodic project. The story involves a group of aboriginal youths who live in a section of Regina called North Central. Long before the city sprang up, the natives referred to the area as Moccasin Flats. The series graphically depicts the realities of a native ghetto and its effect on its youth. Phillips was hired a year earlier by producers Jennifer Podemski and Laura Milliken to shoot a 24-minute film in Regina, directed by Randy Redroad, which was subsequently screened at the 2003 Sundance Festival. The film has gone on to other festivals, including the 2003 Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival and the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Here is Matt’s story on the shooting of Moccasin Flats.

By Matthew R. Phillips
CSC Associate

As many as 10,000 years ago, the aboriginal people of the Saskatchewan plains referred to a section of Mother Earth, within the boundaries of what is now the city of Regina, as Moccasin Flats. Today, the largely native population of Regina’s North Central still know the area by that traditional native name, a place where the harsh realities of life for its youth are the basis for a new and profound television series — Moccasin Flats.

On a sunny day, driving along Dewdney Ave., then up Garnet St., you are struck by the symmetrical splendour of magnificent trees that line the boulevards throughout “The Flats.” It’s not until you look a little closer that you begin to see the scars — on the once postcard-like, little post-war homes, and on the faces of the area’s people and its children. An even closer look reveals teenage prostitution, drug abuse, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, rape, beatings, turf wars and murder.

TAKING a break in sun-soaked Regina are (from left) DOP Matt Phillips, director Stacey Stewart Curtis dgc, and Phillips' wife, Donna Lee Henry, who not only made the trip with her husband but also performed as an extra.

The story is one of despair, but there are those who work towards a brighter future. They look to their inner spirit, their elders and, in some more fortunate cases, to their friends and families to guide them. The Flats teaches some hard lessons, and those who live there learn them fast and often at too young an age.

Stacey Stewart Curtis dgc, who directed all six half-hour episodes of the series, told me in our initial discussions how she felt the series should look. “It should remain true to The Flats. It should have that documentary feel of immediacy, but at the same time strive to maintain a high cinematic style.”

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Showcase, and SCN were the broadcasters of note who provided funding for the series, but the budget was nevertheless extremely modest. I knew I could bring a strong visual sensibility to the production; all it would take was a passionate crew, just the right complement of gear, and a format that would give us the creative freedom we needed and still stay within our budget limitations. The decision was made to shoot on mini-DV. The format has really come into its own lately; we are seeing it used more and more in the theatrical release world, not just as a tool to add texture to a story, but as the principal acquisition format.

CAMERA CREW: (from left) dolly grip Daniel Shingoose, operator James Kinistino, DOP Matt Phillips (with sunglasses), RepREZentin' camera trainee Jon Li Gopher (with slate), focus puller Donovan Fraser, and RepREZentin' video assist trainee Shane Key.

I have had several opportunities to explore the boundaries of mini-DV in the short film world and, through that, I had come up with an alternative to shooting Super 16mm film or HD digital video. In conjunction with the Canon XL1S mini-DV camcorder, I used the P+S Technik Mini 35 adapter (see CSC News, February/2002), which allows PL mount lenses to be used in place of the proprietary lenses for the camera. The Mini 35 translates the field of view and depth of field characteristics of 35mm lenses directly to the mini-DV camera. Of course, image sharpness is greater, too, as the proprietary XL lenses are no match to any of the currently available motion picture lenses.

‘The XL1S offers . . . a kind
of poor man’s paint box’


Although my previous experiences with the Mini 35 were successful, the rigorous 25-day shoot schedule of Moccasin Flats had virtually no margin for error. To my knowledge this was the first dramatic television series to be shot with the Mini 35, and the rig was put to the test.

Stacey and I were constantly coming up with locations, blocking and coverage that would ultimately put the camera gear through some tough situations, such as extreme heat and humidity. The prairie summer of 2003 was a scorcher, with humidex readings in the mid-40s, while in some of our tiny interiors the temperature soared to 50 degrees. The Mini 35, provided by Douglas Macaulay of Kingsway Motion Picture in Toronto, took the gruelling workout flawlessly. Clairmont Camera supplied the balance of the camera package.

My shooting approach was true to single-camera, film-style production. I lit as I would for film, occasionally paying extra attention to a scene’s overall contrast, to stay within the exposure latitude tolerances of the format. In extreme situations, I may have chosen to bring the highlights and the shadows a little closer together; however, in keeping with the gritty feel of the show I would often allow the highlights to blow out in order to read deeper into the shadow. I also played with the grain structure inherent to the XL; where I wanted an even grittier look I would increase the camera’s video gain setting. In certain situations this technique would not only add to the artistic intent of the story, but it would also allow me to light the various tiny interior night locations with very low-watt fixtures, in some cases as low as 60W incandescent practicals.

CAMERA trainee Jon Li Gopher marks a scene for the series Moccasin Flats.

In order to stay true to the story, I chose a lighting scheme that maintained a strong sense of realism. All of my interior day scenes were source lit, my exterior night scenes were all lit with a tungsten ambiance. Generally I tried to keep my lighting as invisible as possible; my preference here was not to make the scenes look lit. It was important to me to be able to bring the audience into the real world of Moccasin Flats. At night it’s an eerily dark place, so my goal was to translate that cinematically. In my lighting arsenal I had a 12k, two 6k, two 1200 Par HMIs, two 10k and 5k tungsten, and an assortment of smaller tungsten and Kino Flo fixtures.

The XL1S offers a user interface, which allows for the manipulation of the camera’s factory default parameters. It’s a kind of poor man’s paint box. Colour saturation and black levels can be dialled in to best suit a given scene and the desired exposure characteristics. As always, camera tests are essential.

In Moccasin Flats, the resident pimp, Jonathon, played by Landon Montour, is seen in his lair, a grungy, decrepit, unkempt place. We see him repeatedly beat, have sex with, and do drugs with his private collection of teenage prostitutes. It’s this kind of atmosphere that is the reality the series depicts. In scenes like these I chose to utilize the texture that increasing the camera’s video gain would provide, aided of course by the fantastic production design of Gary Varo and his crew, by key grip Steve Portigal and gaffer Che Erasmus, who is always willing to try something new. Camera operator James Kinistino, focus puller Donovan Fraser, trainee Jon Li Gopher and video assist Sean Key all worked tirelessly to help me sustain the image strength the show demanded.

RepREZentin, a youth empowerment program created by producers Jennifer Podemski and Laura Milliken, was the foundation for Moccasin Flats. RepREZentin gives young native people the opportunity to experience the world of film and television production, as well as gaining valuable life and work experience skills. Crew members work as mentors to the native participants, each trainee being assigned to a specific department where they learn the respective skills.

(Matt Phillips, a CSC Associate member, has shot a wide range of projects since the start of his professional career as a news cameraman in 1983. Following his ENG work, he moved into entertainment news, travelling the world and developing a greater understanding of and appreciation for cinematography. He has worked in all formats of video and film, and his credits include episodic television, broadcast television, current affairs, documentary, industrial, music video, commercial and dramatic shorts.)

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