L Section will be made with a small footprint, employing a small crew. The small crew will enable us to film in multiple locations across the country. Although this requires a great deal of travel, the small size of the crew and a documentary aesthetic will allow for ensure an efficient production.
Kananaskis, Alberta (Afghanistan)
The story of L Section will be shot in Canada.
The opening sequence is set in the mountains of Afghanistan. Multiple Canadian locations fit the bill, such as Kananaskis, Alberta, in the Rocky Mountains.
Projected road trip Route
The road trip sequences of this movie will be shot at locations across the country. We will “blitz” the country, travelling light, filming scenes from one end of Canada to the other.
Bonavista, Newfoundland (Sarge’s House)
The first and last Canadian location to appear on screen is the eastern shore of Newfoundland, where the character of Sarge has her home.
Visually, her home should be:
- On a beach
- The beach should offer iceberg views
Locations that fit the bill include the area around Bonavista, Newfoundland. The icebergs drift down the coast in spring, from April until sometime in May. The visuals are quire spectacular.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG), Montréal, Quebec (Fran’s House)
NDG has a very distinct character that many Canadians will recognize. As one of the top filming locations in North America, Montréal has a massive infrastructure and available resources.
Toronto, Ontario (Dud’s Hangout)
Toronto has a great many warehouses and former industrial locations that would be ideal locations for the night club scenes; there is also a massive stock of studio space. Best of all, there is an extraordinarily diverse pool of actors, dancers and musicians to serve as club denizens.
Alternatively, it’s possible to film parts of the night club in Northern Ontario, to maximize tax benefits. However the interior will need to be shot in Toronto, as it requires a number of South Asian (preferably Afghan) dancers.
There is also a brief scene that takes place along Highway 401 in the Toronto area.
Small Town Saskatchewan (Bear’s House)
Saskatchewan has generous tax benefits for film crews (in fact the fund was recently boosted), and a very long list of potential locations. The script requires:
- A farmhouse (interior and exterior) to serve as Bear’s home
- A deserted road surrounded by fields for a conversation at dusk (or at least a second unit location to film a sunset that can be composited with the cast)
- Alternatively, this sequence could be filmed in rural Ontario within driving distance of Toronto (or in the northern region)
Whitehorse, Yukon (Freddy’s home)
Yukon Territory offers extremely generous tax benefits to film crews, as well as a spectacular setting for L Section’s conclusion.
The script specifies a First Nations reserve as Freddy’s home. There are multiple reserves located a short drive from Whitehorse, but an absolutely essential aspect of this production would be ensuring full and equitable collaboration with the local community, not only in terms of permits and respectful land use, but support for the content of the film. When filming on Indigenous land, any other approach is inconceivable.
Travelling/Inserts
For editing, there will need to be exterior footage of the camper van on highways and parked at locations such as road stops and big box stores. These scenes and shots could be added to the shooting days at all locations, to suggest the characters are covering vast distances. At the same time, there is no need to complicate matters; if it proves simpler to shoot these scenes within range of a specific “base,” that will be the approach to take.
The Bear Truth 