Photos by Jonathan Ely Cass

The intent of The Iceberg project is to try to capture the inspirations and motivations of lots of different people, focusing on stories and storytelling, something that’s always in danger of getting lost and in need of some defending. The idea is to listen intently and apprehend someone’s words and hear it again and again in your head until it’s ingrained within you.

And there is no one more perfect to begin this project with than Mitch Fillion. He’s a filmmaker, although he is modest about the title. He runs Southern Souls, a music site on which he collects intimate performances of musicians in unique settings.

Fillion and his camera tell stories. Even if he chooses the most accessible film technique, he still dedicates plenty of effort and most of his mornings, afternoons and evenings in hopes that, in some way, what he captures will hold our attention like when we’d sit on our grandparents’ lap to hear a tale.

Fillion captures his subject without special effects. Instead, we watch a story unfold naturally: details and the spontaneity of the moment, the bare acoustics of the performers. Fillion’s childlike, curious, and adventurous approach takes us deep into the depths of the internal, to most hidden truths.

What led you to do this project? And can you explain why you decided with the name “Southern Souls” and how it ties into your music project?

I’ve always been interested in the relationship between music and film, mainly because they’re my two greatest passions, so finding a unique way to combine the two was exciting. “Southern Souls” got its name from the initial idea that I’d be mainly capturing independent artists from Southern Ontario, but I also liked the idea that Southern could also mean downward, saddened souls. The project eventually expanded far behind Southern Ontario artists but the name had stuck by that time.

The whole film technique of Dogme 95 has become so popular in the music industry because of filmmakers like Vincent Moon and his Take-Away shows. How did this technique shape you as a filmmaker and who are your influences?

I’m a big fan of Dogme 95 style filmmaking since it’s set of rules create more of an emphasis on story, truth, and authenticity as opposed to cinematic artifice. I never like when there is too much planning involved before a shoot, I never want to know too much. I like being more of a documentarian than a director. The Take-Away shows inspired the concept but my biggest influences as a filmmaker (even though I don’t like calling myself that) would have to be directors like Lars von Trier, Terry Gilliam, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Todd Haynes, Gasper Noé, Terrence Malick, Stanley Kubrick, Andrea Arnold, Michael Haneke, Ingmar Bergman, Gus Van Sant… is that too many? I watch a lot of movies.

When you look through the lens, how would you describe the moment when you film musicians playing at their most natural and spontaneous form?

Better than drugs. I quit drinking and smoking three years ago, losing most of my close friends since it’s all they do for fun. This project has been what keeps me going on a spiritual level, keeps me out of the darker places of my mind knowing that I’m doing something worthwhile.

Settings and minute details – a passerby, a tapping shoe, an otter swimming in the background – seem just as important as the performances themselves. In what way do these details help tell the story in your films?

I think it helps to set the mood of the scene, every nuance helps set each video apart and adds meaning to the performance.

Why do you think it’s important to capture musicians in this light?

I think it gives a better sense of their character and it challenges them to basically adapt their songs to how they might play them just sitting around a campfire or something and I think people enjoy seeing bands play in such an intimate way.

How do you feel being able to hangout and film your favourite artists/bands?

It’s really the main reason I’ve done it all along. I don’t take myself too seriously as a filmmaker, which I think the artists appreciate. To me it’s more about the unique experience I’m sharing with them, creating a sort of work of art together only minutes after we’ve been introduced. I cherish all these moments with the eyes, heart and wonder of a child.

One of the reasons why I appreciate what you and others like yourself do is that these videos create a whole new layer to the songs, and at the same time, creates a level of intimacy between audience and the musicians. What do you love most about this project?

It really amazes me hearing some of the variations of the songs that they prepare to play for me. Some are almost unrecognizable from the album versions until you hear the lyrics. I feel honoured to be able to be the one capturing these moments and rare versions of the songs.

What is the best advice you received and which you always keep in mind when you shoot and from whom?

While shooting with La Blogothèque in Montreal last May, Chryde explained to me what he called the “Blogothèque surprise effect”, which basically meant that you should only reveal certain elements of the scene when the time is right to do so. If you have a choir of kids joining the band at the chorus, don’t show them sitting and watching beforehand. Zoom out or pan over just at the moment that they begin to sing. It also applies to other band members who may not be playing until a bit later in the song. It’s something that just really stuck with me and I always have it in mind even if I don’t choose to apply it every time.

- Mitch Fillion, Southern Souls
All photos by Jonathan Ely Cass

Read A Song & A Memory: Mitch Fillion