Locating Moose
A variety of locations and sets were used to represent Moose and the other locations in the series. Though Moose is set in Northern Quebec, due to zoning and permit considerations, locations needed to be close to Montreal. "One of the main locations is Gerry's Place," says Catherine of the fictitious restaurant/tourist shop that is the social hub of Moose and where much of the action takes place. "That main location is in Kahnawake, the Mohawk community that's twenty minutes outside of Montreal, within the zone." However, Kahnawake proved too developed to provide the exterior locations for a remote Northern Quebec town like Moose.
"We had a great location manager who went all over the zone area to find a place that would look like a small town," says Fon. Bainbridge adds, "We wanted a more remote feeling for the community," explains Bainsbridge, "Cap St-Jacques looked more remote, the one little street we found, and the forest was right beside it." The wilderness, and the forest, is important to the story of Moose and her citizens but unfortunately it was impossible to find a location around Montreal that actually had the kind of forests common in Northern Quebec.
"We have a northern Cree community set in a deciduous forest, which is completely absurd," says Southam. "But it feels okay for our characters, it feels okay for them to be walking around in this environment so that's what we're doing. In fact it makes it more bucolic at some level, more of a fable. But these are real houses, real streets, nothing fake, nothing made up. It's strange, the physical environment is really real, but the characters themselves are quite, kind of, out there."
"We're doing a comedy, and certain compromises have to be made," explains Webb of the practical considerations. "As long as the tepee that's there comes from back home, as long as that's right and people can recognise it, then I feel good." This respect for traditions carried through into Webb's attention to the spirit of the production on set, including one scene where a character (the elder Leonard George) plays the drum. "When we were out in the woods to do that scene I said a little prayer to let the spirits know that we're here to play the drum, we're doing a little bit of filming, so be patient with us," says Webb laughing. "Everything worked, everything came together at the right time, in the right way. Even the weather was co-operating with us."
Expanding Opportunities
A sense of continuity, of one's place in a larger order, was important in more ways than one. "I think it's a stepping stone," says Webb of the series' place in television history. "We ourselves are standing on the shoulders of giants, and hopefully people will be able to stand on our shoulders too."
And Southam finally got an answer to a question about people and place that had haunted him while filming many previous projects. He says he'd often find himself wondering where the indigenous people were, the people who'd once lived where he now filmed. "When the opportunity to make One Dead Indian and MOOSE TV arose, I jumped. Both are opposite and necessary sides of the coin - and Moose TV has come as a pure delight."
Like all great Canadian comedy, MOOSE TV is really about the idiosyncrasies of local characters and the absurdities of life. "I think it shows a side of native people that hasn't really been portrayed yet in the media," says Webb. "There are no native issues that we talk about. We allude to a few things but it's done in a comedic way. We're not beating a drum, if you will, to send a message across. We're just being silly and having a good time."
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