"If you see a cop coming in your rearview mirror, just gun it," he told her. "I don't care if I have the shot or not."
For the past two years, Phillips has traveled to over 60 locations in the Northeast such as Vermont's Ottauquechee River and the Frenchman Bay in Maine and to Hawaii, Italy and the Caribbean, to film scenes for his documentary about Field. One day, he made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Bennington, shot six minutes of footage and drove back.
Phillips has written around 50 screenplays, over half of which have been produced, that include an adaptation of Stephen King's "Christine" and the 1990 drama "Rising Son," starring Matt Damon. Now, Phillips teaches screenwriting at the College and recently finished filming a $12,000-budget dramatic short called "White Lies, Blue Dream," written by Tabetha Xavier '10.
Working on a budget of $22,000 $17,000 raised through an online Kickstarter campaign and $5,000 from a Distinguished Lecturer Award he received from the College Phillips has collected over 50 hours of film for his documentary and said he hopes to complete the project next year.
Departing from his screenwriter's tendency to plan every detail ahead of time, Philips said he is waiting to see how the footage turns out before putting the film together.
"I'm really trying to hold off deciding what kind of film it's going to be," he said. "With a documentary you're wise to let the material lead you."
In addition to depicting some of Field's 700 prints alongside the natural backdrops that inspired them, the film will also include interviews with collectors of her artwork, such as President Emeritus James Wright and his wife Susan DeBevoise Wright.
Field's ability to simplify reality and enhance scenes with bright colors makes her artwork unique, Phillips said.
"You know how you take a photo and you get home and look at it and it's just not the same?" he said. "Sabra makes up for whatever it is that you lose."
Jenna van de Ruit '15, who is working for Phillips as a presidential scholar this summer, said he "really puts in the effort to get to know" his team. He regularly takes the crew out to breakfast at Lou's Restaurant before weekend shoots.
Encounters with law enforcement aside, Phillips said he enjoys filmmaking because it is more interactive than screenwriting.
"Writers live a lonely existence. you're in your head all the time," he said.
Phillips said he appreciates the flexibility that comes with producing an independent film and is invested in learning more about digital film production.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Phillips attended the University of Southern California where he received a master's degree in film and production.
"Dartmouth taught me how to think, USC taught me what buttons to push, which shouldn't be underrated," he said.
Phillips has been a member of the Writers Guild of America since 1980 and won the CableACE Award for his screenplay with John Carpenter and Tommy Lee Wallace for the comedy western "El Diablo" in 1991. He adapted Peter Maas' "In a Child's Name" into a mini-series, which was nominated for an Emmy Award. He was also nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award with Brian Dennehy for "Shadow of a Doubt."
