This month, I (singer/songwriter James Hardiment) teamed up with upcoming filmmaker Jake Adamson, to help him create the soundtrack to his short film, “Down by the Bay”. The project stars Evan Bridson as the lead, the plot is reminiscent of Jonah and the Whale, meets Jaws. Filmed and edited in both Long Sault, and Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
Last year, I worked with Adamson on another film, called “Murder of Crows”, which we filmed out in Kemptville, with Ottawa actor Olivia Gault, and Kemptville thespian Maxwell Brennan, both in their early 20s. Adamson, and I, are in our 30s at this point! It was screened at one of last years KINO monthly film festivals (or maybe it was our own J3 Pictures screening party at the same location), hosted by filmmaker, photographer, cinematographer, and visual artist Vincent Valentino, and fellow artist Delaney Hinds. Vincent runs the Ottawa Filmmakers page on Facebook, which is a great way to find other like-minded, creative video creators.
KINO is hosted every month at LIVE! on Elgin, which is an event space, bar, and stage above Zak’s Diner at 220 Elgin St. in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Vincent knows the owners, and they are very supportive of the arts. Many live music shows pass through the space, so be sure to check out their page to see what’s coming soon. A projector is set up on the stage and the laptop is plugged into the sound system as well. They usually screen around 15 films, and there is typically an intermission between, about the half way mark. There is a fully staffed bar, and tables to sit at for the show. Vincent and Delaney typically pick the theme for each month and post on their official KINO page onto Facebook. This months theme was "Catch & Release”.
For the “Down by the Bay” film, Jake chose to create a black and white look, which appears to be a consistent theme with his two independent projects so far, since he got back into creating his own original pieces. The film is all about a man who heads out onto the bay in his kayak to go fishing, and the crazy adventure that ensues. I really love the ingenuity of filming on a micro-budget, using a smartphone to shoot, and utilizing the space that surrounds you. The kayak belonged to Evan, so it wasn’t bought just for the project. Jake has been honing his Special FX skills, blending CGI, and stock footage to create impressive, cinematic scenes on a shoe-string.
Evan Bridson plays the lead character of the short, a Kayaker who ends up going for a wild ride!
Building the music, Jake wanted me to adapt the melody from an old nursery rhyme tune called Down by the Bay (the same as the title of the film.) and he gave me rough ideas of what he had in mind. He wanted some discomforting sounds from time to time, so I tried to play some eerie string noises. I chose an old, off-key piano sound for the main melody, which would speed up in tempo, or slow down, dependant on the scene. On the other hand, for the calmer sequences, he desired a more upbeat version. So I used happier sounds, such as brighter, higher piano, accompanied with brighter pad synthesizer chords.
The film, along with the other entries, shall be screened this Wednesday June 28th, 2023 at 220 Elgin St. in Ottawa, as mentioned before above. Tickets are $10 at the door. Here are the links below:
https://ottawafilmmakers.com/pages/kino
That’s all for now folks, I’m very busy this week!
James