The majestic badlands of the Drumheller valley will be once again prominent in a feature film.
Last week a crew was at Picture Canyon, near East Coulee filming a science fiction film called the Edict, by filmmaker Benjamin Ross Hayden.
In August of this year, The Mail brought readers the story of Hayden. The young filmmaker was the recipient of the Telefilm Mirco Budget Program, in the Aboriginal component category. He is also working with the Adam Beach Film Institute.
He wrapped up filming in the area last Friday.
“I want to create art forms that have a lasting legacy. For the last three or four years I have been waiting for a feature film opportunity and this has gone off better than I expected,” Hayden told The Mail.
He explains The Edict is a Canadian science fiction adventure about life in the far future with nomadic outsiders roaming the land searching for home. The hunter is sent to find a home for the people. On this journey, they find the ancient human will to survive.
As a filmmaker, he has brought this vision from the blank page to the set where he is creating these scenes. At this point he stresses the importance of collaboration.
“When you are on set, the most creative you can be is when you are working with so many like-minded creative professionals. That is where having a plan is only the starting point for telling a story,” said Hayden.
He says the landscape plays an important role in the story telling.
“Before stepping in we were looking at how the landscape could take form. What we have found is that we are making the characters very small, moving through the valley, which makes the area seem very vast. We actually don’t know the relative size of the hoodoos at any given point, so making the characters seem like they are moving through a colossal setting expands the scope of the film.”
Shooting is slated for about four weeks and they are continuing to film in Calgary in forested areas.
The Micro Budget Production supports new Canadian talent, supporting the production and promotions of their first feature length film. It is for projects with a budget up to $250,000, and productions can receive up to $120,000 in financing through the program. The Valley Below, shot in Drumheller by Kyle Thomas, was a recipient of this program.
