Walk With Me: Making Movie Magic in a Pandemic

Moving to a small mountain town meant giving up regular work on film sets, yet the interior of British Columbia offers incredible scenery and locations that are under-utilized by the film productions of Hollywood North. Although the Kootenay Film Commission is working hard to bring productions to the area, narrative film opportunities remain few and far between.

In the late summer of 2020, I was invited to join the team behind Walk With Me, a short film about a singer named Becki who returns to her small hometown to find her estranged father. Cawston, British Columbia proved to be the perfect location for the drama to unfold.

Cawston is a small community in the Similkameen Valley along BC Hwy 3. The community was named after pioneer rancher R.L. Cawston, who settled in the area in the 19th century. It is the traditional territory the Smelqmix (Similkameen) Nation—specifically the Lower Similkameen Indian band. Today, the valley is home to a number of fruit orchards and vineyards.

Walk With Me was produced by Michael Williams of Walk With Me Productions Inc and Beach Studios. The film was shot in October 2020 and, due to a COVID outbreak that was contained to two members of the crew, the film was ultimately shot in two separate blocks to prevent further spread in a community that had not yet been affected. As the COVID Safety Coordinator and one of the on-set producers, we were fortunate to have a group who followed COVID protocols to a tee. The cast and majority of crew members were able to return for the second block but there were also a number of new faces during block two.

Our approach to navigating the pandemic was prioritizing the health of the cast, crew, and Cawston community. While this came at a large overall cost, I’m proud of the decisions that Producers made and the work done by the cast and crew under unusual conditions. The film explores family dynamics and by leaning on each other during times of uncertainty, we walked away from the process bonded like family.

COVID challenges aside, the rest of the shoot went smoothly and our set was a creative, collaborative environment. We also received incredible support from members of the Cawston community.

Filming in Cawston introduced logistics to the production, but ultimately added so much to the film. The art department did an incredible job transforming a variety of locations—from a trailer park and mechanic shop to a church hall—into spaces that brought the creative team’s vision to life.

The talented cast was led by Alethea Sholomenko (‘Becki’), Michael Williams (‘Cal’), and Philip Granger (‘Marv’); they delivered strong performances and were a pleasure to work with.

Director Connor Lang, DP Marco Bossow, and the camera and electrical teams also did a phenomenal job with the visual elements of the film, evident in the enclosed set stills.

Last but certainly not least, catering was done by Sandra Millward of Radiate Wellness. Inspired by fresh and seasonal local produce, Sandra use her background as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist to nourish a cast and crew facing long days, late nights, and of course, COVID.

A list of the entire cast and crew—who made this film possible—is available on IMDb.

The final cut is locked and the film is currently being submitted to short film festivals.

Check out the Walk With Me trailer and set stills I shot — and stay tuned for more updates about when and where to watch!