Local music videos to take centre stage during music and film showcase

McBully Productions producer and content creator Nathan ‘Jonna’ Boulaine is using some downtime in the film industry to highlight the efforts of local musicians and filmmakers during the 2nd Annual Northern Film Showcase taking place this Sunday.  

“This year we’re focusing on music videos, and I’ve got a ton of different musicians that had allowed me to showcase their songs,” said Boulaine.

For this year’s event, Boulaine decided to showcase 10 music videos that were made locally, having drawn inspiration from the music video that he created for local music act Audiosmile.

The video was shot last year at The Tech.   

“I came up with a concept, I wrote a script, that kind of like worked in with the general feel and the tone of the music,” he said. “Then we did casting in Sault Ste. Marie - all of our crew and cast are from Sault Ste. Marie, which was awesome.”

“We’re really happy to get people from the city - people that I’ve worked with on feature films, a couple new faces that I hadn’t worked with before.”

Boulaine resides in Ottawa, where he’s worked as a camera assistant for the past five years, working on several Hallmark movies and collaborating with artists on a couple of short films.

Lately, he’s been working a camera trainee in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a labour union representing thousands of people working in the entertainment industry throughout Canada and the United States.

That’s in addition to picking up film-related work in northern Ontario, spending time in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay and Parry Sound. 

Boulaine says that he’s generally involved in any film that’s shot in the Sault.

“Any film that comes here I’m generally asked to work on, and I’m grateful for it,” said Boulaine. “It’s always nice to come back to Sault Ste. Marie whenever I get a chance.”

“Right now it’s the offseason for the film production season, so I’m back in Sault Ste. Marie - I’ve been back here since mid-December.”

Boulaine sees this weekend’s showcase as an opportunity for musicians, filmmakers, and anyone with an interest in production to come out and network.

“I think this will be a really good opportunity for anyone who has any interest in making a music video, or being a part of a music video,” he said.

The showcase will also feature a question and answer session with a couple of Boulaine’s friends who have worked in the music and film industry, as well as a workshop - facilitated by Boulaine himself - in which he’ll discuss the importance of visual content and creating a brand.

“We’re hoping to hit a bunch of demographics and get a bunch of different people out there, and hopefully we have a full crowd for the night,” Boulaine said.

The 2nd Annual Northern Film Showcase takes place Sunday, Jan. 27 at Shooters Downstairs Lounge from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Shooter’s or online via Eventbrite.