Local film director talks about upcoming short film "Water Moccasins"

By Mahlon Smoke

The tagline for an upcoming short film named "Water Moccasins" is "A legend that should have never been told," and was directed, shot, and edited by Jaiden Mitchell and written by Shelby Adams. The film tells the story of "A group of indigenous students who seek the truth behind a legend that their grandfather tells them" according to Mitchell and Adams.

Adams said she was inspired by Covid-19, "I wanted to write a film that would allow us to have all the precautions in place."

Adams described that she wanted to write a film outside, something that would allow the students to sit comfortably six feet apart from each other. From that came a camp scene about students telling stories, to a full-blown short story screenplay. Adams also pulled from stories she grew up with and what scared her during her youth. While the 'legend' within the film is made up, they are all pulled from those stories she heard in her youth.

The mother/daughter team shared a vision for how the movie should look and that included underwater shots. Mitchell was prepared with a specialized camera and luckily got her diver's license to do so.

The team had prepared the set with handwashing stations for help prevent the virus, keeping actors apart from each other, and requiring when they aren't on screen to wear masks. Keeping the actors and crew members safe was a top priority for the director and writer.

"It was really fun but also really difficult to achieve the shot. We were lucky we got them within three takes," said Mitchell about her experience shooting underwater.

She mentioned that it was a very difficult situation due to environmental elements out of their control; strong water currents, working with boats and having to fix the makeup of Steven Thompson-Oakes who played the Water Warrior. It was this difficulty that allowed Mitchell to shoot some amazing shots that would add some atmospheric elements to the film.

Steven Thompson-Oakes said, "I'm really grateful to be a part of Jaiden and Shelby's upcoming short film. The majority of the set scenes take place on or underwater of St. Lawrence River. So, I felt the Water Warrior character really fit me perfectly with my name being Kentsienó:ron in the Kanienʼkéha language - which means "valuable swimmer". What a better way to finish up summer filming on the beautiful water with some of the most passionate people."

The film is now entering post-production and just in time for the upcoming film festivals. Mitchell is excited to share this story with others and her mother is happy to see her vision realized. Adams is also ecstatic that her daughter is the one that can bring her screenplay to life.