Mike Babott and Celena Sandaker completed a compelling Canadian documentary as part of the TELUS STORYHIVE Anniversary Documentary Edition. What makes Harvesting the Power of Music particularly special is that it tells a story about two very different communities in Armstrong, BC.
We sat down with Mike and Celena this week to discuss this movie and their amazing journey.
HNMAG: Where did you two meet?
Mike: We met through working in Vernon. I’m a videographer and Celena does photography on the side. We just ended up working at the same event in downtown Vernon.
HNMAG: Did you both grow up in the interior?
Celena: I did.
HNMAG: Where did you grow up Mike?
Mike: Calgary. We vacationed my whole life in the Okanagan. It’s kind of a traditional Alberta vacation spot. The dream was to always live there and that came true when my wife got offered a position out in Vernon.
HNMAG: You and Celena met in Vernon and did you work together before you made the documentary?
Mike: We kind of just kept tabs. Every time I meet a local creator, I like to go for coffee or just keep in contact because you never know. It’s always handy to have some friends to call if you need a second shooter. I always try to be friendly and maintain relationships. There were a couple of projects that needed photography.
HNMAG: Right.
Mike: So I brought her on to handle that side of it and then Telus Storyhive came up. I applied for it and got it. I quickly realized that it definitely wasn’t something I was able to do all of my own. I originally got Celena to do the photography but as soon as I started getting into the planning of it, I gave her a call to see how she would feel about actually producing this whole thing.
HNMAG: Right, that’s a difficult job. Was it was challenging to apply for the Telus Storyhive?
Mike: It’s a written submission with a sixty second video, so Celena wasn’t a part of that. That happened at the end of 2023.
HNMAG: Do you live in Armstrong now?
Mike: Yes.
HNMAG: Did you make any films before Harvesting the Power of Music?
Mike: Not in this genre. Rhythm Productions is focused on corporate films. I understand story because I try to work that into my corporate work as well. The Hero’s Journey is something I’ve been familiar with.
HNMAG: Were either of you interested in metal prior to doing the documentary?
Mike: Myself absolutely! I have been in a bunch of metal bands since 2000. I’ve always had a soft spot for metal. Really, what drew me to the story was walking around Armstrong and hearing about Armstrong Metal Fest from other residents by the second year.
HNMAG: Right.
Mike: I was talking to this older lady on the street and she said Armstrong Metal Fest is so great. The people that attend, we love them. This 70-year-old grandma loves the metal heads!
HNMAG: Did you speak with her for the film?
Celena: No not on camera. The documentary had to be under an hour for Storyhive, so we were limited in time.
Mike: The bulk of the interviews were at the event in July and the first Rough cut was due by the beginning of September. We only had a month and a half to throw this altogether. It was a crazy month and a half.
HNMAG: A lot of productions shot in BC are made to look like other places. Do you think the shift is happening, where we’re going to see more film and TV set in in British Columbia?
Celena: Yes I think so. It’s expanding in a lot of different areas. Vancouver, Kelowna… We’ve had a couple of films shot in Vernon. It’s such a beautiful resource.
HNMAG: It’s beautiful British Columbia and when you try to make it someplace else, you’re hiding it. That defeats the benefit.
Mike: Yeah.
Celena: We actually were talking about that early on, about how we wanted to make sure that all of the music and video was as much of the local area and from the actual festival as much possible.
HNMAG: You’re from Vernon?
Celena: No, I moved to Vernon, but I was born and raised in Armstrong.
Mike: She knows the former mayor and many of the locals we interviewed.
HNMAG: Oh wow!
Mike: Having her on the team really opened up those doors. I’m not sure we would’ve gotten those interviews without that long-standing community connection.
HNMAG: Oh yeah, great. When the festival started to grow, was the church against that expansion? How did the church come on board?
Celena: I don’t think they are on board. I don’t think they’re as against it though.
HNMAG: Festivals in other places have gone south.
Mike: I love that we talk about inclusivity and everything in the film. I think inclusivity also means that for someone of the church, they made their beliefs and thoughts known, but then after the event happened and the death and destruction didn’t occur, the acceptance is fine. They don’t necessarily agree with the imaging of the persona and things they have going on, but they’re not gonna push against it anymore. We understand this as acceptance of the event.
HNMAG: What’s next for you two?
Celena: We’ve established that we still want to work together to do another project. We’re just not sure what that looks like yet.
HNMAG: What was most surprising about this project Celena?
Celena: I really found this process unique because I wasn’t as into the heavy metal scene. I would not call myself a metal head.
HNMAG: OK.
Celena: Before coming into this, I liked some songs. Then experiencing it, being there, I would definitely say my opinion changed. I never would have called myself close minded. I didn’t even realize that I was putting people in a box.
HNMAG: We all do it and we don’t even realize it.
Celena: It was interesting opening up my eyes more and learning more about the metal head culture. I look forward to going to the festival again.
Mike: The town of Armstrong, the locals, the Metal Heads, were all so welcoming and everyone looked out for each other. There was a moment where I was walking around the festival and this hard-core metal dude walked up to me and said hi. Then he grabs my hand, looking me directly in my eyes, and says, good. I’m like, what do you mean? He said, I’m walking around shaking everybody’s hand to make sure that they’re OK and I was like what is that? He just completed some training at work where one of the first signs of heat stroke is not a strong grip. He went around shaking everyone’s hand to make sure that they don’t have the first signs of heat stroke.
HNMAG: It gets so hot there in the summer. Mike, Did you ever go to Shambala?
Mike: No, I did not.
Celena: I went a long time ago, it was awesome.
HNMAG: Do you think it’s quite different than Metal Fest in terms of their approach?
Celena: Metal Fest feels more like a family reunion. You could have deep conversations with somebody that you might not know that well.
HNMAG: Jessie is part of the City Council now.
Mike: Yeah, he’s a city counselor. This is his first term.
HNMAG: That is quite a journey. We saw that he didn’t initially have a clue about city politics but then surprisingly won the council over.
Mike: His business is Valstar Electric and they’ve been doing a lot of work in the city. He kept getting more and more involved and helping the community in various ways. Him being a counselor is really just the next step in that whole progression.
HNMAG: It’s amazing how the festival helped Armstrong.
Mike: It’s the Northstar of this film. The great experience is the community of metalheads and the community of Armstrong coming together, the way they did. We really wanted to eliminate any side stories that took away from that.
We know that Beautiful British Columbia is not just a license plate slogan. The province is home to some of the most amazing and awe-inspiring places on this planet. Armstrong is one of them. Through perhaps, a surprising conduit of Heavy Metal music we see that beauty goes beyond the landscape. It’s at the heart of both the community of Armstrong locals and the community of Metalheads!
Look for Harvesting of the Power of Music on the Festival circuit and then wherever great programs are shown.