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Logline

A reclusive young classical composer with writer’s block attempts to find inspiration at an old family lake house but instead discovers a mysterious sound emanating from the bottom of the private lake. In the face of failure, she must confront the lake, her family’s dark past, and her broken present, to uncover the music she has deep within her.

Synopsis

Alex Logan was an up-and-coming modern-classical composer. Her debut, ‘Wings & Fortune Teller’s End,’ garnered her praise and attention from every corner of the classical music world, but none of that mattered. The music was never right. Her inability to express one haunting idea that has plagued her since she started writing eventually boiled over, leading to a career-ending public meltdown.

Years later, Alex has an opportunity at a comeback. But rediscovering her creative spark isn’t easy. When Alex’s sister notifies her that they’ve inherited the old family lake house, Alex decides to leave the city in a last ditch effort to find a way through her writer’s block. She heads to the long-forgotten Clear Lake, a place that hasn’t been visited since her mother severed ties with Alex’s grandfather decades ago.

As she tries to compose, a strange sound begins to emanate from the lake, disturbing the tranquil surroundings. It is as equally unnerving as it is fascinating – and familiar. Is this the music she’s been hearing in her head all of these years?

She slowly uncovers a dark and complicated family history – whispers of drownings, a spiritual group called the Clearwaters that seemed to have heard the sound too, and her great-grandfather, an ethnomusicologist who first identified something strange at the lake. The long-time caretaker, Josiah, seems to be the only one around who might be able to help her connect the dots, but he’s not talking. As the sound grows and she tries to break through her writer’s block, Alex’s grip on reality begins to falter. At risk of losing all connection to the real world, she must confront the lake, her family’s murky past, and her broken present, to understand the mysterious sound and finally finish her composition.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Matt Valdez and Collin Davis – Writers/Directors
Matt Valdez and Collin Davis are a writing and directing team based in Los Angeles. They met at Northwestern University in Chicago where they discovered a shared sensibility for filmmaking and complementary skills.

As a team they have co-directed award-winning short films that have garnered millions of views online. They’ve written and shot short films for both The Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures that have been used as case studies for breakthrough technologies such as Unreal Engine virtual production, HDR and 4K. Their work separately and together has garnered 2 Emmy Awards, a Silver Clio, multiple Vimeo Staff Picks and an Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Cannes American Pavilion. Collin and Matt wear many hats and have deep experience across all aspects of production and post production.

In their daily lives, Matt and Collin work as accomplished editors, having edited features, documentaries, music videos and commercials for companies and organizations such as Apple, BBC, Discovery, PBS, Toyota, and many more.

Matt and Collin have been developing feature projects and are excited to venture into production on their first feature film, Down Below.

Sid Ganji – Producer
Sid is an LA-based producer specializing in the execution of high-level film content across various platforms and budget levels. Over the last 10+ years, Sid has managed and driven all forms of production with teams around the world, including Los Angeles, Mumbai, London and Doha. Diversity in collaboration has led him to telling compelling stories, and this is a value he holds dearly. 

Notable work includes BAFTA nominated Telling Lies (feat. Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishe) and the upcoming Mattachine Family (feat. Emily Hampshire, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Heather Matarazzo). Sid is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Alex Knapp – Producer
Alex is an award-winning director and producer based in Upstate, New York. His debut feature, the genre-bending thriller Go/Don’t Go, was released by Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight in 2021 to strong reviews and a successful festival run.

Alex brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the team from his time working behind the scenes for notable production companies in the New York film industry. He also possesses an indie-bootstrapped mindset from his experience executing a multitude of narrative and branded projects at various budget levels.

Alex Schwarm – Producer
Alex is a creative producer and development executive specializing in scripted film and television. With a knack for spotting unique content and nurturing emerging talent, Alex has a proven record of shepherding award-winning projects from development to release.

During his 10 years at AMC Networks, Alex served as a development and current executive for numerous acclaimed series including Deutschland 83 (2016 Peabody Award Winner, 2016 International Emmy Best Drama), Rectify (2015 Peabody Award Winner), and John Le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl.

Beyond his time at AMC, Alex has advised renowned producers and successfully guided projects to international studios and premium cable networks.

Travis LaBella – Director of Photography
Travis LaBella is a two-time Emmy award winning cinematographer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. He got his start shooting 16mm film at Northwestern University alongside Down Below directors Collin Davis and Matt Valdez and was the recipient of the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) Student Heritage Award.

He now shoots a range of narrative, commercial, and documentary work. His commercial work includes M&M’s, Toyota, Infiniti, Disney, Kia, Volvo, Ray Ban, MVMT, and more while his narrative and documentary work can be seen on Netflix, Amazon, PBS, BBC, and Vice.

Zach Robinson – Composer
Zach is most known for co-composing the score to the mega-hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, a sequel series to the classic Karate Kid film franchise, of which he has scored all five seasons. In 2022, along with co-composer Leo Birenberg, Zach was nominated for the ASCAP Composer’s Choice Award for Best TV Score for his work on Cobra Kai. He is currently scoring the new Netflix series Florida Man. Past projects include the The Boys: Diabolical, Run and Gun, Roku originals Die Hart and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.