Movie being shot on visually pleasing Hamilton bridge

Three people balanced a giant stone on the ledge of the Black Street bridge Sunday — high over the Great Miami River — as part of pivotal scene in an upcoming movie.

The bridge was closed - with city officials’ permission - for most of the day as actors and movie crew used the visually striking bridge and river views to film the latest movie to be shot in Hamilton.

The new movie is a location production, short-film drama, said director John Swanson as he stood in the middle of the usually busy Black Street Bridge connecting east and west Hamilton.

Entitled “Onda The Short Film” the film, said the Butler County resident, is a local, independent production movie that he plans to premiere this fall.

“This is story about the height of the recession in 2011 and a lot of people are going through some tough times and one desperate man — unemployed — comes to a bridge high over a river and he decides to fix all his problems,” said Swanson. “Once he gets there, he meets someone who changes everything (but) there are many other layers to this story.”

Swanson, who declined to reveal more of the plot, or why three actors were balancing a large fake stone at the edge of the bridge, said the movie will also address “a social issue” he wants to bring more awareness to.

The Ross Twp. resident said the public can follow the production of his movie by Lohengrin Productions at its Facebook page. The movie's premier will coincide with a fund-raising campaign to get the movie to independent film festivals around the world.

Swanson praised Hamilton city officials and police for their cooperation in blocking off traffic to allow filming.

“They’ve given us a downtown bridge for the day and we are shooting other scenes around the city,” he said.

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