Windsor Hum documentary being shot by Toronto filmmaker

A documentary chronicling the Windsor Hum is in the works.

Toronto filmmaker Adam Makarenko started the project in June 2012, after stumbling upon the phenomenon.

"I saw a YouTube video of this Windsor Hum and it piqued my interest," Makarenko said.

Makarenko has spent hours driving around at night in west Windsor and LaSalle, the two areas affecting most by the mysterious noise that began in the spring of 2011.

People who hear the noise say it happens late at night or early in the morning.

'At first, I thought, 'is everybody crazy?'' — Adam Makarenko, filmmaker

"It's a really hard thing to nail down. At first, I thought, 'is everybody crazy? Is this sound really happening?'" Makarenko said.

He has interviewed people on both sides of the border who claim to hear the hum, described as a rumble or idling truck. He's also scheduled interviews with scientists.

"It's obvious that it's real. There's so many people affected by it," Makarenko said. "What is the hum? That the question that's on everyone's mind. There are so many theories, it's crazy."

The prevailing theory is the hum is an airborne sound wave originating from the general vicinity of Zug Island in River Rouge, Mich., across the Detroit River from west Windsor and LaSalle.

Officials with the provincial Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Canada, along with a consultant hired by the City of River Rouge, Mich., came to that conclusion in September 2011.

'Zombie apocalypse'

Makarenko has spent hours in Delray, a Detroit neighbourhood near Zug Island. He's also been near the island, looking for answers and shooting footage.

He describes the area as a "zombie apocalypse."

He's never set foot on the island, though.

"Homeland Security is everywhere, I mean everywhere. You have to be very careful when you're over there. It's heavily guarded. Why that is, I don't know," Makarenko said.

In January, Ottawa announced it will fund a $60,000 study looking into the cause of the mysterious hum.

The study will be conducted jointly by scientists at the University of Windsor and Western University in London, Ont.

After taking three months off from the project to shoot a music video, Makarenko plans to be in Windsor this month.

Ideally, he wants to rent a home in Windsor or LaSalle and experience the hum for a month.

That's why he's starting a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is an online funding platform in which project creators set their project's funding goal and a deadline. If people like the project, they pledge money to make it happen. If the project never happens, no one is charged.

Makarenko, who has been working alone, wants to hire a cameraperson and sound person.