Canadian singers Chantal Kreviazuk and Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida are collaborating on music for a restored version of a classic silent film.

In an online chat with JAM! on Wednesday, Kreviazuk revealed that she and her husband Maida have been working together on a score for an early film version of "Cleopatra."

"It is a silent film, the second one ever made, from 1912," the singer told fans during the chat.

Although the film tells the story of the fabled Egyptian princess, the actual copyrighted title of the film was "Helen Gardner In Cleopatra," in honour of the actress in the title role.

The film was directed by Charles L. Gaskill, and co-starred as Marc Antony an actor identified in the credits only as "Mr. Sindelar" -- his real name likely long forgotten.

Few of the thousands of silent films from the teens have survived through the ages, due to the deterioration of film stock. The U.S.-based cable channel Turner Classic Movies, which has been active in film preservation, approached Kreviazuk, who is an accomplished pianist as well as a songwriter, about scoring a restored version of the film.

As Kreviazuk began to compose bits of music for the project, Maida joined in and it turned into a full-blown collaboration, she said.

"Seeing as we both happen to be in town (Toronto), I thought it would be nice to do it together," she said.

When asked whether the music would take the form of instrumental pieces or full-blown songs, she said: "We ended up writing songs for it, pieces of music, and then a lot of texture and padding music."

The film is expected to air in the U.S. in August. Broadcast information will be posted at her website at www.chantalkreviazuk.com, and at www.sonymusic.ca

By: Paul Cantin