Welcome Home: Join Us

ABOUT

Welcome Home is my latest short film and is the culmination of my education as a filmmaker.

Inspiration

While I feel so lucky to grow up in a welcoming home in the northwest, I wanted to challenge myself to envision a hero who is new to the northwest and finds it challenging to call it home here. 

A Pacific Northwest Home in North Tacoma, WA

The Story

In its essence, Welcome Home is about finding belonging in strange new places. When adolescent Gabriela is adopted by a well-to-do lawyer named Nancy, she struggles to feel welcome in her new home as her jealous step-brother Andrew attempts to corner Gabriela in her alienation. 

The Uptown Theater in Seattle's Queen Ann Neighborhood

Intentions

Welcome Home is designed as a proof of concept story with ambitions to get attention from Northwest creative leaders and film festivals. I’m assembling a passionate team of young northwest artists who can bring this story to life. 

Learn more about our team by clicking here

IMPACT

Welcome Home is being made in 2020 to tell a story about a Spanish American named Gabriela. This film seeks to empower immigrant and Spanish-speaking voices.

ABOUT ME

Sam Cleary- 20

I'm a 21-year-old director with ambitions to pursue freelance cinematography and directing in New York City in 2022. Films I have directed or shot have received recognition at film festivals around the country, and I am near finished producing a documentary short four years in the making about the first black women to break the color barrier in 1970s West Seattle Public Schools.

I have called Seattle my home for my whole life, and I chose to stay in the northwest studying filmmaking at Whitman College. As a rising upperclassman, I have learned a lot about visual storytelling using an interdisciplinary approach. I have studied the stories of ancient Athens in history lectures, the life story of Malcolm X in seminars, and applied theoretical frameworks to Film and Television during in-class discussion.

THE JOURNEY

Behind the Scenes of Brendan Hickey's Everything Bagel

I think we all take for granted how movies are simply “made” for our viewing pleasure; we often overlook all the resources it took to tell the story well. This campaign is for those who want to be a part of this journey to produce Welcome Home. 

Our Strengths: Creativity, Free time, and Innovation. 

Our Obstacles: Limited capital and a professional creative network.

THE PLOT

Pre-visualization

There’s no place like home for Gabriela until Nancy adopts her into her victorian home in the pacific northwest. Gabriela is an adolescent woman who defends her identity at all costs. Nancy cluelessly coerces Gabriela to change her name to Charlotte. Further, Nancy’s son, Andrew, makes pass-aggressive comments on Gabriela’s upbringing and attempts to frame her for his own wrongdoing. Against all the attacks on her character, Gabriela persists to create her own belonging in her new home.

THE PITCH

I would love for you to join me and help give this a story a home in your living room and on the silver screens of the northwest. Our second phase of getting this film off the ground is what I call a "crowdhelp". If you want this film to be a success, it would mean everything to me to consider volunteering, collaborating, or lending out your cool stuff.

How can you help?

Collaborate: contact Sam at samhatchettcleary@gmail.com or by text 206.601.2357

• Audition for a role by clicking here
• Join the pre-production team
• Join the production crew
• Help build a social media presence
• Create artwork for merchandise

Volunteer: See the sign-ups by clicking  here

• Cook meals for a hard-working cast and crew! 
• Transport food, wardrobe, props, and gear
• Share this film with others!

Loan out your cool stuff! See the registry by clicking here.

• Loan out your wardrobe
• Loan out your film gear
• Loan out your props and home decor

COVID-19

I am being thoughtful to plan this production with COVID-19 in mind. The film is aiming to have its two-day production in early August as Washington state begins to reopen its economy. We all want to make films, and we all want to stay safe in the process.

Priorities:

• Every cast and crew member can commit to getting an antibody test immediately prior to production beginning. 
• We would all be living on set at an Airbnb in Tacoma. 
• No trips to restaurants or other stores would be allowed during production. 
• All cast and crew must wear masks off-camera.
• Meals and snacks packaged for individual portions.
• Minimize crew proximity by renting wireless solutions to follow focus and video village.
• Maximize working in outdoor spaces between interior scenes.
• Limiting the number of people sharing the same space as possible. 

Thanks so much, and let's make Welcome Home!

-Sam Cleary