Hello Homecoming fam,

This is going to be a short and very sweet update: the film is finally ready and there’s going to be a watch party on Sunday, January 10 at 7:30 pm ET through YouTube live.

After the screening, I will hang out for a bit and answer questions, so make sure to stick around and participate so I’m not just sitting there awkwardly 🙂 

In the meantime, I’m also glad to announce that the film was officially selected into the Anatolian Short Film Festival (screening on January 7th) and the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival (screenings will begin January 5th, but the full schedule is yet TBD). 

While Homecoming will be available in full at those two festivals’ websites, I still hope you’ll tune in on Sunday for the watch party. 

As always, thank you all for your support!

My lovely friends,

Remember me? I know, I know. A lot has happened since we last talked. As people’s priority changed and their focus shifted to more important stuff, I didn’t think it was very appropriate for me to talk about my short film.

However, the time is finally ripe for a big update. This is just a tease, so you’ll just have to keep your eyes open and – who knows? – there might be some cool announcement sometime soon.

Meanwhile, thanks for the patience as I know you’re all eager to see Homecoming. Love y’all.

Talk soon,
Daniele

Hey everyone! Big drop today: the official 60-second trailer for Homecoming is finally available! I’ve been working really hard during the last few weeks to refine and polish this film, and I’m so glad to share with you a little glimpse of it.

Not only I’ve been devoting myself for months to this project, making sacrifices and putting everything else aside… but this is also the product of the work of many collaborators, friends, artists, financial backers, and so on… and I’m incredibly excited for them to experience a first peek at this film.

Without further ado, here’s the trailer! Enjoy!

My peers will all agree that a film editor is easy to spot: thick glasses, afraid of sunlight, socially awkward. Editors spend long hours tucked into a basement, shades down, maniacally analyzing every frame to ensure their presence is not even noticed. It’s almost as if their whole life is spent preparing for quarantine.

Jokes aside, Homecoming’s post production has completely absorbed me. This process has begun even before production was wrapped, when I was quickly editing dailies to see how the footage was playing together. And now I’m in full on editing mode, spending hours on trying to fix a cut or a transition. This might seem excessive, but this stage is when the film truly comes alive. Editing is an incredibly personal and powerful creative output, and I haven’t felt so much in control of Homecoming since writing the script.

Believe it or not, different edits can transform the same footage into wildly different stories. The tone of the film is determined during this step. While chipping away at it, I can’t help appreciating how much trust actors put in the hands of directors and editors. And my desire to give their amazing performances justice has been fueling me throughout this process.

Everyone who worked on this film did such an amazing job, it’s overwhelming. But as a writer/director, I can’t help but feel a special sense of gratefulness for those who inhabited my characters, gave them shape and voice, brought them to life. Selecting actors is a delicate job, one that can make or break a film, and I’m thrilled that I was able to work with such passionate and talented individual – and humbled that they decided to take these roles.

Today I was able to export my first rough draft, and have a very first virtual screening and some feedback. But most importantly, I was able to sit back and watch this very raw piece of media from start to finish. Rough is the right word. However, it’s important to understand that it’s a necessary and inevitable stage that will eventually evolve into something really good. And even still, I was able to sit back and watch it from start to finish, and take in this strange and wonderful feeling of accomplishments. For the most part, making a film is an exhausting and stressful job. But there are moments that remind you that it’ll all be worth it in the end. Small achievements or milestones that are enough to fuel the next few weeks of hard work. Watching Homecoming’s rough cut today was one of those moments.

Now back in the cutting room, because this journey is far from being over.

It feels pointless to write about trivial matters such as student films these days. But hey, if I’m stuck at home writing it means I’m practicing responsible behaviors such as social distancing, so please be kind. And while an update on Homecoming may not be on top of everyone’s priorities right now, I will still use this space for a brief reflection during this isolation limbo.

Over the last few days, I collected some behind-the-scenes photos from set that some awesome individuals were nice enough to take. As the hectic weeks went by in a blur, the pictures gave me the opportunity to reflect on just how much has happened over the last 6 weeks. I can tell I look different from day 1 to the last reshoot day. My hair has grown longer, but it’s not just that. I do feel a lot different. Exhausted but empowered. I had my doubts before I started, but I did learn I can do this. And you can too! Too many indie/young filmmakers are paralyzed by the mountain ahead. I won’t deny the difficulties in making a film, but the support and understanding in this community is something that should give everyone hope.

As society takes a step back to heal and regroup, let’s focus on the fact that we’ll be back stronger than before.

On a more tangible update, I’m lucky enough that I wrapped production (reshoots included) just before the pandemic madness broke out. I may be stuck at home for a while, but I have plenty on my hands as far as editing, and I’m just as excited to bring you all this film in the coming months. The footage looks incredible, and I will cherish forever the actors and crew that made this possible. It’s an incredibly humble experience to have people devote their time and effort for your own little project, something I won’t ever take for granted.

As the story is coming alive with the edit, I’ll post more updates and photos.

Ever since this process started, I’ve had a hard time separating the roles of director and producer. Real life directors get to live in the moment, and lose themselves in their film. They’re insulated from practical, real life issues and they get to focus on the artistic side of the production.

Producers, on the other end, can’t afford that “luxury”. When things are wrong, they’re the one tasked to come up with solutions. When things go right, they still need to worry about potential future crisis. It’s a thankless but necessary job.

Today I had one of these moments: following two intense days of filming, Assistant Director extraordinaire Caitie Collier announced the infamous “wrap” on principal photography. While it doesn’t mean that production is over (reshoots and pickups are still needed), it is a milestone worth celebrating and taking a moment to reflect upon. However, my brain was clouded by hundreds of things to do, bills to pay, errands to run.

Maine Mayhem is truly living up to its name. While it shook up my life completely and made me put everything else on hold for months, it did allow me to pursue a filmmaking dream I couldn’t have reached otherwise.

And while there is still a ton of work to do, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in this labor of love… the incredible cast I was lucky enough to direct, the relentless crew, the supporting friends/family, and everyone who donated to the campaign. Thank you! ❤

As thick snowflakes fell on a cold and exhausted crew, I watched in awe as everyone on the team just relentlessly kept working until the final “wrap!” on a most challenging day was called.
While everyone deserves praise and thanks, I want to take a moment to single out a person who I have been admiring since the first day I shared on set with him: Bodhi Ouellette.

Bodhi made his first impression on me as a director of photography. Despite the young age, his work shows the maturity and refinement of someone who’s done this for way longer. And what’s scary is that he gets better with every project he takes on.

But I want to take a step back from praising his abilities as a filmmaker and focus instead on something that I consider way more important: he’s a wonderful human being. I’ve had to rely on him heavily, lately, and he never let me – not even for one second – feel as a burden or an afterthought.

I know that Bodhi will make it in his business because he’s a person of otstanding stature. He is a fantastic leader, a caring friend, and an incredibly kind individual. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him, and I will consider myself forever lucky to have crossed paths with him.

There is no doubt in my mind that, without him, Homecoming simpy wouldn’t exist. His hands and heart are all over this project, to an extent that I will never be able to repay. All I can do is try.

As filmmakers, we are all used to shaking off individual praise and remind everyone that this is teamwork. But make no mistake: Bodhi is the rock of this team.

A friend of mine once told me about “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut,” a short story by Stephen King that’s even older than I am. It’s about this lady who lives in Maine and is obsessed with finding shortcuts and getting to places by travelling a smaller distance than the “official” way. Every time she sets to explore a new road, she resets the odometer in her car and challenges herself to a shorter trip.

People in Mrs. Todd’s life are worried that she’s going to run out of shortcuts and lose her purpose… it’s just Maine, after all, there are only so many roads! But Mrs. Todd never gives up, and she eventually finds a new, wonderful world.

I’ve been thinking about Mrs. Todd because the last couple weeks have been challenging for the production of “Homecoming.” As producers, we are often tasked with putting out fires, and finding solutions to any problem that may arise. And they WILL arise. Sometimes, it all seems too much.

It can be discouraging when things don’t work out, but even when the solution just doesn’t seem to exist, it’s imperative to keep searching. Had Mrs. Todd believed her map, she never would have found her way.

*****

Even with some hiccups, the footage we shot so far looks amazing. It’s important to sit down and watch the tangible, rewarding products of the work done to keep ourselves motivated and crisp.

Maine’s winter is brutal, and unforeseen circumstances have resulted in extra shooting days, but that is par for the course for everyone who has taken this journey.

Unlike Mrs. Todd’s, my path may not be the shortest or fastest, but I have all intentions of getting to the finish line.

With just a few hours before the first day of production, the Homecoming team is hard at work to complete all the tasks so that we can be efficient and productive on set. I’ve been thinking a lot about my time on a short film titled “Begin Again” a year ago, where I served as key grip across production. That was my first real set, and I remember how I would romanticize about the “movie magic”, which is what I called that moment when so many things lined up to create the perfect few seconds for the camera to capture.

How naive of me! A year later, I can confidently say that there is no magic involved. Every single element of this million pieces-puzzle needs to be thought out, discussed, researched. This “magic” is nothing else than hundreds of phone calls and emails, long spreadsheets, late night trips to supermarkets and convenience stores, and the stubborn dedication of a handful of people. 

As a director and producer I have to constantly balance two very different mindsets. I need to think creatively about a scene, while at the same time crunching numbers and filing contracts. But it is an incredibly empowering process that puts the destiny of my film in my own hands. This is why so many creative minds, even amid success, forego the “studio” route and pursue the treacherous but wonderful indie scene.

This weekend, we will be filming in a variety of conditions. We’ll spend all first day in one apartment location, an intimate and cozy environment for one of the lighter scenes in the film. On Sunday, we will be split between two locations, and the entire shoot will be outdoors. 

A lot of emotions are fighting to take over as we approach the first day of production, but I’ll try to clear my mind as much as possible and enjoy the process. I know I’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Back when I started this journey, I tried to free myself of all material concerns that would impact my creativity. I knew a good story could only be conceived once I moved past any practical limitation that would alter my vision. What a beautiful world do artists live in! They get to dream of magical realms and carve meaningful stories without being bogged down by trivial matters such as money or time.

However, the cold needle of reality tends to pop the balloon, sooner or later.

Last semester, I dove head first into a pre-production class that would help fill the gap between dream and reality. Once the script was done, we dealt with scheduling, finding locations, casting actors. But most importantly, we worked on the budget needed to bring this story to life. Words on the page, ideas… all were translated to a cold number.

And soon enough, it was apparent that I needed some extra help. That is the case for every student going through this class, one of the many real world lessons we need to learn as we transition to the beautiful, infuriating world of indie filmmaking. So we were guided through how to set up a crowdfunding campaign, and encouraged to push it on social media.

It’s a difficult process, but an important one. It helps you understand the scale of what you’re trying to make, appreciate the collective effort needed to make it happen, and also a scary and empowering feeling of responsibility to not let people down.

As friends and family donated their money, I was overwhelmed by their love and support. And at the same time, the fear of being unworthy would never really leave me. Anyone who embarked in a creative project can probably attest to that, and being trusted with people’s hard-earned money can only amplify this voice in your head.

But I know this: when things have not gone my way during the last few weeks, when the prospect of making this film looked bleak, I knew I had to pull through and find the energy in me to overcome the adversities. It was not just my project anymore: it was the concerted effort of everyone who supported me, believed in me, gave me a pass from being antisocial for months, and donated money to this film. It is now my mission not only to see my vision through and achieve a personal dream, but to also repay everyone’s effort with a beautiful, meaningful film that will resonate with them.

Thanks to those who invested in Homecoming, we can now start production. These are their names:

Milanka De Luca
Vito De Luca
Krysta Black
Ryan Brownewell
Hannah Barry
Brendan Carpenter
Cristiano Bagnoli
Michelle Kapschull
Fiamma Romagnoli
Annie Flewelling
Jennifer Steeves
Andrew Baron
Federico Pacciani
Heather Lamontagne
Robbie Moore
Patrick McCartan
Daniel Brown
Mary Brown
Kathy Oka
Holly Villacci
Silvia Amandolini
Marinella De Luca
Dante Amandolini
Stefano De Martino
Pamela Perry
Francesco Ursini
Federica Pericci
Daniele Morbidelli
Irene Biasion
Allison Kenney
Caitlyn Carreau
Sumner Richards
Jack Gentempo
Matteo Garzi
Giovanni Morasso
Paolo Morasso
Marzia Spinuzza
Cristina Profeta
Nicola Salleolini
Giulio Morbidelli
Laura Bianciardi
Stefano Amato
Silvia Minnella
Daniele Focardi
Gaia Cappelletti
Valeria Curci
Walter Pompella
Gareth Packard