A House, A Home is a 2012 American short film/narrative music video scored by Alialujah Choir and features Portland Cello Project. Based on the song of the same name by Adam Shearer and Adam Selzer, the film adaptation was directed by Daniel Fickle, produced by Mark Smith, and written by Daniel Fickle and Mark Smith. Starring Meredith Adelaide and Calvin Morie McCarthy the film begins at the last lines of the song "A House, A Home": "You die knowing he'll bury you / Next to your love in the ground..." and tells a story of how a love, a death and another death are reconciled in a subterranean world.
In addition to being an official selection at the Raindance, Fantastic Fest and Mill Valley film festivals, A House, A Home was nominated for numerous awards ultimately winning thirty-two accolades including Best Short Film at the 32nd New Jersey Film Festival and Best of Festival at the 55th Rochester International Film Festival. A House, A Home was selected as an Official Honoree in The 17th Annual Webby Awards in the Music category.
Synopsis Under the care of Dr. James C. Hawthorne, fictional characters Partrick Brennan (1896–1914) and Sophia Mendenhall (1898–1921) share their temporal lives attracted to each other but are unable to a foster a relationship because of the confines of Dr. Hawthorne's mental institution. Patrick becomes convinced that Dr. Hawthorne is romantically involved with Sophia, a false reality that leaves him distraught and prompts him to take his life.
18-year-old Patrick (Calvin Morie McCarthy) lives an after-life in a small room continuously sketching the same object and exploring a tunnel system behind one of the walls. Seven years have passed since he was buried by his guardian Dr. Hawthorne. The year is 1921, and the arrival of a neighbor is a redemptive blessing for Patrick.
Patrick peers through a keyhole and sees Sophia (Meredith Adelaide), now five years his senior. Discovering a passageway he crawls through a narrow tunnel and arrives at her door. Their reunion is awkward for Patrick. Their roles have been reversed, her life experiences eclipse his. The inhibitions of adolescence are in Sophia's past, but being far from the world they once inhabited the relative aspects of experience no longer matter.
Origin
In 2008, Kate Sokoloff produced a benefit album titled Dearly Departed. Sokoloff recruited singer-songwriters who had appeared on her OPB broadcast show Live Wire! Radio and asked each artist to write a song about a person buried at Portland's oldest cemetery. Along with Al James, Storm Large, Jesse Emerson, Matt Sheehy, Richie Young and others, Adam Shearer was asked to contribute to the 15-track compilation.
Shearer chose to write about Dr. James C. Hawthorne, a humanist and physician who founded the original Oregon State Hospital for the Insane. During the songwriting process, Shearer asked Adam Selzer of Norfolk & Western and M. Ward to collaborate on the arrangement. After completing "A House, A Home", Shearer and Selzer were inspired to continue writing and recording. They invited Alia Farah to join them and the band Alialujah Choir was formed.
In 2011, Shearer asked filmmaker Mark Smith to travel with his band Weinland to SXSW. On that trip Shearer shared the masters from Alialujah Choir's recording sessions. Smith became enamored with the song "A House, A Home". On his return to Portland, he decided to create a video that would begin at the last lines of the song: "You die knowing he'll bury you / Next to your love in the ground..." Smith contacted director Daniel Fickle and asked him to collaborate on the film.
Pre-production
To create an underground environment a series of sets were constructed from June 2011 to December 2011. The sets were constructed for the camera. Every wall and the ceilings of Sophia's and Patrick's rooms were removable. The floors were affixed with castor wheels allowing the rooms to rotate 360 degrees.
Filming
Principal photography took place in December 2011. Other than the reveal at the end of the film which was shot at Lone Fir Cemetery the production took place on a farm in Yamhill County, Oregon where the sets were built. The film was shot using a Sony FX 100 and Zeiss Compact Primes.
Awards
year Film Festival Country Category Result 2012 United Kingdom Film Festival Best Short 2012 Poppy Jasper International Short Film Festival Best Drama 2012 Short Sharp Festival Best Score 2012 Philadelphia Film & Animation Festival Best Music Video 2012 Flatland Film Festival Audience Choice Award 2012 Nevada Film Festival Platinum Reel Award 2012 Interrobang Film Festival Best Free Form Film 2012 International Film Festival Antigua Barbuda Best Music Video 2012 Columbia Gorge International Film Festival Best Music Video 2012 Lucerne International Film Festival Platinum Reel Award 2012 Silicon Valley Film Festival Best Music Video 2012 International Film Festival of Cinematic Arts Best Editing 2012 Oregon Film Awards Best Short Film 2012 Accolade Competition Art Direction 2012 Rumschpringe International Short Film Festival Best Music Video 2012 One Cloudfest Best Music Video 2012 One Cloudfest Best Cinematography 2012 One Cloudfest OCF FAV 2013 Macon Film Festival Best Music Video 2013 Canada International Film Festival Rising Star Award 2013 Knickerbocker Film Festival Best Story 2013 Geneva Film Festival Best Narrative Short 2013 Charleston International Film Festival Best Film 2013 Honolulu Film Awards Aloha Accolade 2013 New Jersey Film Festival Best Short Film 2013 First Glance Film Festival Hollywood Best Director 2013 First Glance Film Festival Hollywood Audience Favorite 2013 First Glance Film Festival Philadelphia Best Music Video 2013 Portland Music Video Festival Silver Reel Award 2013 Indie Gathering Best Music Video 2013 Rochester International Film Festival Shoestring Trophy 2013 Rochester International Film Festival Best of Festival
Nominations and Official Selections Nominations and Official Selections Year Film Festival Country 2012 Raindance Film Festival 2012 Woodstock Film Festival 2012 New Orleans Film Festival 2012 San Diego Film Festival 2012 VisionFest 2012 Cornwall Film Festival 2012 Park City Music Film Festival 2012 Budapest Short Film Festival 2012 Take Two Film Festival 2012 New York City International Film Festival 2012 Artfest Film Festival 2012 Tucson Film & Music Festival 2012 Zero Film Festival 2012 Sacramento Film and Music Festival 2012 United Film Festival 2012 Great Lakes International Film Festival 2012 Cincinnati Film Festival 2013 Beloit International Film Festival 2013 Trail Dance Film Festival 2013 Sedona International Film Festival 2013 San Antonio Film Festival 2013 White Sands International Film Festival 2013 Action/Cut International Short Film Festival 2013 Action On Film International Film Festival 2013 Balinale International Film Festival 2013 Maverick Movie Awards 2013 Fantastic Fest 2013 Mill Valley Film Festival 2013 Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013 Pop Montreal 2013 Columbus International Film & Video Festival 2013 Bahamas International Film Festival 2014 Sonoma International Film Festival
Additional appearances
MTV Canada NME Current TV First Post IndieWire VH1 Country Music Television
References
External links