Late Blooming
Hamilton, Canada | Film Short
Comedy
Jane, a 25 year old woman, learns in a conversation with her father that women masturbate. With the help of her more “experienced” friends, she embarks on a journey of self love & discovery in an uncomfortably sex positive world. Think Juno crossed with Sex Education, and Frances Ha.
Green Light
This campaign raised C$10,354 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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Jane, a 25 year old woman, learns in a conversation with her father that women masturbate. With the help of her more “experienced” friends, she embarks on a journey of self love & discovery in an uncomfortably sex positive world. Think Juno crossed with Sex Education, and Frances Ha.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Jane, a 25 year old woman, learns in a conversation with her father that women masturbate. With the help of her more “experienced” friends, she embarks on a journey of self love & discovery in an uncomfortably sex positive world.
All flowers bloom in spring. Some just haven't got the memo yet.
Why this?
Everyone is late blooming in something. We all put limits on our selves in an already limiting world. We all have something that makes us feel a little behind, or weird, or boxed in.
For me, it was not knowing that women touch themselves.
This movie is not about masturbation but its not NOT about masturbation. Late Blooming is about the conflicting pressures that people with vaginas feel about enjoying themselves. I want to share this story on screen because this story would have been very helpful in navigating layers of shame and awkwardness in my own coming of age. Not to mention every time I tell this story a third of the listeners whisper "SAME!!!" and express their own urgent need to see this film.
As a millennial woman, I grew up inundated with representations of men's pleasure (movies, ads, tv, comedy culture). In many of the movies I watched, and still today, women are depicted as objects for the pleasure of men. We know why this is dangerous. Where were all the women having a good time? How can we be what we can't see? That's why we need to make this funny accessible short. I want folks to know they have options and that they don't have to feel behind if they are new to physical or emotional self-love.
I firmly believe that frank, honest, and funny stories about our bodies go a long way towards self-empowerment and confidence. Embrace what makes you weird, because it's better to be late than to never come at all.
I'm Laura Welch, I'm the Screenwriter, Director and a Producer for Late Blooming. I wrote this piece because I am a late bloomer (or at least I feel like I am). In many of the facets of my life I take the scenic route. The road less travelled if you will. I'm in my early thirties embarking on my first short film as a writer.
This story is based loosely after my own experience and I began writing the screenplay as a part of Nightwood Theatre's Creatryx writing group. For eight, weeks I developed this script and story in this online writers' room of women and gender-expansive creators. Folks were taken by this story, surprised I wanted to tell it, but delighted that someone wanted to explore this secretly universal subject.
My creative work in Theatre and in the world is always based in bodies. I've been working the last three years on a collectively created play about Fertility with my theatre company Light Echo Theatre. I have been a movement teacher for over nearly a decade. I am continually inspired by the human experience as felt through our bodies.
Emma Stone won Best Actress at the Oscars for the portrayal of a woman without shame, who openly explores self-pleasure and sexuality. I think the world is finally ready for stories like Late Blooming. The cultural conversation around women's pleasure is shifting. I think we are moving past a critical roadblock related to self pleasure being demonized but there is more work to do (see rating systems discrepancies between men and women's pleasure here). We are also in a cultural and political climate that is looking to rob women of our right to healthcare, self-determination, privacy and general rights over our own bodies through abortion bans. Now is the time to strengthen our ownership of lives, our bodies, our choices, and our pleasure. And what better way to do it then through a little comedy!
This fundraising campaign will result in a moving, timely and hilarious short that will debut at the Hamilton Film Festival and will have a life beyond in touring and distribution. Our script is full developed, the team is assembled and casting is underway. All we need is your help!
Flowers and Colour
Jane and all her friends work at a flower shop. The colour and vibrancy of the world around Jane outshines her subdued nature. She is the last of the flowers to bloom metaphorically. (but not in a cringey "chicken soup for the soul" way).
Comparables:
Juno: The dialogue is stylistically quirky. And visually the world is bright and warm.
Shrill: I'm inspired by the general cinematography in this series as well as the tone.
Sex Education: The world is bright and modern. It's similar in that it is about an outsider learning more about sexual health. Sex education also has strong friendships that guide the learning.
Comparables for tone:
Frances Ha: Our main character Jane has a similar awkward, brave, sincere, and understated quality that the Greta Gerwig's Frances Ha has.
Fleabag: The some of the characters around Jane are bold, dry, and irreverent like the characters characters in Fleabag.
Paying Artists and Creatives is a key value of mine as Producer and Arts Community member. All of our cast will be hired and paid under and ACTRA contract. The budget represented in this Seed & Spark campaign is for all phases of this project. Part of our budget is generously covered by a grant through the Hamilton City Enrichment Fund!
If we surpass our fundraising goal, we will pay our key creatives more and bump up our production design budget! More money means more appreciation for our artists!
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Pre-Production and Production Budget
Talent: $2180
Crew: $2200
Production: $1900
Equipment: $671
Insurance, Permits and Craft Services: $1924
Total Fundraising $9375.00
Thank you for pledging to/sharing this campaign! Tell your friends and follow along on this wild ride! We are so pleased you came to our campaign. :)
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services for our team during our two day shoot!
Costs C$500
Help us feed twenty five people. Funds for craft from Pinch Bakery in Hamilton!
Fresh Flowers and Props for a flower shop
Costs C$500
We have a scene in a flower shop and fresh flowers on the day will help us build the colour world of the movie. Funds for or in kind!
Talent
Costs C$2,180
Our movie will not exist without our wonderful Actors! Plus we are paying them under union (ACTRA) contracts!
Crew
Costs C$2,200
We want this film to be very beautiful. This means hiring professional crew to help light, and set up the shots!
Equipment
Costs C$671
To catch film anything you need cameras and electricity and to make it look nice its helpful to have the right lenses and sound equipment.
Permits and Insurance
Costs C$1,424
To make sure everything is on the up and up and no neighbours or bystanders can halt production
Production Costs
Costs C$1,900
We are talking wardrobe, locations, hair and makeup and the people in charge of them. Also paying our producers!
Cash Pledge
Costs C$0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Light Echo is a company composed of established local artists known for creating dynamic feminist theatre in the Golden Horseshoe and is excited to produce this film. Many of our founding artists and collaborators have decades of experience in their specialized disciplines. Our collective provides opportunities for these artists to also work in new disciplines, allowing each member to have their artistic voice heard and represented in our work. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for Hamilton artists to be paid to work in their own city, to spread their creativity, and build new skills. We envision a future where our stories go beyond stereotypes, shallow tropes, and express the full spectrum of our emotional experiences all while strengthening and continuing to diversify our local artistic ecology. This ten minute comedic short will be shot in Hamilton using local talent under an ACTRA contract with paid professional crew.
Director, Writer, Actor, Laura Welch participated in LOFT’s inaugural filmmakers Cohort attending workshops and industry skill building events. She has taught with the Hamont Acting Studio and is an accomplished playwright, performer and comedian. She regularly performs sketch and improv in Hamilton with FARTS Comedy. She has been a proud ACTRA member for over a decade and a new member of WIFT (Women of Film and Television Toronto).
Bonjibon will provide sex positive props and set decoration for our film.
Whitney McMeekin at Girl on the Wing will be providing wardrobe and one of our locations.
Cast:
- Laura Welch as Jane
- Christopher Stanton as Dad
- Trish Masters as Joy
- Melissa Murray-Mutch as Doris
- Audrey Clairman as Shocked Customer 1
- Shanice Bowrin as Shocked Customer 2
- Additional two roles to be cast
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Jane, a 25 year old woman, learns in a conversation with her father that women masturbate. With the help of her more “experienced” friends, she embarks on a journey of self love & discovery in an uncomfortably sex positive world.
All flowers bloom in spring. Some just haven't got the memo yet.
Why this?
Everyone is late blooming in something. We all put limits on our selves in an already limiting world. We all have something that makes us feel a little behind, or weird, or boxed in.
For me, it was not knowing that women touch themselves.
This movie is not about masturbation but its not NOT about masturbation. Late Blooming is about the conflicting pressures that people with vaginas feel about enjoying themselves. I want to share this story on screen because this story would have been very helpful in navigating layers of shame and awkwardness in my own coming of age. Not to mention every time I tell this story a third of the listeners whisper "SAME!!!" and express their own urgent need to see this film.
As a millennial woman, I grew up inundated with representations of men's pleasure (movies, ads, tv, comedy culture). In many of the movies I watched, and still today, women are depicted as objects for the pleasure of men. We know why this is dangerous. Where were all the women having a good time? How can we be what we can't see? That's why we need to make this funny accessible short. I want folks to know they have options and that they don't have to feel behind if they are new to physical or emotional self-love.
I firmly believe that frank, honest, and funny stories about our bodies go a long way towards self-empowerment and confidence. Embrace what makes you weird, because it's better to be late than to never come at all.
I'm Laura Welch, I'm the Screenwriter, Director and a Producer for Late Blooming. I wrote this piece because I am a late bloomer (or at least I feel like I am). In many of the facets of my life I take the scenic route. The road less travelled if you will. I'm in my early thirties embarking on my first short film as a writer.
This story is based loosely after my own experience and I began writing the screenplay as a part of Nightwood Theatre's Creatryx writing group. For eight, weeks I developed this script and story in this online writers' room of women and gender-expansive creators. Folks were taken by this story, surprised I wanted to tell it, but delighted that someone wanted to explore this secretly universal subject.
My creative work in Theatre and in the world is always based in bodies. I've been working the last three years on a collectively created play about Fertility with my theatre company Light Echo Theatre. I have been a movement teacher for over nearly a decade. I am continually inspired by the human experience as felt through our bodies.
Emma Stone won Best Actress at the Oscars for the portrayal of a woman without shame, who openly explores self-pleasure and sexuality. I think the world is finally ready for stories like Late Blooming. The cultural conversation around women's pleasure is shifting. I think we are moving past a critical roadblock related to self pleasure being demonized but there is more work to do (see rating systems discrepancies between men and women's pleasure here). We are also in a cultural and political climate that is looking to rob women of our right to healthcare, self-determination, privacy and general rights over our own bodies through abortion bans. Now is the time to strengthen our ownership of lives, our bodies, our choices, and our pleasure. And what better way to do it then through a little comedy!
This fundraising campaign will result in a moving, timely and hilarious short that will debut at the Hamilton Film Festival and will have a life beyond in touring and distribution. Our script is full developed, the team is assembled and casting is underway. All we need is your help!
Flowers and Colour
Jane and all her friends work at a flower shop. The colour and vibrancy of the world around Jane outshines her subdued nature. She is the last of the flowers to bloom metaphorically. (but not in a cringey "chicken soup for the soul" way).
Comparables:
Juno: The dialogue is stylistically quirky. And visually the world is bright and warm.
Shrill: I'm inspired by the general cinematography in this series as well as the tone.
Sex Education: The world is bright and modern. It's similar in that it is about an outsider learning more about sexual health. Sex education also has strong friendships that guide the learning.
Comparables for tone:
Frances Ha: Our main character Jane has a similar awkward, brave, sincere, and understated quality that the Greta Gerwig's Frances Ha has.
Fleabag: The some of the characters around Jane are bold, dry, and irreverent like the characters characters in Fleabag.
Paying Artists and Creatives is a key value of mine as Producer and Arts Community member. All of our cast will be hired and paid under and ACTRA contract. The budget represented in this Seed & Spark campaign is for all phases of this project. Part of our budget is generously covered by a grant through the Hamilton City Enrichment Fund!
If we surpass our fundraising goal, we will pay our key creatives more and bump up our production design budget! More money means more appreciation for our artists!
Pre-Production and Production Budget
Talent: $2180
Crew: $2200
Production: $1900
Equipment: $671
Insurance, Permits and Craft Services: $1924
Total Fundraising $9375.00
Thank you for pledging to/sharing this campaign! Tell your friends and follow along on this wild ride! We are so pleased you came to our campaign. :)
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services for our team during our two day shoot!
Costs C$500
Help us feed twenty five people. Funds for craft from Pinch Bakery in Hamilton!
Fresh Flowers and Props for a flower shop
Costs C$500
We have a scene in a flower shop and fresh flowers on the day will help us build the colour world of the movie. Funds for or in kind!
Talent
Costs C$2,180
Our movie will not exist without our wonderful Actors! Plus we are paying them under union (ACTRA) contracts!
Crew
Costs C$2,200
We want this film to be very beautiful. This means hiring professional crew to help light, and set up the shots!
Equipment
Costs C$671
To catch film anything you need cameras and electricity and to make it look nice its helpful to have the right lenses and sound equipment.
Permits and Insurance
Costs C$1,424
To make sure everything is on the up and up and no neighbours or bystanders can halt production
Production Costs
Costs C$1,900
We are talking wardrobe, locations, hair and makeup and the people in charge of them. Also paying our producers!
Cash Pledge
Costs C$0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Light Echo is a company composed of established local artists known for creating dynamic feminist theatre in the Golden Horseshoe and is excited to produce this film. Many of our founding artists and collaborators have decades of experience in their specialized disciplines. Our collective provides opportunities for these artists to also work in new disciplines, allowing each member to have their artistic voice heard and represented in our work. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for Hamilton artists to be paid to work in their own city, to spread their creativity, and build new skills. We envision a future where our stories go beyond stereotypes, shallow tropes, and express the full spectrum of our emotional experiences all while strengthening and continuing to diversify our local artistic ecology. This ten minute comedic short will be shot in Hamilton using local talent under an ACTRA contract with paid professional crew.
Director, Writer, Actor, Laura Welch participated in LOFT’s inaugural filmmakers Cohort attending workshops and industry skill building events. She has taught with the Hamont Acting Studio and is an accomplished playwright, performer and comedian. She regularly performs sketch and improv in Hamilton with FARTS Comedy. She has been a proud ACTRA member for over a decade and a new member of WIFT (Women of Film and Television Toronto).
Bonjibon will provide sex positive props and set decoration for our film.
Whitney McMeekin at Girl on the Wing will be providing wardrobe and one of our locations.
Cast:
- Laura Welch as Jane
- Christopher Stanton as Dad
- Trish Masters as Joy
- Melissa Murray-Mutch as Doris
- Audrey Clairman as Shocked Customer 1
- Shanice Bowrin as Shocked Customer 2
- Additional two roles to be cast