Sam And I
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Drama, Teen
Sam is a lonely Chinese-American boy in Louisiana who uses comics to cope with bullying at school and family pressures at home. When his grandfather visits with a mysterious, rotting leg, Sam draws his secretive wartime story to uncover the truth and soon discovers that telling it heals them both.
Sam And I
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Drama, Teen
63 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$16,139
Goal: $20,000 for production
Sam is a lonely Chinese-American boy in Louisiana who uses comics to cope with bullying at school and family pressures at home. When his grandfather visits with a mysterious, rotting leg, Sam draws his secretive wartime story to uncover the truth and soon discovers that telling it heals them both.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
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Mission Statement
The Story
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Sam is 12 years old, Chinese American, and lives in Louisiana. Right at the brink of puberty with hormones out of this world, he exists in a space between two worlds, and, unfortunately, he belongs fully to neither. He uses self-deprecating jokes to try to get the kids to like him, and most importantly, his crush. At home, his parents desperately try to help him hold onto a culture he mostly experiences as a source of pressure.
Conceptual Image of Sam's Bedroom
Sam can belong in one place: his sketchbooks. He’s been filling multiple of them up with wacky comics about evil bunnies and giant worms. Now that Sam is super old and totally mature, he’s sick of drawing comics about silly things… which leads him to have no idea about what to draw at all. That’s until his grandfather arrives from Zhejiang, China, with a mysteriously injured leg wrapped in a cast that absolutely no one will explain. Sam’s mother says it's best not to ask. Sam doesn't care; he asks anyway, using his art.
What follows is a story about what happens when that very 12-year-old boy sits down with an old man, a sketchbook, a translating app (Sam’s Chinese is AWFUL), and refuses to let a secret die with the person carrying it.
Sam & I is a film with two stories set in their own world.
Shot in Live Action, Sam's present-day story takes place in Louisiana, with its hot summers, beautiful swamps, amazing beignets… and mosquitoes. In this world, you’ll find Sam, constantly drawing, whether it be at his middle school or alone at his desk at night.
Moodboard Images Are Taken From External Sources
But when Sam begins drawing his Grandfather’s story, the film shifts into animated sequences that reflect Sam’s art style, bringing his grandfather’s past to life.
These animated sequences follow Zhu Yun, Sam’s grandfather, as a 15-year-old boy in Yi Wu, Zhejiang, China, in the 1940s. We follow him: a farm boy who leaves his home to join the war, only to come back with something that will haunt him forever.
Animated Sequences - Concept Art
Concept Art of Zhu Yun (pictured right) in Zhejiang
Concept Art of a War-torn village
Just like the concept art, all animation will be hand-drawn, either digitally or traditionally. That means NO AI.
All drawn elements seen (e.g., concept art) are created by Eric Zhu.
Sam & I was inspired by elements from my own personal story. Like Sam, I grew up Chinese-American in Louisiana, and like Sam, I loved to draw comics. I also had a grandfather who grew up in Zhejiang, who carried a rotting and mysterious leg that nobody could fully understand, something he carried his entire life.
By including Sam’s grandfather in the story, I hope to shine a light on a piece of history I never learned or heard about: the rotting legs in Zhejiang. I hope that by telling this story, more people will become interested in something that has negatively impacted the lives of not just my family but many, many others.
Growing up Chinese American, I would face the struggles of never satisfying my parents. However, I always had art by my side, being able to use it to express myself, no matter the language.
You don’t have to be Chinese American to understand Sam. Sam’s experiences are emotionally universal, from his longing to belong, first crushes, and, of course, puberty. Middle school has to be one of the worst times of childhood - that messy part about transitioning to adolescence, something none of us were ever prepared for.
Creating films is a hard, expensive, group effort - and we need your help.
Sam & I is ultimately an indie hybrid of live action and animation. The set goal of $25,000 accounts for production costs for the live action sector, and here’s where that money goes:
- Cast & Crew – and feeding them of course!
- Equipment
- Locations
- Props and Set Dressing
Where the money goes.
Our stretch goal is $32,000. With the extra 7,000, we can fully cover post-production costs such as the score and sound mixer, and provide a quicker animation turnaround. (More animators=less work!)
Our high-end budget is $40,000, which will cover high-end production and post-production. That will allow extra filming days, better film gear, improved post-production, and faster animation production, so you can see the film we believe you deserve sooner.
Sam & I is the story of a lonely Chinese American boy who uses humor and art to navigate the challenges of adolescence and his culture. It is a story about growing up fully American while inheriting a story you were never told, which helps you realize where you come from. Sam & I will ultimately shine a light on the rarely seen experience of adolescence as an Asian American and on a piece of Chinese history that isn't talked about enough.
We hope this film will inspire more Asian American stories on the big screen and shed light on the importance of intergenerational stories and their risk of being lost. Help us make this vision happen!
Lastly, with all the AI slop in our world right now, we hope this is the kind of human-made art that reminds us why art is so important to us in the first place.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera
Costs $5,000
You can't make a film without a camera! This will cover rental costs and equipment costs in camera department.
Production Design
Costs $1,000
Art, Sets, Clothes, everything that makes the movie look cool.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Talented Team:
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Sam is 12 years old, Chinese American, and lives in Louisiana. Right at the brink of puberty with hormones out of this world, he exists in a space between two worlds, and, unfortunately, he belongs fully to neither. He uses self-deprecating jokes to try to get the kids to like him, and most importantly, his crush. At home, his parents desperately try to help him hold onto a culture he mostly experiences as a source of pressure.
Conceptual Image of Sam's Bedroom
Sam can belong in one place: his sketchbooks. He’s been filling multiple of them up with wacky comics about evil bunnies and giant worms. Now that Sam is super old and totally mature, he’s sick of drawing comics about silly things… which leads him to have no idea about what to draw at all. That’s until his grandfather arrives from Zhejiang, China, with a mysteriously injured leg wrapped in a cast that absolutely no one will explain. Sam’s mother says it's best not to ask. Sam doesn't care; he asks anyway, using his art.
What follows is a story about what happens when that very 12-year-old boy sits down with an old man, a sketchbook, a translating app (Sam’s Chinese is AWFUL), and refuses to let a secret die with the person carrying it.
Sam & I is a film with two stories set in their own world.
Shot in Live Action, Sam's present-day story takes place in Louisiana, with its hot summers, beautiful swamps, amazing beignets… and mosquitoes. In this world, you’ll find Sam, constantly drawing, whether it be at his middle school or alone at his desk at night.
Moodboard Images Are Taken From External Sources
But when Sam begins drawing his Grandfather’s story, the film shifts into animated sequences that reflect Sam’s art style, bringing his grandfather’s past to life.
These animated sequences follow Zhu Yun, Sam’s grandfather, as a 15-year-old boy in Yi Wu, Zhejiang, China, in the 1940s. We follow him: a farm boy who leaves his home to join the war, only to come back with something that will haunt him forever.
Animated Sequences - Concept Art
Concept Art of Zhu Yun (pictured right) in Zhejiang
Concept Art of a War-torn village
Just like the concept art, all animation will be hand-drawn, either digitally or traditionally. That means NO AI.
All drawn elements seen (e.g., concept art) are created by Eric Zhu.
Sam & I was inspired by elements from my own personal story. Like Sam, I grew up Chinese-American in Louisiana, and like Sam, I loved to draw comics. I also had a grandfather who grew up in Zhejiang, who carried a rotting and mysterious leg that nobody could fully understand, something he carried his entire life.
By including Sam’s grandfather in the story, I hope to shine a light on a piece of history I never learned or heard about: the rotting legs in Zhejiang. I hope that by telling this story, more people will become interested in something that has negatively impacted the lives of not just my family but many, many others.
Growing up Chinese American, I would face the struggles of never satisfying my parents. However, I always had art by my side, being able to use it to express myself, no matter the language.
You don’t have to be Chinese American to understand Sam. Sam’s experiences are emotionally universal, from his longing to belong, first crushes, and, of course, puberty. Middle school has to be one of the worst times of childhood - that messy part about transitioning to adolescence, something none of us were ever prepared for.
Creating films is a hard, expensive, group effort - and we need your help.
Sam & I is ultimately an indie hybrid of live action and animation. The set goal of $25,000 accounts for production costs for the live action sector, and here’s where that money goes:
- Cast & Crew – and feeding them of course!
- Equipment
- Locations
- Props and Set Dressing
Where the money goes.
Our stretch goal is $32,000. With the extra 7,000, we can fully cover post-production costs such as the score and sound mixer, and provide a quicker animation turnaround. (More animators=less work!)
Our high-end budget is $40,000, which will cover high-end production and post-production. That will allow extra filming days, better film gear, improved post-production, and faster animation production, so you can see the film we believe you deserve sooner.
Sam & I is the story of a lonely Chinese American boy who uses humor and art to navigate the challenges of adolescence and his culture. It is a story about growing up fully American while inheriting a story you were never told, which helps you realize where you come from. Sam & I will ultimately shine a light on the rarely seen experience of adolescence as an Asian American and on a piece of Chinese history that isn't talked about enough.
We hope this film will inspire more Asian American stories on the big screen and shed light on the importance of intergenerational stories and their risk of being lost. Help us make this vision happen!
Lastly, with all the AI slop in our world right now, we hope this is the kind of human-made art that reminds us why art is so important to us in the first place.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera
Costs $5,000
You can't make a film without a camera! This will cover rental costs and equipment costs in camera department.
Production Design
Costs $1,000
Art, Sets, Clothes, everything that makes the movie look cool.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Talented Team: