When the Wolf Comes Home - A BFA Thesis
Manhasset, New York | Film Short
Drama
In the few films that put fathers in motherly roles, none of them deal with a father taking an active role in more feminine tasks such as helping daughters with puberty. When the Wolf Comes Home is meant to challenge not only what it means to be a father, but also what it means to be a good parent.
When the Wolf Comes Home - A BFA Thesis
Manhasset, New York | Film Short
Drama

1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,325 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
40 supporters | followers
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In the few films that put fathers in motherly roles, none of them deal with a father taking an active role in more feminine tasks such as helping daughters with puberty. When the Wolf Comes Home is meant to challenge not only what it means to be a father, but also what it means to be a good parent.
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Andrew receives a call at work from his daughter’s school counselor asking him to come in. In this meeting, the counselor informs him of a concerning change in his daughter Sofia’s behavior. Sofia may be on a similar path to his wife Marilyn, who is struggling with depression. Andrew begins his mission to become a better father for his family, but will be become the father he always hoped he'd be?
A lot of this script was coming to terms with how I was raised, recognizing that even though I didn’t have the best home environment, I still had family members that loved me and stayed. When people talk about their parents, they sometimes fail to see that it’s impossible to perfectly parent, especially when they have their own issues to take care of. My hope with this film is to not only break down harmful gender roles on parents but that it will also break down the overall impossible expectations placed on parents.
While we have worked half a year on preproduction, there will always be potential challenges that may arise.
Our greatest challenge is getting fully funded. Our crew is jam-packed with talent, experience, and passion, but we are college students and must run a tight budget. Falling short in our funding would be very costly, especially to our director, Nicole Rinaldi. Also, our film will not achieve the level of quality that we would prefer without funding.
Another challenge is the weather, which can complicate outdoor shoots. Currently, rain is scheduled to happen on and off for some of our shoot days. Luckily almost all of our scenes take place indoors, which make for an easier time when dealing with rain.
Lastly, as it is the summer time we run the risk of crew dehydration on set. The weather is predicted to hit the high 80s at the location we are filming at. This is why we are so thankful to be sponsored by Talking Rain Beverage Company who will be providing us with 72 bottles of assorted sparkling waters!
Every donation, no matter how small, helps us reach our goal. We need to reach 80% of our goal, or we won't receive any of the pledge's donations. If you can't donate, please follow this campaign! If we reach 500 followers we can gain free submission to festivals such as Citizen Jane, and many other great perks that will help fund our film. If we reach 1,000 we could even get a free external drive! Every follow counts.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Travel Costs
Costs $420
Our crew is coming to Manhasset, NY from a range of places! Help us get to set!
Production Design
Costs $250
We want this film to look as beautiful as possible––Help us dress the set!
Marketing
Costs $250
Getting the word out about our film costs money. This will help get our project off the ground!
The Talent
Costs $625
Help to make this project the best we could, by covering expenses for our talented union actors!
Location Fees
Costs $200
Cover the costs for us to film our scenes in different locations.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $625
We will be renting amazing equipment to create a beautiful and dynamic look for our film!
Festival Fees
Costs $350
Help our film go places! Send this film to festivals to compete for awards!
Feed the Crew
Costs $475
Film sets are hard work. Help us make sure our team has the week's worth of energy they need!
Emergency Reserves
Costs $300
There are always unanticipated costs that come up while filming––help us cover for emergencies!
Graphic Art Expense
Costs $25
Fund our brand!––All our graphic art was created by the talented Wyatt Johnson!
Poster Expense
Costs $50
Cover the cost of our fabulous, original film poster designed by Abigail McIntosh.
About This Team
Nicole Rinaldi
Writer //Director
Nicole is a rising senior at Emerson College and is the youngest student to pursue a BFA in Visual Media Arts at the age of 19.
In high school, she trained under a Drama League Fellow, who also served on the judging panel for the Emmys, for four years. She was one of the first students at her high school to direct plays, and she went on to direct two One- Acts. She has also attended advanced directing and playwriting workshops at the NYS Theatre Education Association Conference. Now at Emerson, she’s gone on to make films using her extensive background in theatre. She worked at Boston Digital Productions, an Emmy winning production company in Boston, and she currently works at Emerson Productions. She’s worked on 20+ student film sets and has gone on to direct and write a handful of short films, her most recent being “I Will Find You.”
Half of Nicole’s playlist is musical theatre and she is still on the quest for the perfect milkshake when she is not making films. (The closest she’s come is the Argonaut diner in Yonkers)
This is her largest film to date with a story extremely personal to her, as many of the scenes are based on her memories, and she is beyond excited.
Anna Abbanat
Producer
Anna Abbanat is the Producer for the Bachelor of Fine Arts film, "When the Wolf Comes Home." As the Producer of this short film, Anna oversees all aspects of scheduling, budgeting, and planning for this film. "When the Wolf Comes Home" will be the fourth major Emerson film project that Anna has produced.
Anna is a rising junior at Emerson College studying Visual Media Arts. At Emerson, Anna is the Unit Manager for student-run production company, Emerson Independent Video (EIV) and the Treasurer for Women in Motion.
This film is of personal interest to Anna because recently lost her uncle as a result of mental illness and is interested in pursuing a project that deals with family struggles and complications revolving around a family member's battle with mental illness.
Anna and Nicole work very well together and Anna is cannot wait to get on set with Nicole and see the whole process really tie together!
Fun Fact: In her free time and when there’s a birthday, Anna bakes and decorates custom cakes and Anna was recently hired as an assistant pastry chef at Explorateur, a restaurant in Boston.
Ben Grant
Director of Photography
Ben Grant is the Director of Photography for the film “When The Wolf Comes Home.” As the DP, Ben will work closely with the director to interpret the script visually through lighting and camera work.
Ben is a full-time freelance cinematographer and camera operator and was recently featured in an article for Boston Voyager Magazine. He shoots everything from narratives, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. Drawn to more serious, meaningful subject matters, Ben was immediately hooked by Nicole’s project after reading the script. He is excited to collaborate with new crew members and help make this project come to life! Ben is an avid coffee drinker and is notorious for misplacing his water bottles.
Kevin Leahy
Score Composer
California native Kevin Leahy is currently a Berklee College of Music student pursuing a BA in Film Scoring as well as a minor in Video Game Scoring and Conducting. Before chasing a career in music, Kevin spent his high school years as international ice dancer for team USA. He traveled to France and Latvia for competitions before an injury ended his season and then decided that it was time to audition for music college. He is extremely excited to be writing the music for “When the Wolf Comes Home” since he believes that the film carries such an important message. Kevin has written and arranged music for other short films such as Hell Bent, Blue, Indies, In pieces, and many more. Kevin is beyond excited to work on this project!
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Andrew receives a call at work from his daughter’s school counselor asking him to come in. In this meeting, the counselor informs him of a concerning change in his daughter Sofia’s behavior. Sofia may be on a similar path to his wife Marilyn, who is struggling with depression. Andrew begins his mission to become a better father for his family, but will be become the father he always hoped he'd be?
A lot of this script was coming to terms with how I was raised, recognizing that even though I didn’t have the best home environment, I still had family members that loved me and stayed. When people talk about their parents, they sometimes fail to see that it’s impossible to perfectly parent, especially when they have their own issues to take care of. My hope with this film is to not only break down harmful gender roles on parents but that it will also break down the overall impossible expectations placed on parents.
While we have worked half a year on preproduction, there will always be potential challenges that may arise.
Our greatest challenge is getting fully funded. Our crew is jam-packed with talent, experience, and passion, but we are college students and must run a tight budget. Falling short in our funding would be very costly, especially to our director, Nicole Rinaldi. Also, our film will not achieve the level of quality that we would prefer without funding.
Another challenge is the weather, which can complicate outdoor shoots. Currently, rain is scheduled to happen on and off for some of our shoot days. Luckily almost all of our scenes take place indoors, which make for an easier time when dealing with rain.
Lastly, as it is the summer time we run the risk of crew dehydration on set. The weather is predicted to hit the high 80s at the location we are filming at. This is why we are so thankful to be sponsored by Talking Rain Beverage Company who will be providing us with 72 bottles of assorted sparkling waters!
Every donation, no matter how small, helps us reach our goal. We need to reach 80% of our goal, or we won't receive any of the pledge's donations. If you can't donate, please follow this campaign! If we reach 500 followers we can gain free submission to festivals such as Citizen Jane, and many other great perks that will help fund our film. If we reach 1,000 we could even get a free external drive! Every follow counts.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Travel Costs
Costs $420
Our crew is coming to Manhasset, NY from a range of places! Help us get to set!
Production Design
Costs $250
We want this film to look as beautiful as possible––Help us dress the set!
Marketing
Costs $250
Getting the word out about our film costs money. This will help get our project off the ground!
The Talent
Costs $625
Help to make this project the best we could, by covering expenses for our talented union actors!
Location Fees
Costs $200
Cover the costs for us to film our scenes in different locations.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $625
We will be renting amazing equipment to create a beautiful and dynamic look for our film!
Festival Fees
Costs $350
Help our film go places! Send this film to festivals to compete for awards!
Feed the Crew
Costs $475
Film sets are hard work. Help us make sure our team has the week's worth of energy they need!
Emergency Reserves
Costs $300
There are always unanticipated costs that come up while filming––help us cover for emergencies!
Graphic Art Expense
Costs $25
Fund our brand!––All our graphic art was created by the talented Wyatt Johnson!
Poster Expense
Costs $50
Cover the cost of our fabulous, original film poster designed by Abigail McIntosh.
About This Team
Nicole Rinaldi
Writer //Director
Nicole is a rising senior at Emerson College and is the youngest student to pursue a BFA in Visual Media Arts at the age of 19.
In high school, she trained under a Drama League Fellow, who also served on the judging panel for the Emmys, for four years. She was one of the first students at her high school to direct plays, and she went on to direct two One- Acts. She has also attended advanced directing and playwriting workshops at the NYS Theatre Education Association Conference. Now at Emerson, she’s gone on to make films using her extensive background in theatre. She worked at Boston Digital Productions, an Emmy winning production company in Boston, and she currently works at Emerson Productions. She’s worked on 20+ student film sets and has gone on to direct and write a handful of short films, her most recent being “I Will Find You.”
Half of Nicole’s playlist is musical theatre and she is still on the quest for the perfect milkshake when she is not making films. (The closest she’s come is the Argonaut diner in Yonkers)
This is her largest film to date with a story extremely personal to her, as many of the scenes are based on her memories, and she is beyond excited.
Anna Abbanat
Producer
Anna Abbanat is the Producer for the Bachelor of Fine Arts film, "When the Wolf Comes Home." As the Producer of this short film, Anna oversees all aspects of scheduling, budgeting, and planning for this film. "When the Wolf Comes Home" will be the fourth major Emerson film project that Anna has produced.
Anna is a rising junior at Emerson College studying Visual Media Arts. At Emerson, Anna is the Unit Manager for student-run production company, Emerson Independent Video (EIV) and the Treasurer for Women in Motion.
This film is of personal interest to Anna because recently lost her uncle as a result of mental illness and is interested in pursuing a project that deals with family struggles and complications revolving around a family member's battle with mental illness.
Anna and Nicole work very well together and Anna is cannot wait to get on set with Nicole and see the whole process really tie together!
Fun Fact: In her free time and when there’s a birthday, Anna bakes and decorates custom cakes and Anna was recently hired as an assistant pastry chef at Explorateur, a restaurant in Boston.
Ben Grant
Director of Photography
Ben Grant is the Director of Photography for the film “When The Wolf Comes Home.” As the DP, Ben will work closely with the director to interpret the script visually through lighting and camera work.
Ben is a full-time freelance cinematographer and camera operator and was recently featured in an article for Boston Voyager Magazine. He shoots everything from narratives, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. Drawn to more serious, meaningful subject matters, Ben was immediately hooked by Nicole’s project after reading the script. He is excited to collaborate with new crew members and help make this project come to life! Ben is an avid coffee drinker and is notorious for misplacing his water bottles.
Kevin Leahy
Score Composer
California native Kevin Leahy is currently a Berklee College of Music student pursuing a BA in Film Scoring as well as a minor in Video Game Scoring and Conducting. Before chasing a career in music, Kevin spent his high school years as international ice dancer for team USA. He traveled to France and Latvia for competitions before an injury ended his season and then decided that it was time to audition for music college. He is extremely excited to be writing the music for “When the Wolf Comes Home” since he believes that the film carries such an important message. Kevin has written and arranged music for other short films such as Hell Bent, Blue, Indies, In pieces, and many more. Kevin is beyond excited to work on this project!