‘It’s a story about how to move forward’
Waverly filmmakers use town as a backdrop for upcoming web series
WAVERLY – As kids, two Waverly natives utilized friends, family and their church to tell the stories they hoped to see on screen.
After moving to Waverly in the sixth grade, Ben Evory met Jennifer Prewitt and the pair became fast friends. In the small town, the two creatives developed a bond over storytelling and began working on various projects together. Now, college graduates, they've returned to their hometown to tell a more personal story that touches on sexuality, faith and family.
Their web series, “Sheltered” explores the relationship between a gay teenager and his father when he returns to his protestant church after a year of college. The story, which is set in modern Appalachia, was partly inspired by Evory's own experiences.
“Appalachia is a region, not a genre. It's diverse. There's not one particular story or takeaway that our community has about this place. Film is a great medium for showing how the same place can look through a different lens,” he said.
After Evory's father completed seminary school, his family settled in Stockport, a small village about 93 miles southeast of Columbus.
When he was about 11, they moved to Waverly. The change in population from 500 to 5,000 made Evory feel like he was living in a big city and overall, it was a positive environment.
In school, he befriended Prewitt and became involved with the local theater and church communities. As the pastor's son, he had access to the church for its venue, resources and technology. A place of worship, the community already gathered there but Evory hoped to bring them together creatively, too.
He and Prewitt connected over stories they'd written and often worked together on creative projects. They agree it was a privilege to utilize the church's equipment as they couldn't afford their own and credit its support for their future success.
While they were in middle school, the duo started becoming more serious about their work. The kids were scrappy, determined to achieve their goals, and
through their efforts gained experience in pitching, managing and producing.
“If I didn't have that building or that community, when would I have fallen into film?” he said. Prewitt added, “There's something special about having a venue where people gather to see your work.”
A member of the United Methodist Church, Evory recalls that his church was more progressive in the area compared to others. He never heard any sermons discussing homosexuality as a sin and believed in the message of free will.
Evory started questioning his own sexuality in middle school but waited until he was a sophomore to come out to his parents – the first people he told. It wasn't something they ever really talked about until after graduation, and Evory started college at Wright State University openly gay. Prewitt went on to attend The Ohio State University.
After earning his degree, Evory worked on film gigs and independent
projects in Dayton that primarily focused on documentary work.
Seeking a way to make an impact and inspired by the social justice movement of last summer, Evory pursued his own story with the help of Prewitt and their creative team.
The six-episode web series was shot in Waverly in early August and follows the story of Nathan across “a summer of music, romance, and questioning as he builds his own relationship to his father's faith.” It's not a tale about Christianity or queerness but a coming of age journey that explores taking ownership of your beliefs.
“It's a story about how to move forward,” Evory said. One of his main focuses was showing how two men can have a positive relationship rooted in empathy.
It was also important to both Evory and Prewitt that the series be filmed in their hometown to provide authenticity to the sense of place and because they wanted to give a positive portrayal to the
town.
With filming complete, the next three to four months will be spent editing the series. By the fall, they hope to finalize a community screening tour. In the spring, Evory hopes to take over on the distribution side.
The first phase would be entering “Sheltered” into festivals or competitions and eventually moving onto screenings with community partners. The final phase would come in the summer with a worldwide release online.
The pair hope that the series can be used as an effective tool for outreach as well as entertainment.
“We want to be part of something that shows real life,” Prewitt said.
For more information about the series or to stay up to date with the progress of “Sheltered,” please visit https:// www.facebook.com/shelteredseries.
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