I'm making my first feature! (But really this time)

[u/Salty-Relief]

I posted on here about 3 years ago when I was previously "about to make a feature". As many here probably know, things happen, money didn't happen, and that project fell apart.

Well, I'm back, and this time it's ACTUALLY happening. We start shooting in 1 week!

I got tired of trying to convince investors to fund a project, so I pooled a micro budget from my savings along with support from my wife and a close friend to make my first feature film, which stars Whitney Moore and Laura Bailey of Critical Role! I am directing it from an original script that I wrote.

It's a contained horror film called "The Devil Downstairs". Logline: A struggling artist rents out her basement to an elderly tenant for quick cash—but after the tenant’s sudden death, she starts to believe something else has moved in.

Follow the link(s) to find our film's Instagram page and follow us to stay up to date with our journey to create this cool, creepy movie!

This is a completely independent film. It is self-funded and crewed by my friends and colleagues whom I've worked with over the past 20 years. We've built a profit-sharing system within the project's layout so that if it's a success, everyone involved wins. We start filming in Los Angeles at the end of the month and will be wrapped by Thanksgiving (15 days total in that stretch). We'll be submitting to festivals next year and, from there, figuring out how to get this project out for the world to see!

I'll come back to post on here as often as I can, but for the quickest updates, please follow our Instagram Page.

Hit me with any questions or comments along the way!

I'm thrilled to finally be doing this. I have an incredible support system in my crew and cast, and we're all psyched to be putting something awesome out into the world. Can't wait to share it with you all!

[u/Salty-Relief]

This has been a long journey to get to this point (I'll turn 38 while we're in post-production). I am painfully aware of the risks of self-financing, and I would never do it if it meant risking my livelihood. I am lucky to have enough savings (and no children) to take this leap.

None of this would be possible without the network of collaborators I've built over my twenty years working in this industry. I have many incredibly talented friends who are lending their skills and equipment to this project for pennies on the dollar.

The cast is comprised of people I've worked close to in the past decade and who bring their own expertise and audience to this film. When they say "it takes a village," they really mean it. I'm honored to have every one of the cast and crew on board for this journey.

[u/DementiumFilm]

Congratulations!! I know exactly how exciting (and terrifying) this moment is.

I directed and produced my first feature, DEMENTIUM, which we released this August through Freestyle Digital Media. It’s also an independently financed horror film, and we relied heavily on the relationships and goodwill we’d built over years of working in the industry to get it made.

What really caught my attention about your post was the crew profit-sharing structure. We did something similar, treating contributed labor and equipment as investments in the film and building a revenue waterfall that gives our cast and crew a contractual stake in its financial success. We ultimately ended up with 84 participants.

I’m a huge believer that independent filmmaking needs to find ways to create genuine ownership opportunities for the people doing the work, ideally alongside great upfront compensation rather than as a substitute for it.
I’m curious how you’ve structured your profit-sharing arrangement. Is it based on individual contributions, equal participation, or something else? It’s something I’m always interested in comparing notes on with other filmmakers.

One piece of encouragement from the other side: getting the film shot is an incredible milestone, but getting it finished and out into the world is its own adventure. Our post process took about 18 months, and finding distribution was another journey entirely.

Really excited for you. The premise sounds great, and the fact that you’ve assembled a team of longtime collaborators who believe in the project is a tremendous asset. Wishing you an awesome shoot!