INVEST
min $100
120% of Principal + 40% of Net Profits
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Meet us on Zoom! ----> https://calendly.com/seancethefilm
We are very excited to be back on WeFunder to raise the post-production and finishing funds for our second feature film, SÉANCE! 🏚️ 👻🕸🕷🦇
OUR WORK
🎥 Our first feature film, SCRAP, was successfully financed right here on WeFunder, and shot in August of 2021.
SCRAP world premiered in competition at the prestigious Deauville-American Film Festival in France in September 2022.
We have built a stellar reputation in a short period of time for our professionalism and taste. Here are some of the incredible reviews SCRAP has received so far:
Check out more of our SCRAP reviews here!
SCRAP had its North American premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in early March, and recently screened at the Phoenix Film Festival where it won a Special Achievement in Acting Award for Vivian Kerr, at the Julien Dubuque Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Cast Ensemble, and at the Micheaux Film Festival, where it won both Best Actress and Best Cinematography.
Which brings us to our second feature film…
...a spooky, 1890s-set Victorian Gothic thriller!
Logline
A Victorian woman contemplating adultery is forced to take refuge from a storm at the home of her potential lover and his unstable wife, who claims to be haunted by their dead child.
Setting
California. The seaside. 1892.
The Characters
"Emma" - A successful professional writer. Married to Albert, a slightly younger man and budding artist. Formerly married to George, on vacation with Albert by the seaside. Passionate, intelligent, a bit selfish, contemplating an affair with George.
"Albert" - A talented, yet unknown artist; his muse is his wife, Emma, a slightly older woman who very much “wears the pants” in the relationship and financially supports him. Intimidated by her, unable to satisfy her sexually, yet deeply in love with her, he desperately wants to fix their relationship. Slightly effeminate in appearance.
"George" - Emma’s former husband, now married to Lillian. The father of Hazel, a three-year-old girl who died several months earlier in a drowning accident. Still in love with Emma and wants to be with her. Wealthy, handsome, charismatic, a man’s man.
"Lillian" - George’s wife, unable to forgive herself for the death of her daughter, Hazel. A traditional Victorian wife — pretty, delicate, still in the grieving process. Mentally unwell, a staunch believer in ghosts and spiritualism.
Tone
Mature, intelligent, psychological horror.
“I’ve always loved the Impressionist painters. The characters of Emma and Albert are artists, and I’m interested in exploring how the look of SÉANCE can be influenced visually by the way artists in the late 19th century interpreted the world around them… ”
“…and it’s also an exploration of marriage. What binds two people together and what tears them apart?”
-Vivian Kerr, writer/director
The Cast
Of all the scripts we could have chosen for our second feature film, SÉANCE rose to the top not only because its limited locations and cast size would allow us to produce an expensive-looking period piece for a modest budget, but also because, quite frankly, horror (or horror-adjacent) films sell really well!
While there are many paths to distribution, more and more independent films such as SÉANCE are skipping the traditional theatrical release (meaning a first-run at your local cinema-plex) and launching on a streaming platform. These deals are often made by the filmmakers themselves through aggregate platforms, or are negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by their distributor. Distributors ofte pay filmmakers an "MG" (minimum guarantee) and then split the revenue from these various platforms with the filmmakers, who pass on those profits to the investors.
Between subscription platforms, advertising-supported platforms, and online purchases and rentals, here's some of the ways SÉANCE can eventually earn revenue!
TVOD - Transactional video on demand. TVOD refers to streaming services that provide content through individual transactions. Examples include iTunes, Google TV, and Amazon Instant Video — anywhere the viewer pays a one-time “rental” fee for a specific film or episode of TV, which the viewer can access for a limited window of time. When a film is in the streaming distribution phase, it will often go to TVOD first, in order to capitalize on the limited availability of the content and get the most paid rentals possible.
SVOD - Subscription video on demand. SVOD refers to streaming services that use a subscription model, such as Netflix, Disney+, Max. The viewer pays a subscription fee to the provider and gets access to the full library of content. On the filmmaker side, placement on an SVOD platform is usually part of a licensing deal, where the SVOD platform pays a distributor or filmmaker a fee in order to include the film in their library for a set period of time.
AVOD - Ad-supported video on demand. AVOD refers to streaming services that make their revenue through the ads they serve up to viewers. Examples of AVOD include YouTube, Peacock, Pluto, and Tubi.
The exciting thing about filmmaking is that once a film is complete, it can continue to be licensed to various platforms...forever!
SÉANCE’s Journey Through Production
We filmed SÉANCE over 19 days in December 2022, and are now working on post-production.
We expect to premiere the film in early 2024 and have it on VOD by late 2024/early 2025.
We are opening up a Round 2 on Wefunder to raise funds for additional Post-Production costs, as well as marketing and publicity so as to ensure a successful launch of the finished film.
All of our current investment is under a Revenue Share Agreement, and we’re offering those same terms to new investors!
Why? The film wouldn’t exist without the backing of our Investors, so we want to make sure our Investors not only get a return on their Principal, but that they share in the film’s profits long-term.
Once the film is in profit, each Investor first sees a return of 120% on Principal. The additional profit is split 40/60: 40% distributed to investors based on their pro-rata share, and 60% to Producers.
As Producers, we do not see any Profits under this Revenue Share Agreement until all investors have recouped their 120% of Principal. When the film succeeds, our Investors share in the rewards!
We consider our Investors long-term collaborators.
We want you to be involved in the life of this film, and hopefully on our future films produced by A Season of Rain!
All of our Investors receive our regular newsletter detailing the progress on the film (only Investors get to know the inside scoop!), film festival invitations, set visits, and other perks for being part of our projects!
We also want to make sure our Investors on WeFunder are rewarded for investing in SÉANCE, so we have some awesome Perks available as our way of saying THANK YOU!
Is there something you’re interested in that’s not available below? Email us at [email protected]!
An EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the end credits of the film.
+ Two tickets to the West Coast & East Coast premieres, or Regional premiere of your choice.
+ Invitation to a "cast & crew" screening in Los Angeles (travel/lodging not included).
+ A 1-hr Zoom session (acting lesson, script consultation, etc) with writer/director.
+ A script signed by the writer/director and producer.
+ A handwritten thank-you card from the Producers.
+ A shout out on SÉANCE's social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
A CO-PRODUCER credit in the end credits of the film.
An ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit in the end credits of the film.
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS credit in the end credits of the film.
A SPECIAL THANKS credit in the end credits of the film.
A shout out on SÉANCE's social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
"I have cast Vivian in multiple sketches for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Not only is she incredibly talented, she is a versatile performer who is nothing but professional on set. Always great to work with!"
—Cecelia Pleva, Casting Director at Jimmy Kimmel Live!
"As Vivian’s acting teacher and coach for the past six years, she is joyful, generous, serious, and successful. Vivian routinely pushes her boundaries. I have worked with hundreds of actors and Vivian stands out as one who is likely to make a major contribution to the art. I think that the late greats, Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner—with whom I had the opportunity to study—would celebrate Vivian’s imagination, discipline, sensitivity, and intelligence."
—Saxon Trainor, Acting Coach
"Vivian is an artist that brings depth and nuance to every character she writes or plays. Having been lucky enough to witness Vivian as an actress and a writer, she has the goods to deliver a feature film that is captivating, poignant and heartfelt. "
—Cory Stonebrook, Actor & Writer
"With her writing, acting, and directing Vivian infuses her characters with remarkable intimacy and understanding."
—Lauren Mora, Actress & Producer
"Vivian’s script reflects her gift of amazing storytelling. Her experience writing, acting, producing, and directing demonstrates that any project of hers will be successful!"
—Mary Kate Schroeter, Innovation Fellow, Chicago Dept of Family & Support Services
"Vivian is a problem solver—which is invaluable on set. Whether she is acting, directing, or producing, she can clearly and concisely see what needs to be done, and executes."
—Tiffany Trainer, Actress, Producer & VO Artist
