IP INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Logline | Synopsis | Characters | World | Uniqueness | Marketing & Distribution | Meet The Team | Budget | Schedule | Conclusion
This page is dedicated to pitching the artistic, business and financial plans centred around the feature film “Crash Course” to raise an investment total of 1.2 Million euros.
Introduction:
Before delving into investment specifics, it's crucial to understand that we are not pitching a standalone film. Why? Because in today's market, that approach lacks scalability and poses significant financial risks. Instead, I propose a transmedia investment strategy that leverages pre-existing storylines, characters, audience engagement, access to an accumulated demographic, and many ancillary streams post-film release.
Market Analysis:
The film industry is over-saturated, and competing solely based on a single feature film isn't viable. If it were, then you'd see more from studios. With a targeted audience seeking relatable narratives, we've identified a market gap that our project can fill.
Risk Mitigation:
Recognizing the limitations of traditional film financing, we're adopting a low-cost, high-impact production model. While quality and storytelling are assured (see “Meet The Team”), the reality is that a good film alone doesn't guarantee optimal financial returns, particularly when up against multi-million-dollar advertising budgets.
Current Status:
To date we have completed the Development Phase: having taken the script to near completion. Outlined a budget and shot a short Proof Of Concept andcompleted a schedule, assigning key crew and prepared the marketing and distribution plan.
JUMP TO A CATEGORY
WATCH VIDEO PRESENTATION
“Crash Course is about a young learner driver who is tricked by his psychotic instructor into becoming the wheelman in an armed robbery that goes terribly wrong.”
ACTION - COMEDY - DRAMA
LOGLINE
SYNOPSIS
Derek lost his father in a roadside accident four years ago, leaving him and his mother Sandra traumatised. With escalating PTSD and bipolar disorder, Sandra requires constant supervision and care, the responsibility of which has fallen mainly on Derek. But no longer eligible for financial support, he is faced with the difficult decision of whether to go to college (abandoning his mother in a care home) or stay close by and get a full-time job. Determined to support her and desperate for employment, Derek enrols in a crash course to obtain a driver's license as soon as possible.
Derek's driving school assigns him the stubborn and aggressive ex-con Jackson Redman as his instructor, creating a comically strained relationship between the two. As does the hostility between Jackson and his pushy Parole Officer, Tony Smalls.
Despite the dangerously eventful and hilariously unorthodox driving lessons, Jackson's tough exterior gradually softens, forming an unexpected bond with Derek. But before long, Jackson is coerced into a bank robbery organised by a dangerous crime boss named Ubar, who forces him to use Derek's driving lessons to plan the heist.
Adding to the growing suspense, another fellow criminal, Paul Pratt, is introduced as Jackson's wheelman for the job. But with bad blood between the two, Jackson sets up a crafty plot to eliminate Pratt for good in an emergency braking manoeuvre gone wrong, using the unlikely Derek as the fall guy.
Derek, believing himself to be wanted for manslaughter and burdened by guilt, plans his and Sandra's escape. However, with the heist approaching, Ubar, incensed with the missing Pratt, orders Jackson to prepare Derek as the new getaway driver, keeping him ignorant of their intentions.
Jackson warns Derek that completing the driving test is their only chance to avoid suspicion from the law and danger from Pratt's allies.
Unaware of Jackson and Ubar's criminal intentions, Derek agrees to take his test. In a twist of events, Tony Smalls arrives on the scene (to spy on Jackson), only to find himself silenced and bundled into the learner car's trunk by Ubar.
Soon, Derek finds himself caught in a shootout between his "driving officials" and the authorities. The action escalates to a car and foot chase, then ends in a showdown between Jackson, Ubar and Derek, when a surprise intervention from Sandra, in a moment of protective instinct, sees her take out Ubar, helping Jackson escape.
All appears lost until some months later when a mysterious sports bag full of cash is left to Derek in an unexpected act of kindness from the now-fugitive Jackson.
THE CHARACTERS
DEREK
Derek, tasked with his mentally ill mother Sandra's care, seeks a driver's license for her benefit, putting his dreams on hold. His instructor, Jackson, an ex-con with criminal ties, exposes Derek to unforeseen challenges. Their bond offers Derek crucial life lessons and confidence, compensating for his father's absence.
Unexpectedly involved in a crime by Jackson and crime boss Ubar, Derek becomes an unwitting accomplice in a bank heist, mistaken for a driving test. Caught in a police standoff, he's thrust into a dire situation alongside Jackson.
The crisis peaks when Ubar, aiming to reclaim the heist's loot, confronts Derek and Sandra at home. In a tense clash, Sandra defeats Ubar, safeguarding their lives. This pivotal moment spurs Derek into taking charge, prioritizing his mother's safety.
Post-ordeal, Derek's trajectory shifts positively; he secures employment, enters a romantic relationship, and is accepted into college, marking substantial growth. The encounter with Jackson and Ubar, while perilous, sparks Derek's evolution from a reserved caregiver to a self-assured individual. Jackson's parting gift, a stash of cash, signifies the conclusion of Derek's transformative ordeal and the beginning of a new chapter where he steers his future.
SANDRA
Sandra, a kind but troubled widow, struggles with severe anxiety, PTSD, and the inability to move past her husband's death. Her world revolves around her son Derek and memories of her late husband, symbolized by his 1967 Ford Mustang. Derek, having been home-schooled to support Sandra, manages household duties but faces the burden of his mother's deteriorating mental health and dependency on medication. As Sandra's condition worsens, she often becomes paranoid and lashes out at Derek.
Facing financial strain as Derek turns 18, they must choose between his further education and staying together, with Sandra unaware of the looming decision. Her anxiety peaks when Derek's driving instructor, Jackson, introduces new worries, escalating when crime boss Ubar threatens them, leading to Derek's arrest for involvement in a robbery. In a surprising act of defence, Sandra incapacitates Ubar, enabling Jackson's escape but resulting in Derek's detainment.
Eventually, Sandra is placed in a healthcare facility for proper treatment, with Derek visiting daily, illustrating a glimmer of hope for healing and a better future.
JACKSON
Jackson, a rebellious street gangster with old-school values, struggles with newfound freedom after prison, burdened by debt to crime lord Ubar. His defiance towards authority, including his parole officer Tony Smalls, exacerbates his frustration. Assigned as a driving instructor to Derek, a young man caring for his mother, Jackson initially belittles him but later empathizes with Derek's struggles.
Jackson's protective instincts for Derek emerge when a crucial player in Ubar's plan, Paul Pratt, goes missing. Tricking Derek into a bank robbery, Jackson learns of Ubar's intent to harm Derek, prompting his unexpected betrayal of Ubar. Hiding with Derek's family, Jackson is wounded, and Sandra, Derek's mother, saves him by incapacitating Ubar.
Jackson's transformation from selfish criminal to caring guardian reflects Derek's influence, which is evident when he returns stolen money to Derek after months on the run. This journey illustrates Jackson's redemption and newfound compassion, symbolizing a departure from his former ways.
UBAR
Ubar, a charismatic and affluent entrepreneur, masquerades as a philanthropist while orchestrating a criminal underworld through his legitimate businesses. Employing reformed criminals for a laundering operation under the guise of legal employment, Ubar manipulates and controls them, indebting them to his service. Despite his public image, he's a psychopathic gangster, using his operations for blackmail and intimidation. His physical presence and manipulative nature make him a formidable force.
Jackson, under Ubar's control due to debt, respects Ubar's power. Ubar, treating his relationships with ex-cons like Paul Pratt jovially, manipulates them into a bank job, exploiting their tensions for his gain. When Pratt disappears, Ubar coldly plans to use Derek, showing his disregard for human life. However, a failed robbery attempt exposes Ubar's true, murderous intentions, leading to a confrontation at Sandra's house.
Intent on killing Derek and Jackson, Ubar's plan is thwarted by Sandra, who incapacitates him with an ashtray. This act potentially ends his reign of terror, highlighting his vulnerability and the consequences of his actions. Ubar's calculated facade crumbles, revealing the killer beneath, but he faces significant legal repercussions if he survives.
PAUL PRATT
Paul Pratt is a chancer. He is sly, deceptive and edgy. Pratt is bright and, perhaps in the past, has been in high demand for his skillset. But in his previous role as a getaway driver alongside career criminal Jackson Redman, a mistake was made, and they both got two years of jail time.
They subsequently wound up in the same prison where Jackson made Pratt's life hell. Although the previous blunder was not Pratt's fault, Jackson blamed him anyway.
Recently released from jail. Pratt is taken under the wing of notorious crime boss Ubar. Pratt is obedient only to Ubar but secretly seeks revenge on Jackson and aims to strike back at Jackson when the time is right.
As bright as he is, however, Pratt's plan backfires when Jackson plays a prank on him that ends in Pratt's untimely death.
A fatal mistake that ends the ongoing feud between Jackson and Pratt along with Pratts's life. But a mistake that has significant repercussions in the unfolding events of the story.
TONY SMALLS
Tony Smalls, an awkward, insecure, and self-loathing individual with a hunger for power, struggles in a ruthless environment. Assigned a new client, ex-con Jackson Redman, Tony immediately expresses his contempt.
Pushing Jackson too far, Tony finds himself demoted to a traffic warden by Jackson's crime boss, Ubar. Embittered, Tony takes out his frustrations on Derek, a teenager parked illegally. Unbeknownst to Tony, Derek is the unwitting getaway driver for Ubar and Jackson, who are robbing a bank nearby.
When Tony confronts them, Ubar knocks him out and bundles him into the car boot. Later, seizing an opportunity for revenge, Tony is again knocked unconscious by Jackson when he attempts to escape. Ultimately, Tony is left forgotten in the boot at a police lockup, desperately pleading for help.
WORLD OF THE FILM
IDENTITY - LANGUAGE - LOCATION -
IDENTITY - LANGUAGE - LOCATION -
Planning to film in Finland (for artistic, economic and logistical reasons), the landscape and setting of Crash Course have a fictional identity, Oaklands. One way to picture Oaklands is like the landscape in the popular Netflix series "End Of The Fucking World” or the movie “The Place Beyond the Pines, which, although set in the UK and US, respectively, look and feel like many areas of Northern America, Canada and even many locations across the Nordics.
With an identity of its own, Oaklands provides a neutral backdrop, enabling a more intense focus on the characters and their journey through the landscape rather than the landscape itself. The ambiguity of precise location also offers us fewer technical & financial constraints, better enabling a higher production value.
The vernacular of the writing and Darren's language determine this production will best be served by remaining in English. It also ensures the opportunity for a more internationally recognised cast, appealing to a broader audience. At the very start, we are creating a gritty world with little colour that translates to the harsh realities apparent in Derek’s life. As the film progresses, its style and tone will serve the story in the choice of colour, character focus, and camera movement.
LOOK & FEEL -
LOOK & FEEL -
In terms of the overall look and feel we want the film to be gritty but slick, making use of a darker colour palette with earthier tones in combination with brighter accent colours for our main characters.
Cinematically we are taking inspiration from directors such as the Coen Brothers (Roger Deakins) and Edgar Wright (Bill Pope), by utilising a dynamic range of visual techniques - Jump cuts, handheld, tracking shots and dolly zooms.
We also plan to shoot on Anamorphic lenses; intensifying the focus and distorting the outside world in a hazy textured and uniquely original way.
We intend to visually showcase our world of story in a juxtaposition between very fast paced and stylistic, with that of still. serene and calm, as the story dictates.
Derek’s journey will evolve and as he grows so does the depth of colour and spacial relationship between him and his surroundings. His journey is visually outlined to correspond (unconsciously) with his growth.
HOW IS IT UNIQUE?
The story behind a learner driver being hoodwinked into becoming a wheelman in a robbery is based on actual events and was the initial inspiration and drive in writing this film.
Derek (our hero) was manifested as a response to a growing demographic of young English-speaking men aged 16-35 based in the US & UK who have subscribed to Darren’s voice coaching channel. With 300,000 subscribers to interact with and YouTube's analytics to draw from, Darren took this information and crafted the story's protagonist to hold the same interests and traits that are commonly shared among them.
“I wanted to give hope to those who have been forced to teach themselves the way of the world. I empathise with young men who suffer from aimlessness, loss and apathy. I want Derek to be a character my these people can relate to and draw inspiration from.” Darren McStay
THEMES AND SUBJECT MATTER
Crash Course is a coming-of-age film that explores the relationship between a fatherless boy who finds the strength, guidance and discipline he needs from a hardened criminal, all under incredible circumstances.
MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION
Objective: To secure investment for IP shares to market the characters, themes and world centred around a feature film “Crash Course”, expanding the narrative through trans-media storytelling to create a multi-platform entertainment experience.
Mission: To engage audiences deeply with our IP by delivering compelling content across various media platforms, ensuring a cohesive and immersive narrative experience.
Vision: To establish the world of Crash Course as a promising entertainment franchise recognised for its innovative storytelling and cross-platform engagement.
TRADITIONAL VS TRANSMEDIA MARKETING
Traditionally, a film is made, shopped around and then either sold or distributed accordingly, with a movie trailer to act as promotion through paid advertising to reach audiences. This is a viable option for studios and established production companies that can afford multiple millions of euros to spend on calculating and marketing via paid advertising channels.
However, with 54 territories worldwide and a plethora of content continuously being pumped out, there is just too much noise to compete using this strategy, as to do so would essentially be money down the drain.
The other issue with this approach is that analytics, which are essential for understanding audience demographics and establishing a fan base with whom to advertise, are severely delayed due to the length of time it takes distrubution aggregators to compile and produce reports.
It takes months to see where a film has been watched and by whom, at which point the film will no longer be new and will have lost the necessary momentum, which is a key component in the initial success of new movies.
The old way… MAKE MOVIE - DISTRIBUTE MOVIE - ADVERTISE MOVIE - HOPE FOR THE BEST!
Trans-media storytelling, on the other hand, involves using multiple media platforms to tell a story or a series of stories, with each medium uniquely contributing to the overall narrative.
This approach can significantly enhance the depth and reach of intellectual property (IP) by engaging audiences uniquely across various platforms, leading to a more immersive experience and a broader range of interest.
It offers multiple revenue streams and a broader engagement strategy. Whilst this strategy includes the traditional approach of strengthening and leveraging the investment by attaching named actors, influencers, brands and music. It also offers many ancillary streams designed to attract fans across domains and use multiple content approaches.
OUTLINE OF PROPOSED TRANSMEDIA APPROACH
DEDICATED WEBSITE WITH SIGN-UP FORMS AND LINKS TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS ARTICLES, VIDEOS, MERCHANDISE AND ANCILLERY STREAMS.
DEDICATED COMPLETE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS WITH CONTENT UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO SUIT EACH BEST.
NOVEL & AUDIOBOOK OF THE STORY TRANSCRIBED AND RELEASED TO CO-INCIDE WITH THE MOVIE RELASE
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE VIDEO SERIES, FOLLOWING CHARACTER JOURNEYS FROM WITHIN THE WORLD OF THE STORY
LINKS TO THEMED ASPECTS FROM THE FILM REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH SITES,
PRE WARMED AUDIENCE OF DEMOGRAPHICS FROM DARREN’S SUBSCRIBER LIST
OUTLINE OF VIDEO GAME AND SIMPLE PHONE GAME
MERCHANDISE
DOCUMENTARY FILM
HOW TO MAKE A FEATURE FILM BOOK, AUDIOBOOK & ONLINE COURSE
PODCAST INTERVIEWS
FESTIVAL RUN WITH DEDICATED PRODUCER REP TO ENSURE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE OF EXPOSURE
FEATURE FILM
SPIN OFF SERIES OUTLINED
MEET THE TEAM
Darren McStay
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Darren McStay, originally from London, UK, now resides in Helsinki, Finland, where he runs Polymath House Productions. He creates educational and fictional content, which has earned him over ten million views and a quarter of a million subscribers to his YouTube channel, Improve Your Voice.
In addition to his MA in Acting, McStay completed training at Prague Film School, where he won the Audience Award for Best Film. His first two short films, Pop and Cupid's Arrow, have gathered numerous awards on the international festival circuit.
In 2023, Darren collaborated with Writer Henry Valo and self-funded, produced and directed his first feature-length film, "To Thy Rest." It is currently in post-production and set to be released in September 2024.
Mya Rydman
HEAD OF ART DIRECTION
Mya's ability to affect an audience through her knowledge of style and design is intelligent, effective and quite simply beautiful.
As Head of Art direction, Mya manages the Art & Production design teams to ensure the style, tone and visual aesthetic meet congruously for the most crucial facet of filmmaking... the story.
Mya currently holds an impressive role as Senior Art Director at The LEGO Group and works with the Global Brand Marketing.
As well as LEGO, Mya's client portfolio includes other global and local clients, including Finnair, OPPO Mobile, The Absolut Company, Danone, Burger King and many more.
Harri Halonen
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Harri is a well-known and respected cinematographer in Finland who has been the key creative responsible for the look and feel of many successful dramatic feature film and TV series productions over the past twenty years.
His journey began in 1985 when he started working in the lighting and camera departments at the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.
Gradually making his way up the chain and acquiring a host of prestigious awards and nominations for his part in and collaboration alongside some of Finland's most celebrated Movie directors, Harri has a complete understanding of his craft and is a masterful visual storytelling creative.
Harri is a member of the Finnish Society of Cinematographers F.S.C. A true mark of professionalism and quality.
Johannes Ahonen
EDITOR / COLORIST
Johannes Ahonen is a passionate filmmaker, driven and dedicated by his motto, "It's all about the story".
Since 2018, Johannes has been the creative mind behind several thought-provoking documentaries, captivating TV commercials and other successful productions. He continues collaborating with well-known artists, brands and commercial organisations in Finland.
Though Johannes has many directing credits, his primary areas of expertise are cinematography, editing, and colour grading.
He has produced music videos, narrative films, documentaries and a host of other visually encapsulating works under his company, Mungo Films. Visit mungo.fi to learn more.
BUDGET
SCHEDULE
Start pre-warming the audience with website sign-up forms, social accounts and teasers. Create interest and develop the adventure series.
Film the Movie and begin post-production.
Create all proposed content and begin to filter the target market
CONCLUSION
As an investor in this venture's Intellectual Property (IP), you are not simply investing in a singular product. Instead, you are putting your resources into a venture that has been researched, tested, and already recognised by its target market.
This investment encompasses a range of ancillary revenue streams that significantly broaden the venture's reach and enhance its appeal to a continuously expanding fanbase and future IP value.
We aim to extend the IP's distribution beyond traditional avenues by adopting the proposed scalable and multi-faceted strategy. This approach not only sidesteps the high costs associated with conventional advertising and the challenges of an oversaturated market but also leverages the power of innovative trans-media storytelling.
This method ensures a deeper level of engagement across various platforms, presenting significant opportunities for a return on investment.
The potential for financial returns is not limited solely to the film but is amplified through multiple ancillary revenue streams. As such, investing in this venture promises a considerably higher return on investment, capitalising on the vast potential of our multi-platform, trans-media approach.