INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EXCITING NEW FEATURE FILM
Crash Course is a dark-comedy, crime, thriller about a young learner driver who is tricked by his psychotic instructor into becoming the wheelman in an armed robbery that goes terribly wrong.
Introduction
Polymath House Productions invites you to partner with us on Crash Course, our latest feature film.
We prioritise resourcefulness—maximising impact while minimising costs. By streamlining production and focusing on compelling storytelling, we create greater opportunities for returns without relying on star power.
Following the success of To Thy Rest, which has a global sales agent attached and a domestic theatrical release in Finland, this is your opportunity to get in early on our next feature.
Investor Benefits
✅ First in line for returns – Your investment is prioritised for repayment.
✅ Be part of a well-developed, character-driven film with a proven, well-researched audience.
✅ Gain Executive Producer status – Official IMDB credit and industry recognition.
✅ Support independent cinema and help shape a film with lasting impact.
How Your Investment Works
We’ve adopted a hybrid model where key contributors—including the producer, director/writer, and main cast—are compensated partly through profit-share points, reducing upfront costs.
The funds we’re raising will cover essential production expenses such as props, vehicles, equipment, below-the-line wages, and costumes. These funds also ensure the film’s completion and marketing, securing festival exposure and maximising sales across multiple territories with the help of a producer's rep.
This is more than an investment—it’s a chance to champion bold, independent filmmaking led by experienced creatives who know what captivates audiences.
Current Status.
We are proud to announce that the development phase for Crash Course is near completion. We now have…
60% of funding costs already secured.
Production-ready script.
Production dates & preliminary Schedule.
Locations.
Shot-lists & Storyboards.
Assigned key crew.
Attached key cast.
What we need.
In order to bring Crash Course into production we need to raise 250,000€ which accounts for 40% of the overall budget.
Investment Tiers & Returns
There are 25 points available, each tied to a €10,000 investment.
How It Works
Investor funds are repaid first before profit distribution begins.
After recouping your initial investment, you earn a share of the profits based on the number of points you hold.
Each point = 1% of net profits for the film's lifetime.
Profits are then shared between investors, the production company, and cast/crew profit participants.
Example:
Invest €10,000 (1 point) → First in line to recoup this amount ⬇️
Earn 1% of net profits per point ⬇️
If the film earns €100,000 in profits, your share is €1,000 (10% ROI) ⬇️
If the film earns €1,000,000 in profits, your share is €20,000 (100% ROI)
Investment Tiers
€10,000 (1 Point)
✅ Executive Producer Credit – Your name listed in the credits as an Executive Producer.
✅ Premiere Invitation – Ticket to the premiere and after-party.
✅ Profit Share – Earn 1% of net profits for the film’s lifetime.
✅ Signed Memorabilia – A signed poster and script as a keepsake.
✅ Behind-the-Scenes Updates – Exclusive updates and "making-of" content.
€20,000 (2 Points)
🎬 All €10,000 benefits, plus:
✅ Set Visit – Visit the set during production (travel not included).
✅ Enhanced Recognition – Shared logo placement in credits & marketing.
✅ Additional Tickets – Extra premiere tickets for guests.
€30,000 (3 Points)
🎬 All €20,000 benefits, plus:
✅ Private Screening – Host a private early screening with Q&A for up to 10 guests.
✅ Custom Recognition – Personalised thank-you mention in the credits.
€40,000 (4 Points)
🎬 All €30,000 benefits, plus:
✅ Exclusive Set Tour – Private tour & meet-and-greet with the cast & crew.
✅ Networking Dinner – Exclusive dinner with the director & production team.
✅ Prop Memorabilia – Receive a film-used prop or costume.
€50,000 (5 Points)
🎬 All €40,000 benefits, plus:
✅ Prominent Branding – Your name/logo prominently featured in credits & marketing.
✅ Cameo Appearance – Optional non-speaking cameo role in the film.
✅ Festival Circuit – Invitation to join the production team at one major festival (travel not included).
€100,000 (10 Points)
🎬 All €50,000 benefits, plus:
✅ Sole Executive Producer Billing – Top-billed Executive Producer credit.
✅ Co-Branding Opportunity – Your name/company attached as "In Association With...".
✅ All-Expenses-Paid Experience – Premiere trip or set visit fully covered (airfare + accommodation).
✅ Press & PR Visibility – Featured in press kits, interviews, and marketing materials.
✅ Lifetime Privileges – Priority investment & early invitations to future Polymath House projects.
€250,000 (25 Points) – Full Investment
💎 For the investor funding the entire budget
✅ First to Recoup Investment – Your €250,000 is repaid before any profit shares.
✅ 25% Profit Share – 25% of all net profits for the film’s lifetime.
✅ Exclusive Executive Producer Credit – Sole top-billed Executive Producer.
✅ Co-Branding & Industry Recognition – Prominent "In Association With" branding.
✅ Premier Access – All-expenses-paid trip to the premiere & festival circuit (airfare + accommodation).
✅ Set Visit & Exclusive Access – Behind-the-scenes access, private tour & meet-and-greet with the cast & crew.
✅ Cameo Role – Optional non-speaking cameo in the film.
✅ Marketing & PR Visibility – Recognition in press materials, interviews, and campaigns.
✅ Lifetime Polymath House VIP – Priority investment & early invitations to all future projects.
Next Steps:
Contact us to here to discuss your investment and take the first step on this exciting journey.
If you would like to know more about the story and our vision for the creation of Crash Course, see below.
STORY, STYLE AND STRUCTURE
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.
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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.
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Planning to film in Finland (for artistic, economic and logistical reasons), the landscape and setting of Crash Course have a fictional identity. One way to picture it 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. That said the main cast will all be native English speakers.
This unique identity 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.
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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.
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The story of a learner driver tricked into becoming the wheelman for a bank robbery is based on actual events and acted as the seed of inspiration for writing this film. Expanding on this initial narrative, I explored themes, circumstances and characters that might make the tale feel authentic and relatable.
This threw up the topic of mental health issues, and I began first focusing on the relationship between Derek and his mother, Sandra. My own experiences growing up without a father and dealing with my mother's schizophrenia and subsequent suicide attempts alongside numerous stints in foster care influenced this aspect of the story.
It then became clear to me that Derek, at a critical crossroads in his life, needed direction, and thus, the story developed into a coming-of-age drama. Then, his antithesis was born. Jackson Redman is everything Derek is not, so with this combination, the writing took a dark comedic turn and highlighted a father-son journey from which both characters were to grow.
I have approached this script with an amalgamation of personal experience, drawing from the characteristics of actual people and universal themes that aim to not only entertain but also move audiences. That said, this story contains genuine humour, elements of danger, and the triumph of the underdog, which makes for a thrilling and substantially entertaining piece of cinema.
MAIN CHARACTERS
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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, prioritising 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.
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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 empathises 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, symbolising a departure from his former ways.
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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.
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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, symboliSed 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.
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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.
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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.
MEET THE CREATIVE 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 twelve million views and a 300,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, Improve Your Voice.
In addition to an 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 to produce and directed his first feature-length film, To Thy Rest, which has its theatrical release in Finland 21.2.2025.
Monika Lindeman
CO-PRODUCER
Monika Lindeman is an actor and producer with extensive experience in Nordic film and television. Best known for her role as crime detective Linda Eerikäinen in Secret Lives (Fremantle Finland), she has appeared in over 800 episodes.
Alongside her acting career, Monika has expanded into producing, bringing her industry expertise to Polymath House Productions. She co-produced To Thy Rest and has furthered her skills through additional studies in audiovisual production in Helsinki.
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.
Wilma Ramona Ikäheimonen
COSTUME DESIGN
Wilma Ramona is a Finnish, LGBTQ+ artist specialising in costume design, visual development and make up artistry.
She's been a costume designer since 2016 when she won her first costume competition. She's created costumes for many competitions and worked on multiple project including feature films, short films and music videos.
Currently working on her degree, Bachelor of Culture and Arts, Game Design, she has completed courses on, for example, costume design, visual development and visual storytelling.