Defiled - A Psychological Horror Film
Defiled - A Psychological Horror Film
First-time screenwriter, Rena Stephens, was so affected by the loss of a close friend that she began writing as a sort of catharsis. Defiled was birthed from that pain. Motivated by art and hope, Ryan Tolleson, and Mike Segura have partnered with Rena to see this project through to completion.
First-time screenwriter, Rena Stephens, was so affected by the loss of a close friend that she began writing as a sort of catharsis. Defiled was birthed from that pain. Motivated by art and hope, Ryan Tolleson, and Mike Segura have partnered with Rena to see this project through to completion.
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Story
About The Project
What Makes This Project Important..
This film, at its core, is about loss: the loss of those we love, and the difficulties we face in saying our last good byes. Unfortunately, the suffering that people experience in our everyday lives is all too real. We see this suffering mirrored in the psychological makeup of characters, whose stories we watch, on film. Defiled reflects what a constant struggle it can be for us to cope with the devastation that death brings to those yet living. What lingers between us and those who are deceased? Does an afterlife exist, and will we again see our dearly departed ones there? These are questions we often ask ourselves during times of loss. Those who aren't certain of the anwers sometimes seek them out.
Rena Stephens as Jackie
While not everyone believes in the occult or supernatural, we (our team) believe that there is a larger presence, something that surrounds all of us, and connects us to each other. Whether or not that presence exists, is debatable. But what isn't debatable, are the similarities between "possession," and mental disorders that may first manifest as anxiety and depression, but may in fact, develop into more serious mential illness.
In this story, Jackie Winters visits a medium, partly on a whim, yet she feels strangely compelled towards that end. Shortly thereafter, Jackie begins experiencing supernatural visions, and peculiar dreams, all the while, slowly losing control of her faculites and thus her behavior. Darkness surrounds her, and as the story progresses, Jackie is unsure if the darkness permeating her world is truly a demonic existence, or if she's having a nervous breakdown.
Those afflicted by the paranormal engage in behaviors that mimic the behaviors of those who are diagnosed with mental illness. The mental torture, and ensuing depression that Jackie experiences is not unlike what millions of people suffer with every day. While some are predisposed in this way, others experience a traumatic event which psychologiaclly cripples them. Defiled is rooted in the reality of mental illness, yet the supernatural is explored as a reason for Jackie's diffiiculites, building suspense. The supernatural angle leaves the audience pondering the pobability of the unknown. We want to shed light on the human condition, while we entertain you for a couple of hours, as you entertain the idea of the existence of something beyond our own existence!
A Feel in the Air..
We have a great feeling about this project, due to the the terrific amount of talent involved, but also because of the odd coincidences that occurred during the conception of Defiled. Some of these events will be fully detailed in behind the scene videos as well as a diary that Rena will be keeping during production. One such spooky event happened a few months after the screenplay was completed. A nutcracker music box on Rena's nightstand began playing on it's own, replicating a scene in the script. This is just one of many examples of "coincicences," "signs" and "synchronistic events that have accompanied the creatiion of Defiled.
Noose
We Have Two Main Goals That We Hope To Achieve On Defiled..
First, and foremost, we want to scare the hell out of you. Easier said than done...
Our team is made of movie fans, especially of the horror/thriller genre. But we don't want to make another cut and paste slasher, or jump scare-fest, or even clone some of the great psychological films of our generation. What we do want, is to find unique and original ways to scare you. And scare you, we will.
Secondly, we want to make a Hollywood-esque film, here, in the Midwest. Sure, everyone says that they can raise money and make a feature whereever they live. With the new technology, that's not neccesarily untrue. However, we are reliant on crowdfunding, supplemented by our own investments of mostly time and effort, as we employ St Louis based actors and crew. It takes a lot of passion and dedication to put together a project of this magnitude from the ground up, with no real financial support system. Yet we believe in this project, and we know that the people we have chosen are the right ones for the job. The eat, drink, and breathe film. They are the reason why independent film, in our opinion, will someday (sooner than later) surpass the big studio system. Being a part of the independent film making community, and effecting change is something we pride ourselves on! We hope that the people who want to see quality filmmaking understand how important it is to support local filmmakers.
Rena Stephens as Jackie
When Will Production Begin?
We are projecting a mid-October shoot. We really can't wait because shooting a scary movie in October is just about the most amazing thing that you could do! We believe the shoot will take 15 days, but have added a few swing days to our schedule if necessary for pick-up shots.
Is 17,000 Enough For a Feature?
We believe that it is, although we always welcome more funds to make our movie the absolute best that it can be! While a Hollywood production probably spends 17k in one week, on food alone, we can stretch $17,000 far enough to make a feature film, by preparing well, and working hard. 17 k, though conservative, is just enough to afford us what we need to get this film made. Again, we welcome any donations after that mark, and any money we receive beyond 17k will be utilized in a valuable fashion. Whole Street Productions hs the savvy and skill to get the job done.
Incentives
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Current Team
About This Team
RYAN TOLLESON - Director, Co-Producer
Born in Bethalto, IL, Ryan grew up with a camera in his hand, always knowing he wanted to make movies. He cultivated that desire throughout high school, which culminated in his receiving a BA in Film Production from St. Louis'Webster University in 2010. Since then, he has partnered to found Whole Street Productions, a multi-faceted production company.MIKE SEGURA - Producer/Production Coordinator/EditorMike Segura was born at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Raised between Southern Illinois and St. Louis, MO, Mike was an athlete, participating in organized sports for 20+ years. He values the importance of teamwork, and believes in the power of communication and presentation. He is a graduate of Political Science from Benedictine University. Mike is also a performing artist, who goes by the name of "MiLow-with a capital L" He is co-founder of Whole Street Production, and has 4 self produced projects as Milow, with a capital L.Mike began his journey with media production in 2008 when Ryan asked him to assist in the production of Ryan's first student film, Delivery. He has 5 years experience in event management in Chicago-land and the St. Louis Metro area. Mike has also travelled nationally for event production. After shadowing Ryan in the production process, Mike started shooting and editing wedding highlight videos, music videos, vlogs, short films and other advertisements. They have successfully managed their company for 3 years since its founding.RENA STEPHENS - Screenwriter/ ActressRena Stephens' first acting break came when she appeared in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, where she was cast as Patrica Stallings: a woman wrongly convicted of murder. Thus began a career noted for a series of intense roles, in which characters often find themselves in life and death situations. That theme of characters who are threatened, or who pose a threat to others, continued with roles in America's Most Wanted, Beethopia, Adrift, Until the Heart Stops, and the play, Breakfast in Bed.But it's not always dark! Ms. Stephens portrayed a nun in the award winning short, Scraps. In 2014 she was nominated by readers of The Riverfront Times' online Best of St Louis poll, in the actress category. While Ms. Stephens has appeared in numerous Industrial films, for clients ranging from Applebees, to the Veterans Administration, her passion is strongest for independent filmmaking. Defiled is her first screenplay. She will be playing the lead role of Jackie, a woman terrorized by demons of her own and entities from beyond....
You can view her demo reel on IMDB.com.
KEVIN RENICK - Composer/Music CoordinatorKevin is best known as the singer/composer of "Up In The Air," the popular theme song from Jason Reitman's Oscar-nominated 2009 film of the same name starring George Clooney. He also wrote "Ballad Of The American Farmer" for the upcoming James Roberson documentary about the history of agribusiness, IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY. Kevin has had a lifelong passion for film music, and he and his brother Kyle, who writes for Film Score Monthly, have compared notes through the years on their favorite soundtracks. Some of Kevin's self-released albums as a singer/songwriter, such as 2013's UNDER THE WISHING TREE, contain instrumentals that fully qualify as film music. But DEFILED represents his first complete film score. Kevin loves a wide variety of music, and considers Brian Eno to be his artistic hero and chief influence.DENNIS SALDANA -ActorDennis Saldana is a versatile performer. Not only did he have the lead role in an award winning short film, The Drive, but he is also a professional stunt man. Dennis has worked on many Hollywood movies, including the blockbuster film, The Dark Night, for which the stunt team received a SAG award for Outstanding Stunt Ensemble. Most recently, Dennis appeared as terrorist, Gaspar Haopian, on the hit TV series, Chicago P.D. His stunt work has kept him busy on two other Chicago based television series: Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. Dennis enjoys the "discovery process" in acting, and being part of an ensemble team. His love of acting has translated to a variety of roles and productions, from the stage to the screen, including: St. Louis Shakespeare Theatre, Experimental Theatre, Children's Musical Theatre, Independent and Industrial Films.This will be the second time that Dennis Saldana and Rena Stephens have appeared as a couple onscreen. They first worked together in the short film, Sanctum.SUSIE WALL - ActressSusie Wall is a proud member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA. She has worked extensively in Regional Theatres, Film, TV & Radio. In St Louis she has worked at The Repertory Theatre, The Shakespeare Festival, Stages, Insight Theatre, Hotcity, Stray Dog and The New Jewish Theatre. She has performed Regionally at The Cincinnati Playhouse in Voice of the Prairie & Inherit the Wind . She received a 2009 Kevin Kline Award for Insight Theatre for “Grace & Glorie”. She has also made a career in Voice-Overs. Her film credits include Saving Shiloh, Ghost Image, Doubting Tom, Sophie and the soon to released, The Grandmother’s Murder Club. Susie is Faculty in The Webster University Conservatory and is a private Acting Coach in her studio, PLay it Forward.COOPER SHAW-ActressCooper Shaw received the American Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Arlene, in the independent feature film, Belleville. She holds her MFA in Acting from The Actor’s Studio Drama School in NYC. Cooper studied Improv at Chicago’s Second City Conservatory Program, at The Improv Shop in St. Louis and has trained in Improvisation and Physical Comedy. Her acting and writing has appeared in film, television, commercials, voice-overs, and on many stages across the U.S. She also teaches acting, and is a founding member and writer with STuFF FiLMS.http://talentplus-commercial.com/on-camera-print/women/cooper-shaw -
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