Dawns Demon
Release your inner demon.
The series explores the relationship between a woman and her literal demon as she relearns what it means to feel alive again whilst navigating the realities of being a young woman in a patriarchal world.
Project
Dawns Demon
Amazing stills from the project: https://www.astridschulz.com/possessed
After an incredible 5 days we have shot this project and we are on to post production! We need donations to make sure the incredible footage and performances we have captured reach their full potential! Funds will go towards editing, colour grading VFX and more!
The ongoing commitment from our incredible post-production team is delivering spectacular results, as you can see in this teaser trailer. Please donate so we can pay them a fair rate for their efforts and get top of the line visual effects for the rest of the project!
Synopsis: After a failed suicide attempt Dawn wakes up to discover she is completely fine, better than fine in fact. She is possessed by Asmodeus, a powerful demon, who sets to work making Dawn’s body her new vessel. Dawn happily surrenders her flesh to Asmodeus. The demon promptly cleans the flat, gets Dawn promoted at work and wreaks havoc on the men who do wrong by Dawn and her friends. Asmodeus also throws the occasional hedonistic orgy where they meet Luna, a young witch who is responsible for Dawn’s possession after a seance gone wrong in the woods. The two become fast fiends and for the first time everything in life is falling into place for Dawn. That is until Antoni, the last of a long line of Demon Slayers, makes his way to London to live out his glory. Insisting he knows what is best for Dawn he performs an exorcism, nearly killing Dawn in the process. With no vessel to contain her raw power Asmodeus assumes her true form and slaughters Antoni before trying desperately to re-possess Dawn’s now dead body with Luna’s magical help. The series ends with the newly possessed Dawn enjoying the sunset with Luna and Asmodeus.
This short film explores issues that primarily impact women (revenge porn, sexism in the workplace, harassment etc). Possessed is a biting horror/comedy focused on female bodily autonomy, mental health and the social norms which both encourage and reward misogynistic behaviour.
Sit back and indulge in the relationship between a woman and her literal demon as she relearns what it means to feel alive again whilst navigating the realities of being a young woman in a patriarchal world.
Log Line: Release your inner demon.
https://martingooch.com/awards-film-festivals/
After writing and directing several award-winning short films, including The Orgasm Raygun and Arthur's Amazing Things, both of which featured the British actor Leslie Phillips as the narrator, Gooch also directed Hollyoaks for Channel 4 and Doctors for BBC1. One of his episodes won the Best Onscreen Chemistry award (2007) ITV Soap Awards. Martin went on to Direct Hollyoaks, which won Best Soap at the ITV soap Awards during his tenure, and then went on to Direct the BAFTA-winning and EMMY-nominated Spooks Interactive.
His debut feature film Death (2012), which won Best Director, features Linal Haft, Emily Booth, Leslie Phillips, Nick Moran, David Wayman, Sarah Jayne Dunn, Ben Shockley and Brooke Burfitt and features music from Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Humphries of OMD. His second feature film The Search for Simon premièred at the BFI Sci-Fi London film festival 2013, and went on to win several awards including Best Film at the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival. It stars Carol Cleveland, Sophie Aldred, Chase Masterson, Simon Jones as well as Noeleen Comiskey and Millie Reeves with Gooch in the lead role. The Gatehouse, his third indie picked up distribution from Lionsgate and won Best Film at the London Independent Film Festival 2016. In 2017, 25 years after his first visit to Modoc County, California in 1992, working for the US Forest Service, at the age of 19. Martin returned to Modoc, to shoot his fourth feature film “Atomic Apocalypse” (Aka Black Flowers). Which was filmed on location in Montana and North California. It had its world premiere at Sitges International Film Festival in 2018 and won Best Sci-Fi Director at World Fest-Houston, and went on to win numerous other awards and nominations. In 2018 Martin was a winner with the Trinity Challenge backed by ARRI Media and Directors UK and wrote and directed the one-shot short film “A Midwinter Night's Dream” starring Michael McKell, filmed all in one shot using the ARRI Trinity Stabilisation system won best Fantasy film at the London Independent Film Festival. Other notable names he has directed include William Mark McCullough, Paul Freeman, Kevin McNally, Linsey Dawn McKenzie and Emily Booth. He is a two time BBC New Director award winner, with short films screened all over the world including Cannes, Edinburgh, London and also on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Gooch's short films include Don't Even Think It! (written by Jasper Fforde and starring Pippa Hinchley, Miranda Hart and Edward Rawle Hicks) and The Gravity of Belief (starring Alexandria Beck and Paul Ready), which was nominated for best film at the 5th London Short film Festival, Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival. Gooch has a Masters degree in screenwriting from The University of the Arts London, and is working on a TV series based on the legendary Fighting Fantasy gamebook series with original creator Ian Livingstone.
Attention Harry Potter Fans! The amazing Jon Campling has been cast as our villain Antoni and he is a devilish delight.
The budget for this project will go toward supporting our fabulous cast and crew, renting equipment, securing locations, art department, transport and COVID-19 safety measures.
Should we exceed our target the additional funds will be used to increase production value of the project.
Katie Hart is a Scottish actor, singer and voiceover artist, born in Glasgow.
She moved to London in 2016 to attend RADA and East 15 Acting School. During this time, she made her off-West End debut, discovered a previously unknown talent for narration and devised plays which would later be described by reviewers as “important and enlightening”.
Katie has worked on sets for both film and adverts as well as leading London stages. She is experienced in musicals and plays having played leading roles in both. Notable film projects include The Whiteout (SamDidThis); Wednesday (JFDI Productions - premiering at Raindance Festival), The Fit (J.D.P Croy), In Wonderland (Christopher Haydon), and The Awakening (Nick Murphy).
Sierra Callaghan is a Canadian actress, writer, teacher and acrobat. A natural performer, Sierra developed an early love of the arts spent time honing her craft in Toronto Canada, performing annually at the Sears Drama Festival, the Second City, Sync Afrique and the Karen Vandenberg Theatre. She was often seen in national PSA's promoting youth safety.
After completing two honours degrees in Sciences and Education concurrently from the University of Toronto, she relocated to the UK to begin a career teaching Biology. The incredible engagement her students exhibited in the classroom with their never-ending questions prompted her to create a science-based TikTok page called CallaghansQuestions, which quickly amassed more than 170,000 followers. Sierra's goal for her followers is not just to educate but to foster a community of kindness, inclusion and respect dedicated to breaking down stigmas and barriers. She encourages learning while promoting a message of radical self-acceptance and the mantra that 'there is no room for shame when growing your brain'.
Sierra completed a Masters Degree in Filmmaking in 2020 and went on to co-write the award-winning short film Geneticide. She is also the co-writer of Lungs: https://www.instagram.com/lungsfilm/
Sierra is a trained singer, dancer, acrobat, martial artist and a fledgeling violinist. Though she returns to Canada as often as possible, her home base is now London UK, where she will continue to take the stage at comedy clubs and open mic nights every chance she gets.
Pledge without reward:
Social media thank you or IMDb thank you credit.
Got a business or service you'd like to promote? Want to give your reels some extra exposure?
£10 gets your business card, photo or links shared across our social media on Facebook, Twitter and Insta. A great way to reach more followers!
Get the chance to win a special prop from the shoot.
Digital copies of the poster and script, unsigned.
See the episodes first: get an exclusive private link to the episodes as soon as they are completed. This perk works out to 4.50 an episode, get access at least one week before anyone else.
BTS material: exclusive access to BTS stills and videos as well as additional footage and interviews with cast and crew.
Physical copies of the script, stills and posters.
Get access to each episode with a voice-over commentary from the director/producer and other team members who will give insights on the production of the film.
Physical copies of the script, stills, and posters signed by the cast and crew.
Get a one to one class with a specialist member of the team on a subject of your choice including:
- Editing film
- Science lessons
- Writing showreel scenes for actors
- Photoshoot
- Acting and vocal techniques
These will run online to ensure Covid19 safety.
Be credited with the creation of this project on every episode and IMDb.
Note for donors: by contributing to this campaign, you are providing a DONATION for which you will receive this perk with our thanks. Independent filmmaking involves risk, and donating should only be undertaken by those who are in a financial position to do so and have made their own investment
Be credited on every episode and IMDb as the Executive Producer: be the one who ensures the development, financing and production of the project.
Note for donors: by contributing to this campaign, you are providing a DONATION for which you will receive this perk with our thanks. Independent filmmaking involves risk, and donating should only be undertaken by those who are in a financial position to do so and have made their own investment
IMDB credit, tickets to premieres and public screenings, events with selected cast members, inclusion in all our social media and press campaigns, early access to episodes and copy of signed script by cast. Can remain anonymous by request.
Note for donors: by contributing to this campaign, you are providing a DONATION for which you will receive this perk with our thanks. Independent filmmaking involves risk, and donating should only be undertaken by those who are in a financial position to do so.