Set and filmed in Ohio in partnership with Paper Street Pictures, Shelby Oaks will be Chris Stuckmann’s directing debut and first feature, based on an original script also written by Chris.

Shot as a traditional feature, but with some elements of found footage, Shelby Oaks is a horror film about missing paranormal investigators (the paranormal paranoids), the dark legacy they uncovered, and the far-reaching effects their investigation has as Mia searches for her sister Riley, the lead paranormal investigator, 12 years later.

As Mia uncovers new and disturbing leads related to Riley’s disappearance, she uncovers evidence of a hidden supernatural evil dating all the way back to her and Riley’s childhood.

Back Shelby Oaks now to get your copy of the film PLUS our behind-the-scenes indie filmmaking experience and other exclusive rewards (tier dependent). Read on to find out more about how your support will enable Chris’s vision and what you can expect from our behind-the-scenes content.

For a long time, we planned to make Shelby Oaks without fundraising, relying on the ingenuity of Chris and our team to eke out every last drop of cinematic gold from what would have been a very restrictive budget. However, it quickly became clear that making the movie like this would force Chris to compromise on his vision, and ultimately have a limiting effect on the final movie. We didn’t want that.

The $250,000 target for this Kickstarter will make a huge difference, enabling Chris to make the film he wants to make without having to give up creative control. The money raised in this campaign will go towards all areas of making Shelby Oaks, including:

•  Time — The funds we receive from this Kickstarter will enable us to add more days to the shoot, which means Chris can film more setups and spend time enlivening each scene with as much coverage, character, and attention to detail as possible.
•  Cast & Crew — A successful campaign will help us bring on the highly-skilled cast & crew we need, and may even enable us to go after named cast that would otherwise be out of our reach. Additionally, although Chris normally edits his own work, we’d like to bring on an Editor to support him and work alongside him.
•  Equipment — Investing in our equipment, such as lenses and lighting, will make the movie look professional. For those filmmaking geeks out there, Chris would love to use a set of Hawk Anamorphics lenses. We’ll also need plenty of lighting, because some scenes require us to shoot in a forest at night.
•  Sets — We’d like to build some of our sets on a soundstage. This will enable us to record cleaner sound and control the lighting and environment better, enabling us to achieve a more polished look and sound to these scenes.
•  Locations — The funds we raise will help us invest in the best possible locations. Hourly rates for some locations can run high, making it prohibitive to film there or meaning we have to limit our time and shots.
•  Music — Licensing of some songs to use in the film alongside our score.

We have always been confident that Shelby Oaks will be a good movie, even on a limited budget. But, with your help, we can give Chris the opportunity to make his first feature a great one.

When you back Chris at the Digital + Behind-The Scenes level ($45) or above, you’ll  get to see how your contributions translate into the creation of a movie through out wealth of BTS material! Read on to the next section to find out more about how we’re going to be showing you what happens during production.

Our behind-the-scenes indie filmmaking experience will offer an open, honest, no-holds-barred look into what it really takes to get an independent feature off the ground. We believe this is something that has never been done before and are excited to share with you the progress that you are enabling by supporting this movie.

Whether you have a passionate love of filmmaking, are a die-hard horror fan, or just want to keep up with what Chris is doing, we believe this experience will bring immense value and entertainment.

Your behind-the-scenes experience includes:

•  Regular Production Updates — Chris and the team will provide regular, detailed filmed updates on the progress of the project, covering what is happening on-set and behind-the-scenes. We will share both the highs and lows of production and post-production, covering everything from storyboarding and lighting setup to rarely-discussed (but vital) topics such as financing, sales, and distribution.
•  Behind-The-Scenes Videos — We’ll have a cameraperson on set dedicated to capturing Chris and the team as they work. Potential material includes set building time-lapse footage, the opportunity to view select set and prep meetings, and footage of the filming process itself (don’t worry, we’ll be keeping it spoiler-free).
•  Cast & Crew Interviews — We’ll be interviewing the cast and crew about their experiences on-set. Expect to hear from people performing a wide range of different roles, including camera-operators, lighting specialists, and even our composer.
•  Q&As — We’ll be filming Q&As with Chris and the team throughout the process, providing you with a chance to hear the team answer your questions, which we’ll collect through our Discord community.
•  Interviews With Other Filmmakers — Chris will be interviewing other successful filmmakers and finding out how they made their first features and the struggles they went through to do so.
•  Two-way process — We will be actively engaging with the community and listening to what you want to see. If a particular element of the filming process interests everyone, we’ll try to include coverage of it.

Unfortunately, we can’t invite you all on to the set (we would if we could!), so this is a digital-only experience. The material offered through this program is exclusive to backers, and we’ll only be making the occasional highlights video available to non-backers, so you won’t get this anywhere else.

Our behind-the-scenes indie filmmaking experience is available to any backer who contributes $45 or more to the project. Back now to get involved!

We are planning on starting soft remote prep in April, with on-set prep beginning in May. We are currently aiming for 4 weeks of shooting with post-production then beginning in June. Should this schedule change, we will let backers know how and why as part of our behind-the-scenes experience.

We have several key positions filled, but will be hiring additional crew as we move through the campaign (and you can expect a few cast announcements too!).

The Shelby Oaks team includes:

•  Director, Writer — Chris Stuckmann
•  Producer — Aaron B. Koontz
•  Producer — Cameron Burns
•  Producer — Ashleigh Snead
•  Director of Photography — Andrew Scott Baird
•  Casting Director — David Guglielmo
•  Location Scout — Mike Wendt

Never used Kickstarter before? No problem! Backing our project is easy. Just follow these simple steps:

•  Step 1: Choose your reward level from those shown above and then select that reward in the sidebar to the right (it should say ‘Select this reward’ when you hover your mouse over it).
•  Step 2: Choose your country from the dropdown and click to continue.
•  Step 3: Select any add-ons you want to add to your order. Physical add-ons are only available to select if you have chosen a tier that includes physical items.
•  Step 4: Click «Continue» and fill in your name and payment details. You will not be charged at this time.
•  Step 4: Click “Pledge” and get ready to join an incredible journey!

Shortly after the campaign is complete, you will receive an email from our pledge management software, BackerKit and enable you to provide your shipping details. Physical rewards will be made available once the movie is complete — we’ve scheduled the release date for July 2023

Please note: Your card will only be charged once the campaign is complete (assuming our project reaches its minimum funding goal) so you will not see it on your statement when you first make a pledge

Shipping: Shipping is included with the advertised price.

Fulfillment: Our physical rewards will be manufactured and shipped from the United States by trusted partner who we have previously worked with. Backers will receive a tracking number and our items are sent in very study packaging (posters rolled, not folded) to ensure everything arrives with you safely.

We are using a pledge management tool called BackerKit. After the campaign ends and Kickstarter has processed your payment, you will receive an email inviting you to login.

Using BackerKit, you will be able to manage many aspects of your pledge, including:

• Choose from Blu-ray and DVD (physical tiers only)
• Choose T-shirt design (if you ordered a tier which includes a t-shirt)
• Upgrade to a different tier from the one you backed with on Kickstarter
• Add additional single items to your order
• Change your shipping address in the event you move house before production finishes

These options will remain available to you until just before we start manufacturing, so you can upgrade in a few months if you later change your mind.

We have accurately portrayed our project as it stands at this point in time, however, creative projects are subject to change and ours is no exception.

By making a pledge you acknowledge that elements of the project, including but not limited to the artwork, cast, and content, is subject to change, and that the final project may differ from what is presented while the Kickstarter campaign is active. For example, a cast or crew member may become unavailable or we may iterate on our poster design.

All backers are welcome to join our Discord community, and we will primarily distribute behind-the-scenes materials through this.

Support this project on Kickstarter