HELP MAKE SEASON TWO OF "THE CORONER'S ASSISTANT"
by Angeline Productions Presents, LLC
The Story
The Coroner's Assistant follows the misadventures of medical student James Rigby as he unintentionally becomes entangled in the underbelly of Victorian London's cadaver trade, led by the strange and mysterious Oliver Cross. As James delves deeper, his convictions and prior ambitions are put to the test.
Season One of The Coroner's Assistant was made entirely in Northeast Ohio on a budget of around $10,000. From drafting the scripts to the final stages of editing, it took over 7 years to make. Season One has been recognized in several industry awards, including the Telly Awards (Silver Telly for Scripted Series), the Astras Creative Arts Awards (Indie Spotlight Award), the Indie Series Awards (Series Spotlight Award), and Indie Shorts Mag (Best Web Series).
Season Two goes darker (and funnier). After James' roomate at the Royal Academy of Medical Science goes missing under dubious circumstances, James - determined to get to the bottom of things - is pulled into the murky recesses of academia that test his principles and his sense of self. With a larger ensemble, more elaborate locations, and much more scenes to shoot, Season Two requires a considerably larger budget than Season One - but we'll still be filming the show entirely in Northeast Ohio.
Still need to watch Season One of The Coroner's Assistant? You can watch it here!
The People
Season Two of The Coroner's Assistant will be produced by the show's Creator, Writer, and Director Angeline Walsh, alongside Cedric Gegel (the coroner's assistant himself). Our creative team also includes Cleveland-based artists Dagna Griffin (Director of Photography), Aimee Morgan (Costume Designer), and Adam Smalley (Editor).
Angeline Walsh is a writer, filmmaker, and amateur historian from Cleveland, Ohio. She spent two years in Europe as a child and returned to the United States an eternal outsider. In addition to her filmmaking, she's published two novels and a poetry collection. You can learn more about her and her work on her website.
Cedric Gegel is a New York City-based writer and filmmaker, originally from Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Comedy Series for The Coroner's Assistant at the 2024 Indie Series Awards. He also wrote, directed, and produced the fantasy feature Cadia: The World Within starring Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor Corbin Bernsen and Harry Potter's James Phelps. You can learn more about him and his work on his website.
The Budget
Our team knows how to do a lot with very little. The main motivation behind our budget is ensuring that everyone on set - from onscreen talent to makeup artists to the person holding the boom pole - is compensated fairly.
Here's the breakdown, and what it looks like in donations through our tier system:
- Below-the-line (~$250,000) covers compensation for our on-set crew members, background actors, makeup artists, and our costume designer. It also includes rental fees for locations, props, construction of set pieces, travel fees for out of town actors, and food and drink for cast and crew during production. 10 Producers will cover this entire budget.
- Above-the-line (~$100,000) covers compensation for the director, cinematographer, producer, and our principal and supporting cast members. 10 Producers or 2 Executive Producers will cover this entire budget.
- Post-production (~$35,000) covers compensation for our editor, Adam, and our composer, Valyo. (It also buys Adam a few pizzas, his favorite food, to aid him during those long editing hours.) 10 people donating to attend the Zoom script read + 1 person donating to appear onscreen will cover this budget, or 1 Associate Producer + 1 Producer.
- Other (~$15,000) covers compensation for our Public Relations Agent, Cher Culver, in securing publicity for the project after completion. It also covers film festival, competition, and award nomination fees. 100 people donating to view the blooper reel will cover this budget - or 300 people donating to receive a Coroner's Assistant enamel pin!
Women in Film
The gender disparity in the film industry remains glaring, particularly concerning those in leadership positions.
The Celluloid Ceiling—an organization that has been tracking women’s employment in the film industry for 25 years—reported in 2022 that most films (67%) made that year had 0 to 4 women working behind the camera, and only 9% of those films employed more than 10 women. A study done by Women in Film (WIF) found that women working in independent film received an average of 3.3 million in funding per project compared to male filmmakers’ average of 24.4 million.
Films made in Cleveland follow the same trajectory of inequity: of the 38 major film projects produced in Cleveland since 2014, only 8 were directed by women and none had a woman cinematographer. All of this is why supporting woman-led projects like The Coroner's Assistant has an immense impact.
Additional Materials
If you'd like to view the Electronic Press Kit, Full Budget Breakdown, or Pitch Deck, please contact Angeline Walsh.