A branch gently sways in the breeze. Heavy breathing can be heard somewhere below. Hunched over between trees, a young woman clutches a blood-stained rock. She gazes down at something lying in the dirt, unable to look away. An orange glow in the distance snaps her out of it. Someone is standing in a window. Staring at her. She holds her breath...

These are the opening images from Creatures of Wind, a coming-of-age vampire short film. Set in rural Michigan during the late 70s, Spencer, a vampire in hiding, must keep her true identity from Lia, a visiting artist painting a portrait of her. As the days count down, Spencer begins to lose control of her urges as Lia struggles to finish the painting in time. Blurring lines between quiet horror and nostalgic melodrama, this story explores vampirism from a more vulnerable, human perspective.

In other words, this is Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) meets Bones and All (2022).

LIA

Played by Rileigh Belle Wine

Commissioned by her late mother’s painting instructor, Lia is overwhelmed by the fear of disappointing others. Unsatisfied with her completed work, she decides to restart only days before her deadline is up, attempting to paint a portrait of the groundskeeper, Spencer, instead. While rushing to finish in time, Lia stumbles upon Spencer’s secret, forced to choose between leaving unharmed, or risking her own safety to get more answers.

SPENCER

A former vagabond, Spencer has made a quiet life working on the farm of a retired sculptor. Hidden from the world, she hunts small animals to keep her identity as a vampire safe. When her employer hires Lia, a young painter, to stay with them for a week, Spencer is forced to confront her dark past as she attempts to hide who she really is.

Being open about negative emotions is something I’ve struggled with since I was a kid. The fear of being judged, or becoming a burden to others has always made it difficult to be fully honest.

As I get older, films have grown to become a meaningful outlet in understanding and releasing everything I bottle up. Whether it be watching a character go through similar problems to myself, or being unexpectedly moved to tears, so many stories have made me feel seen when I didn't allow anyone else to. This impact is often what pushes me to take the first step of having vulnerable conversations that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. It’s the reason I hold this medium so close to my heart and what I hope to achieve with my own work: to approach storytelling as a form of therapy that can make positive change.

This sentiment ended up becoming the foundation of Creatures. At its core, this is a story exploring how art can encourage people to help themselves, and each other, through difficult processes of change. As I dug deeper into my identity, the story became more personal—my creative insecurities, past traumas, and learning to be myself.

Bringing this film to life forced me to take a long, uncomfortable look at myself. It was challenging, but helped me change for the better. I hope it can do the same for others.

Location

An integral part of this film’s atmosphere is its location. The gentle sway of branches. Cold, sparkling streams. Dusty shafts of sunlight. The Northern Michigan wilderness initially provides peaceful solitude for our characters. However, as Spencer begins to lose control of her bloodlust, an eeriness falls over the woods. Suddenly, we’re reminded that they're miles away from human contact. Completely alone. This juxtaposition establishes an ambience of tension that looms in the background of each scene.

Visuals

To immerse viewers into the seventies, the cinematography will resemble an old, faded photograph. Woodsy earth tones, a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, and an added layer of grain for a filmic look. Nostalgia lingers in the worn, textured details of the vintage production design. The thrifted costumes of Lia's paint-stained smock and Spencer's washed-out Levi's jacket. All the artwork and heirlooms that crowd the wooden walls of the cabin's set dressing. Short films only allow brief glimpses into the lives of characters, but personal touches like these make them more like intimate snapshots from a memory.

Genre

What makes our film different from vampire depictions found in recent bangers like Sinners (2025), or classics like Dracula (1931), or the ever-iconic Twilight Saga? For me, vampires are fascinating devices for storytelling as they are constantly reinvented to take on different meanings. Bones and All (2021) was the main inspiration for our film. Studying their isolation, addiction, guilt, and self-hatred, it examined a vampire-like character from a more realistic, human perspective. Creatures of Wind makes use of some well-known vampire tropes while also recontextualizing Spencer's vampirism through melodrama grounded in realism.

Really Neat Films

Really Neat Films is a Michigan-based production company built for passionate filmmakers to share personal stories. We provide accessible educational resources alongside our films, such as in-depth behind the scenes breakdowns and interviews with members of our community. Our most recent film, Tomato Soup, was successfully funded through Seed&Spark in 2024 and is currently on its festival circuit. You can watch the trailer here.

Simon Richards (writer, director, producer)

Simon Richards is a writer, director, and producer from Metro Detroit, MI. On top of co-founding Really Neat Films, his 2023 short film A Noble Deed was selected by various festivals across Michigan (Royal Starr Film Festival, Soo Film Festival) and his script for Creatures of Wind was awarded best LGBTQ+ screenplay by Michigan State University in the 2025 Laurence Allen Tate Awards. He is passionate about telling personal, coming-of-age stories focused on identity and healing.

Rileigh Belle Wine ("Lia")

Rileigh Belle Wine is a Midwest actor with an impressive range of experience on the stage and screen. Most recently, she played Desdemona in the MSU Department of Theatre's production of Othello as well as Rain in the psychological thriller film Me.exe. Rileigh also played Cornelia in Tomato Soup, the latest Really Neat Film. No matter the genre or medium, she dedicates hours of time and research into every role to gain a sophisticated understanding of her characters. We're very grateful to collaborate with her once more.

Parker Keye Eisen (producer)

Parker Keye Eisen is a freelance writer, director, producer, colorist—well, the list goes on. To put it simply, Parker is a multiskilled microbudget filmmaker with nearly a decade of experience under his belt. His debut feature, The Lovers, has garnered over 91k views on YouTube and his follow-up, Daydreams: the Lazy One Unworthy of Living is currently in production. Parker’s (oftentimes simultaneous) involvement in so many departments of various projects makes him the perfect candidate to oversee our budget, schedule and everything in between as producer. You can view his work here.

Ethan Seelig (director of photography)

Ethan Seelig is a director of photography and colorist from East Michigan. Constantly researching, testing and tweaking his visual language, Ethan has always been deadset on learning all he can about filmmaking. Alongside years of collaboration together, he and Simon share a meticulous passion for capturing the specific look they have in mind. His time, dedication and respect for the craft is inspiring, to say the least. You can view his reel here.

Cole Sluder (writer, production designer)

Cole Sluder is a writer and production designer with a strong talent for creating distinctly immersive atmospheres in his work. He and Simon have been on the same page since day one. Literally—he co-wrote the script! Given this unique combination of roles, it only makes sense for Cole to be the one responsible for bringing its world to life. From antique shops to Depop to Airbnb, he’s been searching everywhere for vintage clothing, time-worn heirlooms, and the perfect remote cabin to craft our 70s aesthetic.

Hannah Scout Dunaway (hair, makeup, SFX artist)

Photo taken by Eli Beasly

Hannah Scout Dunaway is a HMU and special effects artist based in Grand Rapids, MI. Severed hands, mutant pears, and bloody tentacles are only a few examples from her catalogue of elegantly designed nightmares. Her refined skillset has earned multiple collaborations with idiosyncratic director Joel Potrykus and has even been featured on the Criterion Channel. Hannah is hands down (pun intended!) the best filmmaker to bring the vampire aspect of our story to life. You can view more of her work here.

Luke Farwell (portrait painter)

Luke Farwell is a Michigan-born illustrator and visual artist. He uses a multitude of different mediums, but primarily hones in on graphite, acrylic, and ink. Luke enjoys illustrations with lived-in character, like a favorite pair of jeans or a crackly old record. His work has been nationally and internationally recognized and awarded by the Society of Illustrators. A movie about painting would be nothing without an amazing artist like Luke. Check out his artwork here.

Production Budget

With your generous support, we’re hoping to raise $8,000 to cover the cost of production. This money will be used to cover the following:

Wages for Cast & Crew. We’re grateful to have gathered such a talented team to bring this film to life. Above all, investing in their time and skills is the most valuable way to spend our budget.

Locations. Step one of immersing viewers into this world is securing a secluded cabin. After hours of research, we’re happy to have tracked down the perfect location in northern Michigan. This portion of the budget will pay location rental costs for lighting tests and principal photography.

Production Design & Costumes. Period piece films require abundant levels of set dressing, props, and costumes to make their worlds believable. To retain the authenticity of the seventies we’re taking the time to thrift everything second hand. This strategy will also retain affordability and more environmentally friendly filmmaking practices.

Equipment. To achieve the specific look we have in mind, we need access to the best camera and lighting rentals. Extensive tests with this equipment will provide the prep we need ahead of production, making set run more efficiently.

Stretch Goals

Meeting our greenlight goal would fund all these immediate costs to get the movie produced. Any additional funding would go towards post-production costs:

$10,000 allows us to hire our entire sound team for post-production. This would go towards wages for a sound mixer and composer plus additional costs like foley, ADR, and hiring session musicians for the score.

$12,000 allows a full festival circuit. This would cover submission fees to submit to our entire list of festivals across the globe, increasing opportunities to get the film seen.

$15,000 allows us to fund promotional materials. This includes poster artwork, graphics, and ad space costs. On top of festival screenings, this content helps promote our film to a wider digital audience.

Timeline

May 2026 - Principle Photography

June 2026 - Picture Lock Edit

July 2026 - Sound Design

August 2026 - Color Grade

September 2026 - Festival Submissions

May 2027 - Online Release w/ BTS Documentary + Director's Commentary

With all this in mind, why should you consider supporting this film? 

1. Job opportunities for MI filmmakers. Support the careers of 10+ independent artists who make movies in the Great Lake State. On top of providing wages, food, and travel, this film will generate future prospects as a portfolio piece for all involved as well.
2. Festival circuit. Help the film compete for awards and get screened at festivals. Festivals create numerous opportunities for networking, building credibility, and getting the film seen to a wider audience. We’re excited to not only show Creatures off around Michigan, but across the globe at festivals that identify with our queer horror niche. 
3. Creating educational resources for filmmakers. Really Neat Films is a community-driven platform. With each movie in our growing body of work, our goal is to share free resources that break down the entire process of making them. From behind-the-scenes documentaries to interviews with crew, this content is created with the intention of educating beginner filmmakers. On top of materials shared across social media, we also hope to continue these conversations at public events and in classrooms.
4. Telling an LGBTQ+ story. The theme of this film is built around being vulnerable about who you are. Our message is specifically targeted at young queer people without others to open up to. Donating would help get us closer to making that impact.

Ways to Help

Even if you're unable to donate to our campaign there is still lots you can do to help us reach our goal:

• Sharing this page with friends, family, or anyone you think would enjoy watching a film like this.

• Following us on social media to receive exclusive BTS content and production updates up until the release date.

• Copy and pasting the following message on your own social media: Help support indie filmmakers and contribute to #CreaturesOfWind! Show them some love @seedandspark www.seed&spark.com/fund/creatures-of-wind/#story

Thank you so much for your consideration and contribution to Creatures of Wind. We're beyond excited to take you on this journey and make something special.

Note: Really Neat Films informs its donors our 501(c)(3) application is in process for approval.