Obsolete
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Comedy
Steph, a clerk at her local video store, is at work when creepy stuff starts to happen. Strange phone calls, lights flickering and static playing on the tv. Suddenly Steph is in a fight for her life. Can she survive? Or will she, like the physical media she loves so much, become obsolete?
Obsolete
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
35 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$7,235
Goal: $8,800 for production
Steph, a clerk at her local video store, is at work when creepy stuff starts to happen. Strange phone calls, lights flickering and static playing on the tv. Suddenly Steph is in a fight for her life. Can she survive? Or will she, like the physical media she loves so much, become obsolete?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Obsolete is the story of one woman's fight to get through her shift at work and stay alive.
We all remember video stores. The nostalgia of picking just one movie on Friday night to go with your takeout pizza. But these stores still exist. We don’t need to wax poetic about video stores on Netflix documentaries when most major cities have a few to choose from. Like record stores or vintage shops, video stores have become niche, but they walk among us.
So what’s it like to work somewhere everyone else has forgotten? We wanted to explore the current world of video store culture and what it can feel like to work somewhere a bit archaic. And how it can sometimes feel like something more sinister is breathing down your neck, waiting to make you obsolete.
Our team is a dedicated group of cinephile fiends. Our two lead actors, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner and Matt McCarthy, both have dedicated followings for their obsessive collections of physical media.
Our beautiful lead actors!
Lucé Tomlin-Brenner & Matt McCarthy
Our director!
Ellie, our fearless director, thinks everything old is new again. She also runs a monthly comedy show with Luce out of the video store, Vidéothèque, where they’re shooting! She is making this film to show her love for physical media and video stores.
Third spaces are having a moment, and the video store most of all. We wanted to explore the space and idea of video rental stores. A space we all have fond memories of and a lot of love for, but maybe not a space most people spend a ton of time in today.
Our director is pregnant! Yay! But oh no! We have LIMITED TIME. Soon that baby will consume her whole being and leave little time for overnight shoots. It’s go time!
If you love that nostalgic feeling of picking a movie on a Friday night but you’re also worried what you love most will kill you, this film is for you! We need your support. We want to make the best version of this script and can only do it with your help!
We have our cast set, our script locked, and our location ready to go. We need that green light to pay for, well, the rest of it. Crew payments, food, insurance -- all the glamorous stuff that makes filming cost more than your average late fee.
Once we finish filming in September, we plan to edit and lock picture ASAP. The ultimate goal is to show this at as many horror and comedy film festivals as possible so as many eyeballs as possible can see it. After we finish a festival run, we plan to release it on Vimeo for the world! And MAYBE in the future, if it all goes to plan, just maybe we’ll shoot the feature version ;)
If you’re still curious about the nuts and bolts, here’s a pie chart we made explaining our budget!
Help us spread the word! The only way we'll reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach as many eyeballs as possible. If you want to support our band of physical media obsessives, YOU can make a difference!!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, screaming about it at your local video store or cinematheque, however you want! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help director @ellieracemoore by supporting her film Obsolete. Produced by @ltbcomedy and @toomuch.productions Join them on https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
I love two things: chewing gum and supporting DIY filmmakers @ellieracemoore and @ltbcomedy. AND I’M ALL OUT OF CHEWING GUM. Join me on @https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
I’m a freak for physical media! And I’m supporting the short film OBSOLETE directed by @ellieracemoore and starring @ltbcomedy. Join me on @https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Gotta pay our best guys and gals a fair wage! Our goal is to have a crew of about 5 and do a 2 day shoot.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Ellie Race-Moore- Director
Ellie is an actor, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. She's written for Dropout, Reductress, McSweeney's and Spotify. This will be Ellie's second short film, her award winning first short 'Self Help' premiered at the California Women's Film Festival. Ellie has worked with the production company 'Too Much' and her producing partner Luce Tomlin-Brenner on four other short films and excited for their fifth! Ellie loves CINEMA and can't wait to make a goofy, spooky jaunt set in a video store.
Lucé Tomlin-Brenner - Actor/Producer
Lucé is a comedian, podcaster, and filmmaker who hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and currently resides in Los Angeles. As a frequent podcast guest, Lucé can be heard dishing on everything from horror films to the prison industrial complex on such networks as Maximum Fun, How Stuff Works, and Exactly Right. You can engage listen to her Halloween history podcast @itsalwayshalloweenpodcast. Her award-winning horror-comedy short, Messed Up, wrapped up its festival run in 2020, and in 2021 she launched, TOO MUCH, a feminist horror-comedy collective for DIY filmmakers who have audacious visions. Her biggest fear is being murdered.
Jacki Moonves- DP
Jacki is a Director of Photography based in Los Angeles. Jacki's diverse work as a Director of Photography has spanned genres and has screened at dozens of festivals around the world. While she loves shooting all types of content, Jacki’s true passion lies in comedies and action movies — especially the intersection of those two genres. Jacki Moonves is a proud member of the ICFC (International Collective of Female Cinematographers). She was also selected as a mentee for the 2022-2023 ASC Vision Mentorship Program.
Matt McCarthy
Matt McCarthy is a comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster living in Los Angeles. He is best known for his large TikTok following exploring found VHS tapes as well as appearances on Conan, The Pete Holmes Show, and CollegeHumor.com. McCarthy co-stars as Carl on the CBS show How We Roll and in the 2025 film Companion and currently hosts the podcasts We Watch Wrestling and VHS Tapes Are Magic.
Brigid Marshall- Producer
Brigid Marshall is an actor, writer, director, and musician from Chicago! Her latest short film, Just Passing Time, which she wrote and directed, has been a hit on the festival circuit, screening at HollyShorts, Sunscreen Film Festival, and Malibu International Film Festival, among others. Her film Over and Out screened as part of the prestigious 2018 SAG-AFTRA LA Short Film Showcase. The script was also a finalist in the 307 Film Festival for Best Screenplay. She has produced over 6 short films. This is her first time working with ‘Too Much Productions’ but is excited to help throw a bunch of blood around a video store.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Obsolete is the story of one woman's fight to get through her shift at work and stay alive.
We all remember video stores. The nostalgia of picking just one movie on Friday night to go with your takeout pizza. But these stores still exist. We don’t need to wax poetic about video stores on Netflix documentaries when most major cities have a few to choose from. Like record stores or vintage shops, video stores have become niche, but they walk among us.
So what’s it like to work somewhere everyone else has forgotten? We wanted to explore the current world of video store culture and what it can feel like to work somewhere a bit archaic. And how it can sometimes feel like something more sinister is breathing down your neck, waiting to make you obsolete.
Our team is a dedicated group of cinephile fiends. Our two lead actors, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner and Matt McCarthy, both have dedicated followings for their obsessive collections of physical media.
Our beautiful lead actors!
Lucé Tomlin-Brenner & Matt McCarthy
Our director!
Ellie, our fearless director, thinks everything old is new again. She also runs a monthly comedy show with Luce out of the video store, Vidéothèque, where they’re shooting! She is making this film to show her love for physical media and video stores.
Third spaces are having a moment, and the video store most of all. We wanted to explore the space and idea of video rental stores. A space we all have fond memories of and a lot of love for, but maybe not a space most people spend a ton of time in today.
Our director is pregnant! Yay! But oh no! We have LIMITED TIME. Soon that baby will consume her whole being and leave little time for overnight shoots. It’s go time!
If you love that nostalgic feeling of picking a movie on a Friday night but you’re also worried what you love most will kill you, this film is for you! We need your support. We want to make the best version of this script and can only do it with your help!
We have our cast set, our script locked, and our location ready to go. We need that green light to pay for, well, the rest of it. Crew payments, food, insurance -- all the glamorous stuff that makes filming cost more than your average late fee.
Once we finish filming in September, we plan to edit and lock picture ASAP. The ultimate goal is to show this at as many horror and comedy film festivals as possible so as many eyeballs as possible can see it. After we finish a festival run, we plan to release it on Vimeo for the world! And MAYBE in the future, if it all goes to plan, just maybe we’ll shoot the feature version ;)
If you’re still curious about the nuts and bolts, here’s a pie chart we made explaining our budget!
Help us spread the word! The only way we'll reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach as many eyeballs as possible. If you want to support our band of physical media obsessives, YOU can make a difference!!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, screaming about it at your local video store or cinematheque, however you want! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help director @ellieracemoore by supporting her film Obsolete. Produced by @ltbcomedy and @toomuch.productions Join them on https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
I love two things: chewing gum and supporting DIY filmmakers @ellieracemoore and @ltbcomedy. AND I’M ALL OUT OF CHEWING GUM. Join me on @https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
I’m a freak for physical media! And I’m supporting the short film OBSOLETE directed by @ellieracemoore and starring @ltbcomedy. Join me on @https://seedandspark.com/fund/obsolete
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Gotta pay our best guys and gals a fair wage! Our goal is to have a crew of about 5 and do a 2 day shoot.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Ellie Race-Moore- Director
Ellie is an actor, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. She's written for Dropout, Reductress, McSweeney's and Spotify. This will be Ellie's second short film, her award winning first short 'Self Help' premiered at the California Women's Film Festival. Ellie has worked with the production company 'Too Much' and her producing partner Luce Tomlin-Brenner on four other short films and excited for their fifth! Ellie loves CINEMA and can't wait to make a goofy, spooky jaunt set in a video store.
Lucé Tomlin-Brenner - Actor/Producer
Lucé is a comedian, podcaster, and filmmaker who hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and currently resides in Los Angeles. As a frequent podcast guest, Lucé can be heard dishing on everything from horror films to the prison industrial complex on such networks as Maximum Fun, How Stuff Works, and Exactly Right. You can engage listen to her Halloween history podcast @itsalwayshalloweenpodcast. Her award-winning horror-comedy short, Messed Up, wrapped up its festival run in 2020, and in 2021 she launched, TOO MUCH, a feminist horror-comedy collective for DIY filmmakers who have audacious visions. Her biggest fear is being murdered.
Jacki Moonves- DP
Jacki is a Director of Photography based in Los Angeles. Jacki's diverse work as a Director of Photography has spanned genres and has screened at dozens of festivals around the world. While she loves shooting all types of content, Jacki’s true passion lies in comedies and action movies — especially the intersection of those two genres. Jacki Moonves is a proud member of the ICFC (International Collective of Female Cinematographers). She was also selected as a mentee for the 2022-2023 ASC Vision Mentorship Program.
Matt McCarthy
Matt McCarthy is a comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster living in Los Angeles. He is best known for his large TikTok following exploring found VHS tapes as well as appearances on Conan, The Pete Holmes Show, and CollegeHumor.com. McCarthy co-stars as Carl on the CBS show How We Roll and in the 2025 film Companion and currently hosts the podcasts We Watch Wrestling and VHS Tapes Are Magic.
Brigid Marshall- Producer
Brigid Marshall is an actor, writer, director, and musician from Chicago! Her latest short film, Just Passing Time, which she wrote and directed, has been a hit on the festival circuit, screening at HollyShorts, Sunscreen Film Festival, and Malibu International Film Festival, among others. Her film Over and Out screened as part of the prestigious 2018 SAG-AFTRA LA Short Film Showcase. The script was also a finalist in the 307 Film Festival for Best Screenplay. She has produced over 6 short films. This is her first time working with ‘Too Much Productions’ but is excited to help throw a bunch of blood around a video store.