Tillman began to write his script for "Scenes for the Soul", and sent the script to New Line, but they passed on it. Initially, the budget to produce "Scenes for the Soul" was a million dollars, but Tillman and his partner, Tietel, could not raise a million. The amount they had raised was $150,000 and that was over a period of two years. Tillman had to resort to his film short, "Paula", and decided to have a screening. He invited investors to come donate from anything to $500 to $5,000. By the end of the screening, Tillman and Tietel raised $130,000 and with that, started shooting.