AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – A new movie premiering tonight on Tubi was shot right here in Augusta.

Five Star Murder follows a group of strangers trapped inside a five-star hotel during a hurricane. One of the guests decides to investigate who killed the hotel’s maître d’…but will she survive?

Mark Crump, title producer on the film, takes us behind the scenes.

Crump started out as a journalist and found his way to producing at Marvista Entertainment.

When the script for ‘Five Star Murder’ came across his desk, he knew he had to produce it.

“It had some elements that I haven’t worked with as much,” said Crump. “One of them being water. And I am a scuba diver- I love the water.”

The film needed a hotel on the beach. 

And, since Augusta is home for him, Crump pitched the historic Partridge Inn…with a bit of visual effects magic.

“When I had the ability to bring this one here and the network said, ‘okay, fine- we like Augusta, we like the hotel, we’ll do it’,” said Crump. “I was like, ‘ah, thank you! I get to sleep in my own bed and I get to bring a film back to Augusta’.”

After three months of planning and five weeks of prep, it was finally time to shoot.

“If you watch the movie, you’ll see that there’s a nice big shot of Tybee Island out there and one of the hotels is now the Partridge Inn on the beach,” said Crump.

Crump’s parents encouraged him to go into the math field, since he was good with numbers.

But, motivated by creativity, he found his way to line producing.

“My decisions are driven by the numbers,” said Crump. “So I have to creatively figure out how to make this work within the constraints of these numbers. And that is what I love.”

He says he loves sinking his teeth into every one of his productions.

“You see this beautiful architecture,” said Crump. “This is where Damaris then had to climb from one balcony to another to escape the rising flood waters.”

Even the smallest of details leave a lasting impression. 

“All this gold trim wasn’t around any of these areas,” said Crump. “And the hotel said, ‘actually we like that- we’re gonna keep that, don’t change a thing’. So this is left over from the film.”

As for Friday’s premiere, Crump says he wants every crew member to celebrate their success.

“ Because really, without the crew, without the cast, without all of the local help- without all of them- it wouldn’t be possible,” said Crump. “It’s really a team effort. A movie is an entire family.”

Five Star Murder premieres Friday, July 28 on Tubi, and it’s free to watch. Tune in this evening with the rest of the filmmakers who are celebrating its release.