Sh*t on Your Lip
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy
Sh*t on Your Lip is a short film about corporate scandal, public ridicule and the press. Arnold, a whistleblower, becomes a national laughingstock when his televised exposé of the Very Bad Practices at a Very Bad Toy Company gets overshadowed by some poorly timed schmutz on his lip.
Sh*t on Your Lip
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $26,155 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
110 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Sh*t on Your Lip is a short film about corporate scandal, public ridicule and the press. Arnold, a whistleblower, becomes a national laughingstock when his televised exposé of the Very Bad Practices at a Very Bad Toy Company gets overshadowed by some poorly timed schmutz on his lip.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
UPDATE: AS OF MARCH 15TH, WE ARE AT 100% OF OUR GOAL! Here’s what we still need:
STRETCH GOAL! Thanks to YOU we've hit our the funding we need to go into production, but now we're headed toward a few stretch goals. First and foremost, we would love to pay our team higher rates - they're the shit and they deserve all the cash we can throw at them for the hard work they do. Second, we would love to scale up our lens and camera package. Our last stretch goal will ensure that our post-production is fully funded as well.
*at $22k - better rates for our cast and crew
*at $25k - dream camera and lens package
*at $30k - post production is fully funded
Please continue to share this project with your friends. And thank you again!!!
Sh*t on Your Lip was written by Elvira Ibragimova and Anna Lockhart and will be directed by Elvira Ibragimova, aka me, the person writing this.
The short follows Arnold, a whistleblower in a scandal involving his employer, Big Toy Company. Arnold decides to go public and expose the corrupt practices at the massive corporation and maker of the BobbleArm collectibles, a toy beloved by children and adults around the world.
Arnold gives a televised press conference, but everything goes off the rails when he steps in front of the cameras with some schmutz on his lip. Instead of listening to his exposé, the world becomes fixated on one burning question: “What is that Shit on His Lip?” (Ladies and gentlemen, we have a title). A week after the press conference, Arnold has a follow-up interview with Penny, the only reporter who seems to still care about the actual issue at hand. As Arnold attempts to restore his public image, his interview with Penny gets interrupted by his idiot brother Fred, who seems incapable of understanding how important this is (but who may be the only person with the answers about the Mystery Lip Shit.)
Arnold’s naivete leads him to believe his heroic whistleblowing gesture might bring about some real societal change. But sweet, simple Arnold will learn the hard way that tattling on a bully doesn’t actually make them stop. People are happy to attack the messenger if it means they can avoid having to confront the message itself. Once Arnold realizes the world is not on his side, he must make a decision to leave behind his secure and happy life and take matters into his own hands -- like a less cool Neo, or a slightly taller Frodo, or a less Oscar-winning Erin Brockovich.
So let’s get into the nitty-gritty. What do we need from you? Okay, obviously money. We need, admittedly, what feels like a tall pile of money, but trust me, that pile goes FAST when you’re paying people for their labor. The budget will go towards two and a half days of shooting in Los Angeles: cast, crew, locations, meals, costumes, lighting equipment, camera gear, props, and Covid PPE.
In addition to pledging, I humbly ask you to do one or all of the following:
- Follow our Seed & Spark page - This expands our reach on the platform and helps us unlock different incentives (like film festival waivers) along the way.
- Share this page with anyone you think might want to support our project. If you’re not sure what to say, here is some ready-made text as well as our handles to use on your socials:
“My best friend in the world, Elvira, is making a short film that I believe will win an Oscar and sell for billions. Please support the project by donating to her Seed & Spark campaign. She didn’t ask me to do this.”
www.seedandspark.com/fund/SoYL
@shit_on_your_lip
@elveerai
@aplockhart
@thegreatwicksby
**And here's some back-up text for your friends who don't like mixing finances and sarcasm:
Help filmmakers @elveerai @aplockhart & @thegreatwicksby by supporting their comedic short film Sh*t on Your Lip! It’s a story about a whistleblower who becomes a national laughingstock when he goes on live television with schmutz on his lip. Join them on @seedandspark www.seedandspark.com/fund/SoYL
Check out those incentives! You can get rewarded in a social media shout-out - and it won’t be empty or devoid of feeling; we have a dedicated team of compliment-givers that are ready to really butter you up. Or you can go down the list and get a custom made News Headline from Arnold’s hometown newspaper, the Bushville Telegraph.
Or if you don't care for puff pieces and would rather have a smear job, you can get your face on the front page of The Bushville Hot Goss. (Please send me a bad photo of yourself if you get this one!)
Maybe you’ve got no clothes and need a T-Shirt - why not go for the DooDoo Dojo T-shirt, the official non-fiscal all-fecal sponsor of this short? Just don’t ask what it means because [SPOILERS] but trust me, after you watch the short, you’ll wanna wear that shirt all the time. And yeah we get it, not everyone is a ‘shirt’ person, so we’ve got totes too.
Don’t be shy about going for those big ticket items - The BobbleArms! These prop toys were lovingly hand-made by the director (me) because she (me) wanted to save money on 3D printing. You can even skip past the prop BobbleArms we use in the short and get a custom BobbleArm of YOU! (Or anything really… Within reason. I’m not Michelangelo here, but I’m getting preeeeeeetty good at this sculpting thing. Please see my BobbleArm “Hitchcock Covered in Bird Poop” for reference.)
However, more important than all those goodies - you get to help a group of creatives make a film, and those bragging rights will be with you forever. I can’t believe I went this long without mentioning These Trying Times but truly - in these trying times we need art, we need comedy, we need silly, joyful and sweet films that tackle darker themes to help us laugh through the awfulness. Whoops, I accidentally went sentimental - so I’ll move on to the biggest thing we’ll all get in return from making this short happen -
A feature! Of course! The Sh*t on Your Lip short is a proof of concept for a comedy feature which will follow the fallout of the lip-shit fiasco over the course of a week. After Arnold is forced to reconcile his idealized version of the world with the harsher reality in front of him, he joins forces with Penny and (much to his dismay) Fred; together, they attempt to deliver just one ounce of consequences to Big Toy Company’s doorstep. But like Nike to Beaverton and Apple to Cupertino, Big Toy Company is the lifeblood of Bushville. Take down the company, and the whole town might just come tumbling down with it. So how do you take a stand against a corporation that’s padding the pockets of every person you pass on the street?
This will be my directorial debut in the feature space, so by supporting this short, you are directly supporting my long term career path, and I get annoyingly grateful and teary-eyed when that happens. You’ll also be supporting our entire team of creatives behind this project. It takes a village to raise a baby short, they say, and our village is STACKED with some of the best villagers you’ll ever meet. Seriously, please go check out our team, they are all so uniquely spectacular AND handsome, all of them.
Thank you for your support and for reading this far!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew
Costs $10,000
Cast and crew
Meals and Crafty
Costs $1,600
We wanna eat!
Art Department
Costs $2,000
Costumes, props and set decoration
Location
Costs $2,900
We'll be shooting at two locations in Los Angeles
Equipment
Costs $3,500
Camera and lighting equipment
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elvira Ibragimova
Elvira Ibragimova is an LA-based comedy filmmaker. Elvira is a half Jewish, half Muslim political refugee, hailing from sunny, Soviet-era Uzbekistan. After an initial career in architecture, she turned to filmmaking. She studied at Second City’s Harold Ramis Film School. Her short film Dingus Wishes placed in multiple film festivals and helped her secure the Viacom Viewfinder Directing Fellowship, a yearlong training program for episodic television. She recently completed the WSC Squad, a six month long mentorship program within the DGA. Her TV credits include Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, Danger Force on Nickelodeon and Fairly OddParents on Paramount+. Her latest project, We’re Doing Good, is an autobiographical comedy series about trying to be a good person; it had its world premiere at SXSW and was also a selection at HollyShorts and SeriesFest where it won the Caz Matthews grant. (By the way, it's pronounced El-vEE-ruh and as much as she wishes her parents were THAT cool, she was not named after The Mistress of the Dark.)
Check out her previous work!
Anna Lockhart
Anna Lockhart is a comedy writer originally from New Mexico, followed by stints in Texas, Memphis, and New York before the great gold rush of television aspirations brought her to Los Angeles. She is currently a Staff Writer on The Afterparty (Apple TV Plus) and previously wrote on the sketch series Alternatino with Arturo Castro (rest in power, Quibi). Her support staff credits include The Curse (Showtime), Our Cartoon President (Showtime), The Prince (HBO Max), Robbie (Comedy Central), and a forthcoming Marvel project she cannot legally discuss. Prior to that, she was the assistant to the President of Comedy Central and developed short-form series for the network's digital platforms. She also won “Best Rat Skinner” in 9th grade biology, if you ever need help with that kind of thing.
Katy Wicker
Katy Wicker is a multi-award-winning producer from Houston, Texas with nearly a decade of film and theatrical experience. Starting her career in theatre, Katy Co-Founded the Los Angeles-based theatre company, The Bardic Bastards, where she produced The Bakery, one of Buzzfeed LA's 2017 Top Five Fringe Shows to See, and Pocketmon! A Pokemon Parody Musical, earning her a Hollywood Fringe Encore Producer's Award. Since 2020, Katy has served as an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway production company, MB Stage Productions. When not producing theatre, Katy dedicates the rest of her time to producing film. After breaking into the trailer marketing world, she received a Clio Award for her first creative marketing commercial, CNN's Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History. From there, Katy has produced numerous AV spots and social media content. Since 2021, she's been helping produce two Star Trek documentaries for the award-winning production company, 455 Films. Nearly all of her downtime is spent with her beloved dog, Walter.
Heather Mingo
Heather Mingo is an independent filmmaker based in LA by way of Chicago. Embodying the essence of indie filmmaking, she’s held nearly every position in front of and behind the camera--often on the same project. Her high level of organization and radically transparent communication make her a natural fit for one of her favorite roles, 1st Assistant Director. Over the last several years, she has 1st AD’d dozens of commercials, industrials, short films, features, and series with various production companies. Her most recent projects include the award-winning series We’re Doing Good and Everyone Is Doing Great (no relation). She has a reputation for keeping her cool under the most trying of circumstances and fostering a safe environment, allowing her creative cohorts to do their best work.
Samuel Ott
Sam is a self-taught filmmaker born and raised on a farm in mid-Missouri - he'll always have a soft spot for the heartland. His cinematography commercial work for Ralph Lauren was awarded a Vimeo Staff Pick and was an Official Nominee at the Berlin Commercial Festival. His most recent cinematography work for the digital series We’re Doing Good premiered at SXSW in 2022 with additional screenings at HollyShorts, SeriesFest and Broad Humor Film Festival where it won Best Web Series. His first short film as director/cinematographer, it was good talking to you, won Best Documentary Short at the DOC LA Film Fest and his first feature film as cinematographer, In the Wake of Ire, won Best Cinematography at the CHAIN NYC Film Fest and Best American Spectrum Feature at INDY Film Fest. At certain times of day, you can find him wandering out and about eating an avocado.
Maya Heble
Maya Heble is a Canadian producer based between Los Angeles and Toronto. Her work in both film and television has been featured at festivals such as TIFF, SXSW, Series Mania, Sitges and others around the world. Her latest producing credits include two seasons of the award-winning CBC series Something Undone and upcoming feature Fixation, starring Maddie Hasson and Genesis Rodriguez, which is currently being sold by UTA. Fixation had its world premiere at TIFF 2022 and went on to play other festivals including the mid-fest gala premiere at International Film Festival of India. Maya has a diverse skill set with a wide variety of life experiences. As a former flight attendant, she has traveled the world learning local stories and understanding their place in the global media marketplace. Maya has been working with 4AM Film Studios since 2018.
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
UPDATE: AS OF MARCH 15TH, WE ARE AT 100% OF OUR GOAL! Here’s what we still need:
STRETCH GOAL! Thanks to YOU we've hit our the funding we need to go into production, but now we're headed toward a few stretch goals. First and foremost, we would love to pay our team higher rates - they're the shit and they deserve all the cash we can throw at them for the hard work they do. Second, we would love to scale up our lens and camera package. Our last stretch goal will ensure that our post-production is fully funded as well.
*at $22k - better rates for our cast and crew
*at $25k - dream camera and lens package
*at $30k - post production is fully funded
Please continue to share this project with your friends. And thank you again!!!
Sh*t on Your Lip was written by Elvira Ibragimova and Anna Lockhart and will be directed by Elvira Ibragimova, aka me, the person writing this.
The short follows Arnold, a whistleblower in a scandal involving his employer, Big Toy Company. Arnold decides to go public and expose the corrupt practices at the massive corporation and maker of the BobbleArm collectibles, a toy beloved by children and adults around the world.
Arnold gives a televised press conference, but everything goes off the rails when he steps in front of the cameras with some schmutz on his lip. Instead of listening to his exposé, the world becomes fixated on one burning question: “What is that Shit on His Lip?” (Ladies and gentlemen, we have a title). A week after the press conference, Arnold has a follow-up interview with Penny, the only reporter who seems to still care about the actual issue at hand. As Arnold attempts to restore his public image, his interview with Penny gets interrupted by his idiot brother Fred, who seems incapable of understanding how important this is (but who may be the only person with the answers about the Mystery Lip Shit.)
Arnold’s naivete leads him to believe his heroic whistleblowing gesture might bring about some real societal change. But sweet, simple Arnold will learn the hard way that tattling on a bully doesn’t actually make them stop. People are happy to attack the messenger if it means they can avoid having to confront the message itself. Once Arnold realizes the world is not on his side, he must make a decision to leave behind his secure and happy life and take matters into his own hands -- like a less cool Neo, or a slightly taller Frodo, or a less Oscar-winning Erin Brockovich.
So let’s get into the nitty-gritty. What do we need from you? Okay, obviously money. We need, admittedly, what feels like a tall pile of money, but trust me, that pile goes FAST when you’re paying people for their labor. The budget will go towards two and a half days of shooting in Los Angeles: cast, crew, locations, meals, costumes, lighting equipment, camera gear, props, and Covid PPE.
In addition to pledging, I humbly ask you to do one or all of the following:
- Follow our Seed & Spark page - This expands our reach on the platform and helps us unlock different incentives (like film festival waivers) along the way.
- Share this page with anyone you think might want to support our project. If you’re not sure what to say, here is some ready-made text as well as our handles to use on your socials:
“My best friend in the world, Elvira, is making a short film that I believe will win an Oscar and sell for billions. Please support the project by donating to her Seed & Spark campaign. She didn’t ask me to do this.”
www.seedandspark.com/fund/SoYL
@shit_on_your_lip
@elveerai
@aplockhart
@thegreatwicksby
**And here's some back-up text for your friends who don't like mixing finances and sarcasm:
Help filmmakers @elveerai @aplockhart & @thegreatwicksby by supporting their comedic short film Sh*t on Your Lip! It’s a story about a whistleblower who becomes a national laughingstock when he goes on live television with schmutz on his lip. Join them on @seedandspark www.seedandspark.com/fund/SoYL
Check out those incentives! You can get rewarded in a social media shout-out - and it won’t be empty or devoid of feeling; we have a dedicated team of compliment-givers that are ready to really butter you up. Or you can go down the list and get a custom made News Headline from Arnold’s hometown newspaper, the Bushville Telegraph.
Or if you don't care for puff pieces and would rather have a smear job, you can get your face on the front page of The Bushville Hot Goss. (Please send me a bad photo of yourself if you get this one!)
Maybe you’ve got no clothes and need a T-Shirt - why not go for the DooDoo Dojo T-shirt, the official non-fiscal all-fecal sponsor of this short? Just don’t ask what it means because [SPOILERS] but trust me, after you watch the short, you’ll wanna wear that shirt all the time. And yeah we get it, not everyone is a ‘shirt’ person, so we’ve got totes too.
Don’t be shy about going for those big ticket items - The BobbleArms! These prop toys were lovingly hand-made by the director (me) because she (me) wanted to save money on 3D printing. You can even skip past the prop BobbleArms we use in the short and get a custom BobbleArm of YOU! (Or anything really… Within reason. I’m not Michelangelo here, but I’m getting preeeeeeetty good at this sculpting thing. Please see my BobbleArm “Hitchcock Covered in Bird Poop” for reference.)
However, more important than all those goodies - you get to help a group of creatives make a film, and those bragging rights will be with you forever. I can’t believe I went this long without mentioning These Trying Times but truly - in these trying times we need art, we need comedy, we need silly, joyful and sweet films that tackle darker themes to help us laugh through the awfulness. Whoops, I accidentally went sentimental - so I’ll move on to the biggest thing we’ll all get in return from making this short happen -
A feature! Of course! The Sh*t on Your Lip short is a proof of concept for a comedy feature which will follow the fallout of the lip-shit fiasco over the course of a week. After Arnold is forced to reconcile his idealized version of the world with the harsher reality in front of him, he joins forces with Penny and (much to his dismay) Fred; together, they attempt to deliver just one ounce of consequences to Big Toy Company’s doorstep. But like Nike to Beaverton and Apple to Cupertino, Big Toy Company is the lifeblood of Bushville. Take down the company, and the whole town might just come tumbling down with it. So how do you take a stand against a corporation that’s padding the pockets of every person you pass on the street?
This will be my directorial debut in the feature space, so by supporting this short, you are directly supporting my long term career path, and I get annoyingly grateful and teary-eyed when that happens. You’ll also be supporting our entire team of creatives behind this project. It takes a village to raise a baby short, they say, and our village is STACKED with some of the best villagers you’ll ever meet. Seriously, please go check out our team, they are all so uniquely spectacular AND handsome, all of them.
Thank you for your support and for reading this far!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew
Costs $10,000
Cast and crew
Meals and Crafty
Costs $1,600
We wanna eat!
Art Department
Costs $2,000
Costumes, props and set decoration
Location
Costs $2,900
We'll be shooting at two locations in Los Angeles
Equipment
Costs $3,500
Camera and lighting equipment
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elvira Ibragimova
Elvira Ibragimova is an LA-based comedy filmmaker. Elvira is a half Jewish, half Muslim political refugee, hailing from sunny, Soviet-era Uzbekistan. After an initial career in architecture, she turned to filmmaking. She studied at Second City’s Harold Ramis Film School. Her short film Dingus Wishes placed in multiple film festivals and helped her secure the Viacom Viewfinder Directing Fellowship, a yearlong training program for episodic television. She recently completed the WSC Squad, a six month long mentorship program within the DGA. Her TV credits include Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, Danger Force on Nickelodeon and Fairly OddParents on Paramount+. Her latest project, We’re Doing Good, is an autobiographical comedy series about trying to be a good person; it had its world premiere at SXSW and was also a selection at HollyShorts and SeriesFest where it won the Caz Matthews grant. (By the way, it's pronounced El-vEE-ruh and as much as she wishes her parents were THAT cool, she was not named after The Mistress of the Dark.)
Check out her previous work!
Anna Lockhart
Anna Lockhart is a comedy writer originally from New Mexico, followed by stints in Texas, Memphis, and New York before the great gold rush of television aspirations brought her to Los Angeles. She is currently a Staff Writer on The Afterparty (Apple TV Plus) and previously wrote on the sketch series Alternatino with Arturo Castro (rest in power, Quibi). Her support staff credits include The Curse (Showtime), Our Cartoon President (Showtime), The Prince (HBO Max), Robbie (Comedy Central), and a forthcoming Marvel project she cannot legally discuss. Prior to that, she was the assistant to the President of Comedy Central and developed short-form series for the network's digital platforms. She also won “Best Rat Skinner” in 9th grade biology, if you ever need help with that kind of thing.
Katy Wicker
Katy Wicker is a multi-award-winning producer from Houston, Texas with nearly a decade of film and theatrical experience. Starting her career in theatre, Katy Co-Founded the Los Angeles-based theatre company, The Bardic Bastards, where she produced The Bakery, one of Buzzfeed LA's 2017 Top Five Fringe Shows to See, and Pocketmon! A Pokemon Parody Musical, earning her a Hollywood Fringe Encore Producer's Award. Since 2020, Katy has served as an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway production company, MB Stage Productions. When not producing theatre, Katy dedicates the rest of her time to producing film. After breaking into the trailer marketing world, she received a Clio Award for her first creative marketing commercial, CNN's Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History. From there, Katy has produced numerous AV spots and social media content. Since 2021, she's been helping produce two Star Trek documentaries for the award-winning production company, 455 Films. Nearly all of her downtime is spent with her beloved dog, Walter.
Heather Mingo
Heather Mingo is an independent filmmaker based in LA by way of Chicago. Embodying the essence of indie filmmaking, she’s held nearly every position in front of and behind the camera--often on the same project. Her high level of organization and radically transparent communication make her a natural fit for one of her favorite roles, 1st Assistant Director. Over the last several years, she has 1st AD’d dozens of commercials, industrials, short films, features, and series with various production companies. Her most recent projects include the award-winning series We’re Doing Good and Everyone Is Doing Great (no relation). She has a reputation for keeping her cool under the most trying of circumstances and fostering a safe environment, allowing her creative cohorts to do their best work.
Samuel Ott
Sam is a self-taught filmmaker born and raised on a farm in mid-Missouri - he'll always have a soft spot for the heartland. His cinematography commercial work for Ralph Lauren was awarded a Vimeo Staff Pick and was an Official Nominee at the Berlin Commercial Festival. His most recent cinematography work for the digital series We’re Doing Good premiered at SXSW in 2022 with additional screenings at HollyShorts, SeriesFest and Broad Humor Film Festival where it won Best Web Series. His first short film as director/cinematographer, it was good talking to you, won Best Documentary Short at the DOC LA Film Fest and his first feature film as cinematographer, In the Wake of Ire, won Best Cinematography at the CHAIN NYC Film Fest and Best American Spectrum Feature at INDY Film Fest. At certain times of day, you can find him wandering out and about eating an avocado.
Maya Heble
Maya Heble is a Canadian producer based between Los Angeles and Toronto. Her work in both film and television has been featured at festivals such as TIFF, SXSW, Series Mania, Sitges and others around the world. Her latest producing credits include two seasons of the award-winning CBC series Something Undone and upcoming feature Fixation, starring Maddie Hasson and Genesis Rodriguez, which is currently being sold by UTA. Fixation had its world premiere at TIFF 2022 and went on to play other festivals including the mid-fest gala premiere at International Film Festival of India. Maya has a diverse skill set with a wide variety of life experiences. As a former flight attendant, she has traveled the world learning local stories and understanding their place in the global media marketplace. Maya has been working with 4AM Film Studios since 2018.