World's Lamest Teacher
Little Rock, Arkansas | Film Short
Drama
The most stressful job in America is teaching. Everyone of us has an educator that made an impact in our lives. Yet the entire profession is being asked to do too much with too little. Our film explores the emotional trauma of both students and educators in the modern high school classroom.
World's Lamest Teacher
Little Rock, Arkansas | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | Arkansas, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,125 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
44 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
The most stressful job in America is teaching. Everyone of us has an educator that made an impact in our lives. Yet the entire profession is being asked to do too much with too little. Our film explores the emotional trauma of both students and educators in the modern high school classroom.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
LOGLINE: A young high school teacher begins to question his career choice after a day filled with fistfights, drugs, and a student's self harm.
I feel guilty everyday that I’m not in a highschool classroom. I was making a difference in student’s lives and in my community. I felt like the work I was doing was important, and that I was good at it. But there were enough reasons that made it impossible for me to stay. Reasons that feel universal within the teaching profession that never get talked about or highlighted. This is what my film is about. Everyone has an educator that made a massive impact on their lives. Someone who inspired them or was there for them when no one else was. It is a shared experience that our lives are better for having some of the teachers we had.
Yet the profession is held in a contradictory esteem. The pay is criminally low. The hours and workload are grueling. The job is entirely thankless. The highest praise or admission of respect for teachers that I often heard was, “I could never be a teacher. Must be incredibly difficult. Kids are so bad these days. I could never keep 30 kids in line and behaving all day.” To think that the most difficult part of the job is getting kids to behave is incredibly reductive. “But teachers get summers off, so they shouldn't be complaining.” Roughly half of all teachers quit within their first five years of teaching. Summers off obviously aren’t enough to keep teachers around. There are a myriad of reasons teachers get pushed away, and the difficulties of the profession shown in movies are usually surface level ones.
The film I aim to make looks to illuminate the reasons that I walked away. Potentially deeper and darker reasons. That micro morality decisions are constantly being made in the classroom. That doing what's best for a student overall can be incredibly nuanced and difficult. That monitoring your students' mental health is a much bigger part of the job than anyone wants to talk about.
This is a small film, about the occurrences of just one day, and the relationships that exist within it. There are both warm moments and chilling ones within the experiences of a few characters. But I hope that it reflects the isolation and weight that can be placed on the profession. That a culture of burnout is constantly at war with the desperate need to be there and care for students.
Darren Ford, a high school teacher in a lower income school, edges ever closer to complete burnout. Desperate to educate and inspire his students, he must navigate the normal hurdles of the profession, as well as the more intricate ones his students Lucianna and Dylan throw at him, all while keeping a watchful eye on their physical and mental well being.
Darren Ford: A media teacher in his mid 20's. He has great relationships with his students and works tirelessly to make his class enjoyable. Sometimes his morale compass doesn't align with that of his school and can lead to tough decisions. He teachs with a deep empathy that can also work against his own mental health.
Lucianna Ortega: A 15 year old sophmore in Mr. Ford's class. She's beyond sarcastic and has a razor sharp wit. Her home life is difficult and she has a history of self harm.
Dylan Johnston: A 14 year old freshman in Mr. Ford's class. He's a soundcloud rapper. Very intelligent, but very stubborn. He finds it difficult to see the point in many of the things he's learning and doesn't have an issue questioning them.
Angie Evans: A high school counselor. Will fight you in the parking lot for her students. She works hard to make sure the teachers on her staff feel valued.
The script is locked and we are in the casting process. We are aiming to shoot in mid to late August, with post production going throughout the end of the the year. Upon completion, we plan to submit to dozens of film festivals around the world.
We're raising $10,000 to fund the production of World's Lamest Teacher.
Here is a brief breakdown of what the funds will cover.
- CAST & CREW
- Compensation, lodging, transportation.
- Upwards of 30 student extras will be needed.
- LOCATIONS
- Expenses related to renting a school for production.
- PRODUCTION DESIGN
- These expenses can rack up quickly and includes costuming, hair, and makeup as well.
- CATERING & CRAFTY
- Everybody needs to eat!
- PRODUCTION INSURANCE
- We can't make any of this happen without production insurance!
- EDITING
- SOUND DESIGN & SCORE
- COLOR CORRECTION/ COLOR GRADING
- FESTIVAL ENTRANCE FEES
HOW TO SUPPORT US:
1. MAKE A CONTRIBUTION!
Directly support our project by making a pledge - any amount helps! Plus, we have some SWEET incentives for our contributors, ranging from a social media shout out, a chance to honor a teacher who impacted you, and Executive Producer credit!
2. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You can follow us here on Seed&Spark, Facebook, and Instagram. Tell your friends to follow us too!
@Worldslamestteacher
https://www.instagram.com/c.floyd_22/
https://www.facebook.com/WorldsLamestTeacher
3. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT US
Tell your friends, colleagues, family and followers about World's Lamest Teacher. You can also share our posts, campaign page, and project updates.
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting young indie filmmakers and stories supporting educators, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmaker @c.floyd_22 by supporting their heartfelt thesis film "World's Lamest Teacher" about the experiences and hardships of being an educator today. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/worlds-lamest-teacher
The team working on "World's Lamest Teacher" is an awesome creative collection! I'm excited to see thier new project. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/worlds-lamest-teacher
4. FOLLOW OUR CAMPAIGN!
Visit our Seed&Spark page regularly to stay updated AND help us increase our chances of being featured on the platform!
COVID-19 GUIDELINES:
Safety is very important to us. We will be taking precautions needed to keep everyone in our cast and crew safe.
All of our cast and crew will be vaccinated. Testing will be made available for everyone along with the needed care.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
A High School Location
Costs $1,500
We need a High School location to film, and have quoted $1500 from a local school,
Post Production
Costs $2,500
Editing, sound design, color correction and more are all needed to finish the film.
Cast
Costs $2,500
Paying actors and their transportation and housing costs.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Paying and feeding the fantastic crew.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Share this update!
About This Team
Director: Casey Floyd is a filmmaker from Galveston, Texas. A former news journalist, corporate video producer, and high school teacher, he now spends his time studying and making films he finds emotionally compelling. He's in the final year of the Film MFA program of the University of Central Arkansas, and this will will serve as his thesis project. Casey has directed TV news specials, helmed video productions for GE, IBM, and FedEx, as well as directed commercials, music videos and most recently, his short film Kind Eyes, which is currently on the festival circuit.
Producer: Paula Blanco Pérez is a Spanish filmmaker that has been making movies in Arkansas for 5 years. She has a degree in digital filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas, where she is now working towards getting her graduate degree in film production. She is a strong passionate young filmmaker full of energy and ideas. She is ambitious and motivated to help the Arkansas film community grow by making films in the state and supporting one another. She worked as the Director of Education at Fayetteville Public TV and won a Telly Award for the “Cinematic Rig FPTV Promo” she directed. She has also directed and produced several short films like “Be Here Now” which was semi-finalist for Best Director at Madrid Film Awards 2020 (Spain) and finalist for Best Director at The Continental Film Festival 2020, “Dust” which won the Technical Achievement Award at the UCA Film Festival 2020, and “Dandelion” that just started the festival run.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
LOGLINE: A young high school teacher begins to question his career choice after a day filled with fistfights, drugs, and a student's self harm.
I feel guilty everyday that I’m not in a highschool classroom. I was making a difference in student’s lives and in my community. I felt like the work I was doing was important, and that I was good at it. But there were enough reasons that made it impossible for me to stay. Reasons that feel universal within the teaching profession that never get talked about or highlighted. This is what my film is about. Everyone has an educator that made a massive impact on their lives. Someone who inspired them or was there for them when no one else was. It is a shared experience that our lives are better for having some of the teachers we had.
Yet the profession is held in a contradictory esteem. The pay is criminally low. The hours and workload are grueling. The job is entirely thankless. The highest praise or admission of respect for teachers that I often heard was, “I could never be a teacher. Must be incredibly difficult. Kids are so bad these days. I could never keep 30 kids in line and behaving all day.” To think that the most difficult part of the job is getting kids to behave is incredibly reductive. “But teachers get summers off, so they shouldn't be complaining.” Roughly half of all teachers quit within their first five years of teaching. Summers off obviously aren’t enough to keep teachers around. There are a myriad of reasons teachers get pushed away, and the difficulties of the profession shown in movies are usually surface level ones.
The film I aim to make looks to illuminate the reasons that I walked away. Potentially deeper and darker reasons. That micro morality decisions are constantly being made in the classroom. That doing what's best for a student overall can be incredibly nuanced and difficult. That monitoring your students' mental health is a much bigger part of the job than anyone wants to talk about.
This is a small film, about the occurrences of just one day, and the relationships that exist within it. There are both warm moments and chilling ones within the experiences of a few characters. But I hope that it reflects the isolation and weight that can be placed on the profession. That a culture of burnout is constantly at war with the desperate need to be there and care for students.
Darren Ford, a high school teacher in a lower income school, edges ever closer to complete burnout. Desperate to educate and inspire his students, he must navigate the normal hurdles of the profession, as well as the more intricate ones his students Lucianna and Dylan throw at him, all while keeping a watchful eye on their physical and mental well being.
Darren Ford: A media teacher in his mid 20's. He has great relationships with his students and works tirelessly to make his class enjoyable. Sometimes his morale compass doesn't align with that of his school and can lead to tough decisions. He teachs with a deep empathy that can also work against his own mental health.
Lucianna Ortega: A 15 year old sophmore in Mr. Ford's class. She's beyond sarcastic and has a razor sharp wit. Her home life is difficult and she has a history of self harm.
Dylan Johnston: A 14 year old freshman in Mr. Ford's class. He's a soundcloud rapper. Very intelligent, but very stubborn. He finds it difficult to see the point in many of the things he's learning and doesn't have an issue questioning them.
Angie Evans: A high school counselor. Will fight you in the parking lot for her students. She works hard to make sure the teachers on her staff feel valued.
The script is locked and we are in the casting process. We are aiming to shoot in mid to late August, with post production going throughout the end of the the year. Upon completion, we plan to submit to dozens of film festivals around the world.
We're raising $10,000 to fund the production of World's Lamest Teacher.
Here is a brief breakdown of what the funds will cover.
- CAST & CREW
- Compensation, lodging, transportation.
- Upwards of 30 student extras will be needed.
- LOCATIONS
- Expenses related to renting a school for production.
- PRODUCTION DESIGN
- These expenses can rack up quickly and includes costuming, hair, and makeup as well.
- CATERING & CRAFTY
- Everybody needs to eat!
- PRODUCTION INSURANCE
- We can't make any of this happen without production insurance!
- EDITING
- SOUND DESIGN & SCORE
- COLOR CORRECTION/ COLOR GRADING
- FESTIVAL ENTRANCE FEES
HOW TO SUPPORT US:
1. MAKE A CONTRIBUTION!
Directly support our project by making a pledge - any amount helps! Plus, we have some SWEET incentives for our contributors, ranging from a social media shout out, a chance to honor a teacher who impacted you, and Executive Producer credit!
2. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You can follow us here on Seed&Spark, Facebook, and Instagram. Tell your friends to follow us too!
@Worldslamestteacher
https://www.instagram.com/c.floyd_22/
https://www.facebook.com/WorldsLamestTeacher
3. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT US
Tell your friends, colleagues, family and followers about World's Lamest Teacher. You can also share our posts, campaign page, and project updates.
The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting young indie filmmakers and stories supporting educators, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmaker @c.floyd_22 by supporting their heartfelt thesis film "World's Lamest Teacher" about the experiences and hardships of being an educator today. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/worlds-lamest-teacher
The team working on "World's Lamest Teacher" is an awesome creative collection! I'm excited to see thier new project. Join them on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/worlds-lamest-teacher
4. FOLLOW OUR CAMPAIGN!
Visit our Seed&Spark page regularly to stay updated AND help us increase our chances of being featured on the platform!
COVID-19 GUIDELINES:
Safety is very important to us. We will be taking precautions needed to keep everyone in our cast and crew safe.
All of our cast and crew will be vaccinated. Testing will be made available for everyone along with the needed care.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
A High School Location
Costs $1,500
We need a High School location to film, and have quoted $1500 from a local school,
Post Production
Costs $2,500
Editing, sound design, color correction and more are all needed to finish the film.
Cast
Costs $2,500
Paying actors and their transportation and housing costs.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Paying and feeding the fantastic crew.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Share this update!
About This Team
Director: Casey Floyd is a filmmaker from Galveston, Texas. A former news journalist, corporate video producer, and high school teacher, he now spends his time studying and making films he finds emotionally compelling. He's in the final year of the Film MFA program of the University of Central Arkansas, and this will will serve as his thesis project. Casey has directed TV news specials, helmed video productions for GE, IBM, and FedEx, as well as directed commercials, music videos and most recently, his short film Kind Eyes, which is currently on the festival circuit.
Producer: Paula Blanco Pérez is a Spanish filmmaker that has been making movies in Arkansas for 5 years. She has a degree in digital filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas, where she is now working towards getting her graduate degree in film production. She is a strong passionate young filmmaker full of energy and ideas. She is ambitious and motivated to help the Arkansas film community grow by making films in the state and supporting one another. She worked as the Director of Education at Fayetteville Public TV and won a Telly Award for the “Cinematic Rig FPTV Promo” she directed. She has also directed and produced several short films like “Be Here Now” which was semi-finalist for Best Director at Madrid Film Awards 2020 (Spain) and finalist for Best Director at The Continental Film Festival 2020, “Dust” which won the Technical Achievement Award at the UCA Film Festival 2020, and “Dandelion” that just started the festival run.