Any donation you can make toward our film, no matter how small, will make a difference. Here are some examples of just a few expenses:
$125 will pay for lunch for cast and crew for one day.
$450 will cover transportation from Manhattan to Middlefield and back.
$500 will cover the cost of the camera package rental.
$800 will pay for sets, costumes, and props.
$1,000 will cover the cost of renting professional sound gear.
$1,500 will cover the post-production cost, including sound design, scoring, color correction, and distribution.
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All donors will be acknowledged in the ending credits as:
SPECIAL THANKS ($10 - $100
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CO-PRODUCER ($500)
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ($1000)
Donors will also receive various film-related perks, outlined in the righthand sidebar!
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Although my training and experience at NYU Tisch has prepared me for this undertaking, I’m producing A Teacher’s Reward independently. This means that the film is unaffiliated with NYU as an institution, and therefore does not receive the financial perks of being a “student film.” Simply put, all of the money spent on this project must be raised from friends, family, and patrons of the arts like yourselvse.
With a total budget of $6,000, we plan to creatively and resourcefully distribute our money between the various departments of production to make the best film possible.
Since the cast and crew live in New York City, and we’re shooting five hours north, the production will incur costs for being an “overnight shoot.” In addition to film equipment (camera, lights, sound), we also need to cover meals for the cast/crew and transportation to our location Upstate. Fortunately, the locations both for shooting and lodging are secured and free, but we’ll need to spend money on production design to enhance the location, evoke a 1970s era, and bring Miss Stevens’ home to life.
Post-production costs also figure into our budget. Once the footage is assembled, we’ll have to pay for color correction (to achieve a filmic look) and finally, distribution.
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Once A Teacher’s Reward is complete, we will send it to festivals across the United States and abroad, where independent films have a platform for receiving critical acclaim and reaching a wide audience.
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We've assembled a fantastic team to tell this story:
Laura Brown (Writer/Director)
Laura is a Senior at NYU’s Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. She's written and directed multiple projects, and also worked as a Production Designer and Costumer in collaboration with many of her “Teacher’s Reward” crewmembers. She enjoys Tina Fey, a delightful meal, and confusing Irish literature. After she graduates in May, Laura will be spending two months in Ireland, where she’ll traverse the craggy bluffs, learn to stomach Guinness, meet Colin Farrell, and write about… sheep, probably; before returning to New York to manage post-production and some kind of artistic, ill-funded, likely long-winded career.
Dan Hasse (Executive Producer)
Dan grew up on a farm in Virginia, so most of his early experiences are horse-related. A junior at NYU’s Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, he is currently finishing up work on the pilot for a new TV sitcom "Between A & B," which he wrote and directed. In his spare time, he is the artistic director of Shakespeare in the Square, a student-run company that offers free performances in Washington Square Park. Their production of The Taming of the Shrew goes up in April.
Oren Soffer (Director of Photography)
Born in Haifa, Israel, Oren is currently a junior at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he's served as Director of Photography on numerous short films, commercials, and music videos that have screened in film festivals around the world. Oren has also served as 2nd Assistant Cameraman on the independent feature film "He's Way More Famous Than You" (dir. Michael Urie), and as camera intern on the feature films "Kill Your Darlings" (starring Daniel Radcliffe and Michael C. Hall) and "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete" (starring Jennifer Hudson and Anthony Mackie). He couldn't do it without his amazing pretzels, extremely talented Coca Cola, and incredibly supportive old-man-back brace.
Phil Falino (Assistant Director)
Born in soybeans-a-plenty Cooperstown, NY, and raised on the largest contiguous island in the United States, Phil Falino in his sixth semester at NYU Tisch. He's currently gearing up to direct an experimental production He's worked as Assistant Director on number of NYU productions, including Exec. Producer Dan Hasse's original pilot, "Between A & B." This will be the first time that Phil returns to his birthplace to shoot a film. His second-most anticipated event of the Spring (after the Blu-ray release of The Master) is working with Second A.D. Flora Greeson.
Flora Greeson (Second Assistant Director)
Austin Short (Associate Producer)
KateRose Teitelbaum (Associate Producer)
Lux Haac (Production Designer)
Chris Kappel (Gaffer)
Dylan Jalowski (Sound Mixer)
Sam Besser (Boom Operator)
Katie Baldocchi (Hair/Makeup)
Alex Schaeffer (First Assistant Cameraman)
Cory Fraiman-Lott (Key Grip)
Patrick Bankvitch (Electrician)
Tony Grayson (Script Supervisor)
Benjamin Newgard (Composer)
Allie Stamler (Lead Musican)
I honestly believe that with this budget, a little innovation, our phenomenally talented cast and crew, and the support of our community (THAT’S YOU!), we can make an incredibly high-quality, interesting and exciting film.
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