The film department at McCallum, led by Ken Rogers, has for many years cultivated innovative young filmmakers. The department not only offers training in the fields of filming, writing, editing and directing but also offers tangible, real-world experience in the field of filmmaking.
Late September last school year, a troupe of 13 McCallum film majors began working on Professor Isle’s Laboratory, a quirky seven-episode series following the life of a disgruntled and misunderstood fifth-grade teacher. Professor Isaac Isle, played by Austin actor Jeremy Vandermause, is a young and idealistic man convinced he can change the world if only he weren’t surrounded by blubbering morons who prevent him from doing so, including his rambunctious and rebellious fifth-grade class. The show follows the often absurd situations he’s faced with in his daily life with a sarcastic narrative that analyzes social situations, politics, relationships and the perils of everyday life.
The show’s writer and director, Lance Barnett, initially approached Rogers to produce the show, but Rogers determined that it was a great opportunity for his AV kids.
“Lance had acted in a few of my kids’ films, and [when he] asked me if I would produce the show for him, I told him I would do it for him if my kids could get involved. He agreed,” Rogers said. He felt that it would be a great opportunity for the kids to get a view into the world of filming for TV and film outside of the walls of McCallum.
The McCallum students involved in the production of the show devoted many hours throughout the past year to filming the show, having jobs ranging from interns on set, makeup artists and even paid set jobs. They got the chance to work with all of the equipment as well as work firsthand with the director and the actors.
“A bunch of (the kids) came on as interns for it, and Alex Tzaperas and Thoren Claytor kind of stood out and really worked hard, so we gave them a job,” Rogers said. Not only do the “stand-out” workers get useful experience in their field of interest, but they also have the opportunity to make money off of the show if it begins to make a profit.
“It was a great opportunity to be able to work on a full set, and uh… learn how to deal with shooting [film] with children,” Claytor, a senior, said of the experience, his voice tinged with good-natured sarcasm.
The show filmed most of the classroom scenes at Lamar Middle School, the alma mater of many McCallum students, using extras and characters from Austin-area elementary and middle school students. The combination of 17-year-olds and fifth-graders isn’t normally a common one, so the team had to learn how to work with a cast of characters that pushed them outside of their comfort zones.
In addition to individual students getting paid for their work on the show, Rogers also plans to share the potential profits of the show with his students.
“Ten percent of the profits from here will go toward scholarships for the kids, if [the series] makes any money.” Rogers said.
The show has been picked up by the streaming service Amazon Prime. This online opportunity is an exciting development that offers a lot of potential exposure for the show, as well as an impressive bullet point to add to the students’ resumes.
Though Rogers understands the realities of the world of TV and online streaming and its unpredictability, he still remains hopeful that he and his students may be able to gain some tangible profit from the show in addition to the valuable experience.
“It cost $35,000 to make and that’ll take awhile to make back,” he admitted, “but hopefully it’ll eventually make all its money back. And maybe I’ll even make some money!”
Though it’s free to stream, the profits made from the show are dependent on the amount of times people view it, so for once students can actually help MAC students by watching the show on the smart phones, computers and tablets.
To see the complete credits for the series, click here.
