Deliver Us (USC Thesis Film)
by Kevin McCormack

Kevin McCormack
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Deliver Us (USC Thesis Film)
by Kevin McCormack
Kevin McCormack
Follow
DELIVER US is a University of Southern California graduate thesis film by writer/director Kevin McCormack. This project represents three years of tremendous learning, collaboration, and growth and we need your help to make it a reality!
DELIVER US is a University of Southern California graduate thesis film by writer/director Kevin McCormack. This project represents three years of tremendous learning, collaboration, and growth and we need your help to make it a reality!
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Story
Mission Statement
We live in a world consumed by fear — fear of other cultures, fear of other people, and fear of the unknown. DELIVER US is my attempt as a filmmaker to explore how living in fear can blind us from the truth and ultimately make us servants to those who are betraying us.About The Project
DELIVER US is horror/thriller short film set in 1880 on the outskirts of Gold Country, California.
Story Synopsis
Our story follows SOFIA (nine months pregnant) and JOSEPH (her dying preacher husband). Sofia and Joseph have fled town and taken refuge in the woods to escape the violent, godless people who live there. On the eve of birth, someone from town discovers them and gravely injures Joseph, leaving Sofia to protect her family and deliver the baby.
Director's Note
The entire project has been rooted in authenticity since its conception. Rather than shooting on a stage in the middle of Los Angeles, our cast and crew will instead leave the city and take to the woods to film together in a remote cabin. Additionally, this film features unique visual elements such as mysterious moving figures and glowing lights approaching, but they will all be achieved in-camera and without the use of digital visual effects.
Why Contribute to a Student Film?
Why should you help me go out and make this movie? It's a good question. First and foremost -- by supporting this film, you are supporting me as an aspiring filmmaker. This film is the culmination of three years at USC and I am truly putting my heart and soul into the project. By supporting my film, you are also supporting a dozen other talented student filmmakers who will use the project as an opportunity to showcase their skills. All crew heads are current or former USC cinematic arts students and they joined this project because they believe in the story as well as the awesome team we have been fortune enough to assemble.
Technology has made professional quality film equipment available for extremely reasonable prices, but it still requires a great deal of money to physically get a group of people together and shoot a film over six days. The budget includes meals, u-haul rentals, fake blood, sunscreen, wardrobe, lanterns, and so much more. Any donation you make will go directly toward these concrete pieces of bringing this story to life on film. So if you give $25, you will helping to pay for several cases of waters and ice for our cast and crew, and so on. Any amount you give is an investment in our film and in us, and we thank you for taking the time to learn more about this project!
Incentives
$25
Facebook Shoutout
As a small way of saying "thanks" for your generosity, we'll give you a personalized shout-out on our official Facebook page!
$50
Facebook Poem + Stream the Completed Film
In addition to the reward above, you'll also receive a personalized poem as part of your facebook shoutout AND you will be given access to stream the completed film online for a limited time!
$100
+ + Special Thanks Credit
In addition to the rewards above, your name will also be listed in the end credits of the film under our SPECIAL THANKS section!
$200
+ + + Exclusive Behind the Scenes Content
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive access to a trove of behind-the-scenes content captured by our official Set Photographer/Videographer!
$500
+ + + + Signed Cast/Crew Photo and Digital Copy of Film
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive an official cast and crew photo autographed by all key members of the cast and production team AND you will receive a digital download copy of the completed film to keep forever!
$1,000
+ + + + + Autographed Poster + Attend the Screening with Cast and Crew
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive a full-sized DELIVER US movie poster autographed by all key cast and crew members AND you will receive an invitation to join us for our screening (Please note that transportation and lodging to Los Angeles for the screening is NOT included)
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$25
Facebook Shoutout
As a small way of saying "thanks" for your generosity, we'll give you a personalized shout-out on our official Facebook page!
$50
Facebook Poem + Stream the Completed Film
In addition to the reward above, you'll also receive a personalized poem as part of your facebook shoutout AND you will be given access to stream the completed film online for a limited time!
$100
+ + Special Thanks Credit
In addition to the rewards above, your name will also be listed in the end credits of the film under our SPECIAL THANKS section!
$200
+ + + Exclusive Behind the Scenes Content
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive access to a trove of behind-the-scenes content captured by our official Set Photographer/Videographer!
$500
+ + + + Signed Cast/Crew Photo and Digital Copy of Film
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive an official cast and crew photo autographed by all key members of the cast and production team AND you will receive a digital download copy of the completed film to keep forever!
$1,000
+ + + + + Autographed Poster + Attend the Screening with Cast and Crew
In addition to the rewards above, you will also receive a full-sized DELIVER US movie poster autographed by all key cast and crew members AND you will receive an invitation to join us for our screening (Please note that transportation and lodging to Los Angeles for the screening is NOT included)
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Kevin McCormack
Writer/Director
Born and raised in Southern California, Kevin made his first camcorder movie in high school, and he has dreamed of a career in film ever since. He learned the craft of storytelling as a journalism undergraduate at San Diego State University, where he also served as News Editor for the school’s student-run newspaper The Daily Aztec. In 2013, he relocated to Coloma, California in hopes of producing a low-budget horror feature but ultimately was unable to secure financing. The experience led Kevin to commit his future to learning the craft of film, and he moved to Los Angeles shortly after and enrolled in the University of Southern California’s MFA TV/ Film Production program. His biggest film influences are Italian neo-realism and indie classics from the 1990s.
Celia Rettenmaier
Producer
From an early age, Celia Rettenmaier performed and competed nationally as a trained dancer, eventually directing her own contemporary dance company of over 40 dancers. When a back injury put a halt to her dance career, she discovered film production and eschewed the family practice of medicine in favor of cinema. Asemester abroad in Florence, Italy revealed to her cinema’s power to transcend cultures and generations, solidifying her choice. After graduating, she temporarily moved back to Italy, where she taught English to Italian families while studying the Italian language as well as Italian cinema. She then returned to USC to pursue her MFA in Film and Television Production. By combining her creative passions with business acumen, she is pursuing an emphasis in producing with the dream to one day become a feature film producer.
Madeline Leach
Director of Photography
Madeline Leach is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles and a recent graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ M.F.A. Production program. Her love for images and photography began as a child and continued through college, where she majored in Fine Arts at Georgetown University, specializing in Photography. Maddie shot a multitude of films at USC, including the advanced film, The Craftsman, which was nominated for the Student Etudes Competition at the Camerimage Festival and then later for USC’s First Look Faculty Awards for Outstanding Cinematography. She was also the recipient of the Sun Cinematography Award for her achievements. This past spring, Madeline shot two MFA thesis films, SPOILED MILK and PONYBOI, both with the support of Panavision. Moving forward from graduating USC, she hopes to keep pushing the visual boundaries of the art of film.
TJ Ryan
Production Designer
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, TJ got his start in film early as a child actor in local shorts and commercials. Captivated by the magic of sets and props, he quickly got started building his own DIY worlds out of cardboard and construction paper. Now studying Production Design, TJ emphasizes in the fantastic and macabre - bringing life to films about ancient royalty, serial killers, and everything in between.
Alanna Hoffman
Editor
Alanna Hoffman is a filmmaker from the suburbs of Detroit. She is currently in her third year at the University of Southern California, working towards her Masters of Fine Arts in Film & TV Production. She is studying editing and writing. She received her B.A. in History from Brown University, where she was also active in the theatre community. She has always been drawn to mystery and the unknown and wants to explore that through film. Most recently, she edited the pilot and finale episodes of USC’s new straight to series drama Coventry, which follows a former soldier who must uncover the truth after she wakes up to discover she has been held prisoner in a secret medical facility after a mission in Afghanistan went wrong. Alanna is looking forward to merging her loves of history and editing and is thrilled to be working with the DELIVER US team.
Charlotte Guerry
1st Assistant Director
Charlotte Guerry just graduated from USC’s Film and TV Production program in May. She loves assistant directing anything and everything — from music videos to feature films (including Bailey Heinonen’s “You’ll Never See it Coming” which is about to wrap principle photography). She is so excited to work on DELIVER US as she grew up in the woods of Northern California watching and screaming at horror films.
Lars Struck
Production Sound
Lars Erik Struck was born in Minnesota and raised in south Florida. From a young age he loved watching black and white films with his grandma and going to the theatre with his parents. When he came of age, he knew he wanted to study film and make films for the rest of his life. When he turned 18, he went off to Florida State University to study media production where he discovered his love of camera operating. For the last few years of college, Lars did wedding videography and worked for ESPN as a camera operator filming the football games at FSU. He knew, however, that his true passion was in film cinematography. After being accepted to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he left Florida to live life on the west coast. Since studying film at USC, he’s been able to pursue his dream of filmmaking at the one place that started it all: Hollywood. Lars hopes to one day be a full time freelance sound mixer.
Anna Cassady
Production Sound
Anna grew up in a small mountainous Chinese city, Guiyang. Pursuing her dream of filmmaking, she moved to New York and received her B.A. degree from SUNY - Binghamton in Cinema and Mathematical Science. Her previous short films have premiered in Toronto, New York, and Long Island. With a unique cultural background, she believes in the language of cinema that transcends boundaries. She is currently continuing her filmmaking adventure in the MFA production program at USC, concentrating in Directing and Sound Design.
Jesper Ankarfeldt
Composer
Jesper is a Danish film composer and multi instrumentalist
based in Los Angeles. He holds two Master in Film Music from Conservatorium van Amsterdam and from the prestigious USC Thornton's Department of Screen Scoring. Jesper's music have appeared in Cinemas and television worldwide and have been involved in countless projects. His music have also been awarded in several occasions, latest at the FIPA / Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuals, with the Golden FIPA Award for best original music for his work on the TV episode Van God Los: Kerstkado.Michael Gallo
Associate Producer
Michael started his career in law enforcement and then transitioned over to medical. Shortly after, he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in film at Rowan University. At graduation, he was awarded a Senior Medallion Award for excellence in Radio/television/film. He is currently pursuing an MFA for television and film at University of Southern California, an MBA online at Texas A&M, and an MS in television management from Drexel University. His focus is producing and directing for television.
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