You Can Help

USC thesis films are, by and large, professional films. We work with larger crews, on better cameras and for a much longer period of time than we do on our other films. They can also create great opportunities for those who make them: they compete in film festivals all over the country, including Sundance and USC's own First Look Festival (frequently attended by studio executives and talent scouts), and it is often on the basis of a student's thesis that he or she earns an opportunity to make films after graduating.

So perhaps inevitably, thesis films are expensive! Even with all the free services and facilities provided by the school and generous student discounts offered to us around the city, directors of even moderately-budgeted student theses are tasked with raising intimidating sums - often on the order of $30,000 per film (and sometimes considerably more, depending on the scope of the project.) However, by taking advantage of every resource USC has to offer and marshalling every favor we could muster - from crewpeople kind enough to donate their skills to goods and services from local vendors - my producers and I have planned a production whose budget falls somewhat below the average thesis film's pricetag, but which will more than live up to our high standards of filmmaking.

Movies like Spaceboy could never be made without the generous support of friends, family and others who want to help a new generation of filmmakers advance the art of cinema! To that end, USC has graciously extended to its student filmmakers the use of its status as a 501c3 nonprofit entity, so all donations made to Spaceboy are potentially tax-deductible. Here's how to do it: just print and fill out this Letter of Transmittal and send that, along with your contribution made payble to the University of Southern California, to this address:

Spaceboy
414 North Sycamore Avenue, Apt. #3
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Besides that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets from making tax-deductible charitable donations, friends of Spaceboy will also receive a DVD copy of the finished film, their name in the credits and an invitation to Spaceboy's premiere screening at the First Look Festival, held at the swanky Director's Guild of America in Hollywood. Contributions of any size are deeply appreciated. Please accept my sincere thanks for your time and attention.

Though we have wrapped the principal photography phase of our production, there are still many more expenses to be incurred: things like pickup shots, recording the score, doing our color-correction session and other post-production-related costs will easily run into the thousands of dollars. So if you haven't contributed yet, by all means: don't be shy!

Many thanks to those who have already participated:

Abbi Russal
Kathleen F. Riggs
Dr. Barry Russal and Phyllis Russal
Pauline and Donald Fay
David and Susan Fay
Michael and Sydney Green
John Michael Green
John and Shirley Riggs
Jill and William Green
Donald and Sally Rogan
Erin Robson-Smith
Judge Lee E. Haworth
Elliot Haworth
Katie Haworth
Levin O'Connor
Laurie and Rick Kingsley
Ari Gold
Sara Lewis
Jarret Berenstein
Laurie Roberts
Jon Porter
Anne Morrissey
Susanne Rasnick
Drs. Christopher and Helen Jelks King
Chris and Jennifer Logan
Kelli Rule
Dr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Goldstein
Susina Bakery
Arden Realty
Mrs. and Mrs. Robert Pierce