Drop Dead Senior Thesis Project

Video Credits:

Editors: Margaux Bernales Inès Benmo | Storyboard Art: Gaby Sanchez

Our Narrative

Drop Dead follows a young high schooler named Tommy who loses a friend to an overdose and must face the consequences. Tommy struggles to see any value in life after the event... but is later encountered by a character named Death who forms a bizarre yet revitalizing relationship that restores Tommy's hopefulness in his future.  

Our Mission

Our goal with Drop Dead is to bring awareness to internal struggles during personal loss. The project will utilize all creative facets to create an authentic narrative everyone can relate to. We're wanting to bring this story to life by investing in the following areas of production as well as in our on set Health and Safety procedures. 

Production Design & Make Up 

• Hand craft sets and spaces character interact in to visually strengthen character personality and background. 
• Carefully select wardrobe pieces and props to establish an onscreen presence for each and every character. 
• Conduct early make up test to ensure a sense of realism is achieved while on location.

Physical Production, Cinematography, Lighting, & Sound

• Scouting and confirming desire locations suitable to story needs. 
• Obtain gear that achieves visually amplifying shots. 
• Work with high end camera technology capable of creating enjoyable and thrilling viewing experiences. 
• Engage with Lighting team to thoughtfully plan lighting arrangements that underscores a scene's mood.
• Acquire appropriate audio equipment for all location types.

Post Production, Visual Effects, & Music Composition

• Work with composers to elevate key story moments through original soundtracks.  
• Showcase the mythically powers of Death through custom visual effects work. 

Collaborations with Talent

• Mobilizing inclusive and diverse casting practices to promise Drop Dead's story can be accomplished.  

Investments in Health and Safety

• Having the correct number of crew and needed specialist on set when dealing with unique production moments.
• Actively avoiding threats of COVID-19 infections by excessing rigorous crew testing and daily screenings.
• Distributing inclusive on set dinning options to avoid allergic reactions while having medical/first aid materials on standby. 

Areas in Need of Funding | How You Can Help

Drop Dead is a fiercely ambitious project which includes many complexities in filming locations, advanced character and set design; it also deals with a great amount of logistical organization and planning. Your generous investments, no matter what size, will alleviate many anticipated costs. 

Production Design & Make Up | Purchases in set dressing, props, special needs in make up, and wardrobe items. 

Physical Production, Cinematography, Lighting, & Sound | City Location permits, Location Agreements, Equipment Vehicle Rentals, Camera/Lens Rentals, G&E Rentals, Sound Rentals, Insurance Packages, Meals, Portal Restrooms, 

Post Production, Visual Effects, & Music Composition | Compensations for VFX/Colorist specialists. 

Investments in Health and Safety | Purchases in first aid kits, on set fire extinguishers, on set COVID Compliance Officer, KN95 COVID Masks, Cleaning and Disinfectant supplies, Inclusive on set catering and crafty options. 

Giving Back to You

We're excited to announce that all donation sent to Drop Dead are 100% Tax Deductible. The California State University, Northridge Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public benefit California corporation.

Instagram | TikTok

Director: Gavin Keeping

Writers: Gavin Keeping, Kyle Stangrover

Producers: Liam S. Terlecki, Emily Murotake

First Assistant Director: Laney Ramirez

Second Assistant Director and Story Board Artist: Gaby Sanchez

Directors of Photography: Hayden Bushfield, Claire Engler, Kyle Biggs

Production Designers: Lauren Hutchison, Kris Booth 

Script Supervisor: Leila Nurmukhametova

Editors: Margaux Bernales, Inès Benmo

Makeup Artists: Dana Schulz, Elizaveta Sycheva

Script Consultants: Leila Nurmukhametova, Shaun Riel