About Dance of the Dead

On the night of the big high-school prom, the dead rise to eat the living, and the only people who can stop them are the losers who couldn't get dates to the dance. The fast-paced, blood-drenched horror/adventure Dance of the Dead is the first production for Bleiberg Entertainment's Compound B shingle.

The film marks the auspicious debuts of many of the young cast members, including Jared Kusntiz (Otis, In Doll Graveyard), Greyson Chadwick (Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls and One Missed Call) and Justin Welborn (The Signal and Final Destination 4). Dance of the Dead is also the sophmore effort from Gregg Bishop, the award-winning director of the supernatural thriller The Other Side.

Ghost House Underground has acquired Dance of the Dead, which made its international debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin earlier this year. The film is to be distributed by Lionsgate in North America this fall as part of Ghost House Underground's inaugural October Horror slate.

To learn more about the film, please visit the Web site.

About the Guests

Gregg Bishop '99 (director, producer, editor) grew up in a small town in Georgia and started making movies when he was seven years old with his father's film cameras. In high school, he ambitiously wrote, directed and produced a low-budget feature film. He is a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts Film Production Program. When Bishop couldn't get a greenlight for Dance of the Dead because he was an unproven feature director, he took $15,000 (profits from his short Voodoo) and funded his own movie to prove he had the chops. That movie was The Other Side, which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and was picked up for a theatrical release. After producer Ehud Bleiberg saw that film at the festival, Dance of the Dead finally came to life. Bishop's next two feature film projects include an action/comedy he is writing with Joe Ballarini and a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller he is currently writing himself.

Joe Ballarini '99 (writer) was born in Boston, moved to Boca Raton, then set up shop in Los Angeles, where it took him five tries to get into the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The script for Dance of the Dead was inspired by real-life events that occurred on the night of his prom — except for the part with all the zombies eating people. His writing credits include the Spy Next Door for Miramax, F+ for MGM (to which he is attached to direct), The Legendary McClouds for Paramount, The Blob for Warner Brothers, Little Darlings for Fox, Ready Set Slow for Dreamworks Animation, The Hollow for ABC, and, most recently, Maintenance for Warner Brothers. Joe is making his directorial debut with his indie-rock vampire movie, Nightlife.

Ehud Bleiberg (producer) launched Los Angeles-based production and international sales company Bleiberg Entertainment in September 2005. The company develops, funds, produces and sells an array of features geared toward the domestic and foreign markets. Recent projects include Adam Resurrected, directed by Paul Schrader; Dance of the Dead and Kirot. Bleiberg also produced The Band's Visit, which won more than 40 international festival awards, including Israeli Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay. Bleiberg was recently elected to a fifth term on the International Film & Television Alliance Board of Directors and now serves as the Chairman of Export Alliance for the association.

Brian James Crewe '99 (co-producer) is originally from Minneapolis and is a graduate of the USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Recent producing credits include award-winning director Eduardo Rodriguez's Internet series Blood Cell, writer/director Marion Kerr's feature thriller Golden Earrings (which Crewe also edited) and Joe Ballarini's upcoming vampire feature, Nightlife. Crewe's screenplay for the drama Sara's Song, co-written with Natalie Plant, was chosen as an official selection of the 2007 Beverly Hills Film Festival. Crewe is also currently developing Perfectly Twisted, a horror/comedy he co-wrote with Marion Kerr, about the plastic surgery industry.

Shannon Banal '02 (associate producer) is vice president of Operations for Bleiberg Entertainment, where she oversees all facets of the company's day-to-day office activity. Prior to joining Bleiberg, she served as distribution coordinator for Dream Entertainment, where she oversaw the company's delivery and marketing initiatives and the creation of trailers and key art for more than 10 films a year. Before joining Dream, Banal worked for American World Pictures, where she assisted in banking and completion bond requirements for productions. Banal holds a bachelor's degree in Cinema-Television with a production emphasis from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

George Feucht '99 (director of photography) has found himself behind cameras since he was eight years old. He ultimately followed this passion to a degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an emphasis in cinematography from the Production Program. Since then, Feucht has shot numerous films and has worked as a director of photography for television networks such as NBC, ABC and Fox. When not shooting for the big screen, Feucht currently shoots narrative featurettes for Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

Jamie Hardt (sound designer) designed the sound for Gregg Bishop's indie action/horror features Dance of the Dead and The Other Side, as well as Frank E. Flower's drama Haven, starring Orlando Bloom. Hardt has worked on the sound crew of more than 20 feature films, including the Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four and Equilibrium. A native Minnesotan, Hardt graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a degree in Cinema-Television production in 2000 and works in Los Angeles. For Dance of the Dead, Hardt was responsible for all creative sound aspects of the film, from original on-set production sound recording to sound effects and foley.

Kristopher Carter (composer) began his career as one of the youngest composers to work for Warner Bros. He received an Emmy Award for Batman Beyond, as well as five other Emmy nominations. His 15 independent feature films have screened at many prestigious international festivals, including South by Southwest, Slamdance, the Atlanta Film Festival, Shriekfest and the 2008 Park City Film Music Festival, where his feature Yesterday Was a Lie won a Gold Medal for Best Impact Of Music In A Feature Film. He made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 2001 with a commission from John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In the record world, he has collaborated with the Wallflowers' Rami Jaffee and blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd. A prolific concert composer, he has received commissions from cellist Carter Enyeart, saxophonist Robert Austin, flautist Gaspar Hoyos, and the University of North Texas Men's Chorus.

Peymon Maskan '99 (music supervisor) worked with director Gregg Bishop on The Other Side. He jumped at the chance to collaborate with Bishop again, alongside writer Joe Ballarini, all longtime friends since their days in the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Maskan's other credits include another 2008 South by Southwest film; indie gem Humboldt County, 2008 Berlin Film Festival competitor Gardens of the Night, Cannes 2007 critic's week closer Expired, and Adidas' breakthrough campaign Adicolor "Black." Maskan is currently working on noir thriller Footsteps, George Clooney-produced documentary The Playground, and Participant Pictures documentary Pressure Cooker, as well as Joe Ballarini's upcoming directorial debut, Nightlife. Maskan started his own Music Supervision company, Little Mountain, in October 2005.

Greyson Chadwick (actor, "Lindsey") was born and raised in Atlanta. Chadwick made her feature debut as Amanda in Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, starring alongside Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba. Impressed, Perry cast her in a role opposite Janet Jackson in his follow-up film Why Did I Get Married? Chadwick next worked on the feature One Missed Call, before securing a leading role in Dance of the Dead.

Jared Kusnitz (actor, "Jimmy") starting 2008 off with a bang, with lead roles in two films premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival: Dance of the Dead, where he performed his own stunts as the film's hero, Jimmy Dunn, battling zombies who invade the high school prom; and Otis, playing Reed Lawson, the rebellious son of Illeana Douglas and Daniel Stern. Kusnitz also appeared in the lead role in Charles Band's In Doll Graveyard. He has also lent his voice and talent to television shows as a guest star, including a pilot for Comedy Central, Three Strikes; and Nickelodeon's Fatherhood, created by Bill Cosby. Commercials have included spots for Bellsouth, Busch Gardens and Thrifty Car Rental.

Chandler Darby (actor, "Steven") is from the Atlanta area and has been acting since he was about two years old. Dance of the Dead is Darby's first major role in a feature-length film. He has since played the lead in the feature film Six Degrees of Desperation, due to release mid 2008. In addition, Darby has a role in another upcoming feature movie, 1.8 Days. He is enrolled at Gainesville High School in order to work under the direction of Pam Ware (International Thespian Hall of Fame). He will be performing Swing in Scotland at the International Fringe Festival in August.

Paul Layton '99 (songs) is originally form Newport Beach, Calif. A songwriter/producer living in East Los Angeles, Layton spends much of his time creating highly stylized pop songs that he licenses for use in film and television. Layton attended and graduated from USC, where he met Joe Ballarini, whose film short Nuclear Family Layton scored. On Dance of the Dead, Layton was called on to create original music for "the Quarter Punks," the film's rocking stoner band, as well as to deliver an anthemic cover version of Shadows of the Night (Pat Benatar). Layton performed the singing voice of "Nash Rambler" and supplied the guitars/bass/drums for the band. Working in conjunction with his close friend Peymon Maskan, Layton has also created original music for the films Gardens of the Night, Alone with Her and Expired.

Check-In and Reservations

This screening is presented free of charge and is open to all USC students, faculty, staff and alumni. The theater will be overbooked to ensure capacity and the RSVP list will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reserved seating. Please bring a photo ID or printout of your reservation confirmation, which will be automatically sent to your email account upon successfully making an RSVP through this Web site. Check-in will begin at approximately 7 p.m.

Parking

Parking passes are available for Parking Structure D and Lots M and V (across the street from the George Lucas Building) for $8. You must pull into Gate 5, located at the intersection of McClintock Avenue and West Jefferson Boulevard, and purchase your parking pass with the booth attendant. Street parking is also available along West Jefferson Boulevard.

About the Alumni Screening Series

To view the full schedule of films for the series, click here.