News

From the director’s apple box…

Another amazing announcement this week, pardners! Doug Drexler, Emmy and Academy Award winning visual effects and makeup artist has joined the Cowboy Creed cast and crew.  In a word “Draw!”

My good friend and frequent collaborator Erik “Gooch” Goodrich worked with Doug on Star Trek: Phase II (then New Voyages) and introduced me to him almost a year ago.  I first read about Doug’s work when Dick Tracy was about to be released.  I’m not sure which magazine it was, but I ate it up.  I loved what they were doing to make the comic strip come alive.  I was really into special and makeup effects at the time and growing up in a small town (before the internet and DVD’s, kids) I cherished any tidbit of information, be it in a book, magazine, newsletter or on cable, I could find. I never got to work with Doug over my years at Star Trek: Phase II so it was great to finally meet him.

Doug started out in makeup effects under the legendary Dick Smith on The Hunger and Starman. He continued onto several films including Dick Tracy for which he won the Academy Award for Best Makeup.  He continued in makeup on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a personal favorite.  After that, he switched over to visual effects on Deep Space Nine, several of the Trek films, Voyager and Enterprise.  After that is when he was brought on as CG Supervisor on Battlestar Galactica which won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and a Visual Effects Society Award.  They also did some pretty amazing stuff on Caprica.

So, Ben. Where does the “Western” come in? John Carrigan (who plays “Limey”) mentioned Cowboy Creed to Doug and found out how much Doug loves the Western genre.? I had seen Gene Roddenberry-written clips on Doug’s blog Drexfiles from Have Gun – Will Travel, but I had not seen this…

For iPhone and iPad users: Press Here

I asked Doug to explain a bit about the history behind his gun play and he writes, “Over thirty years in this business, and finally I get to slap leather on screen! Good Sir Alpi and company came along at the most opportune of times for me, as I just spent the last year nostalgically obsessed with the television western. I grew up in the era of the television Western, and frankly I’d had it with them. Thirty Westerns on TV, and they had to cancel Star Trek. I held a grudge for a long, long time. Then one day I found a picture of me in the first grade. I was wearing a Have Gun – Will Travel bolo tie. I remembered how much I loved Richard Boone as the superhuman “Paladin.” I decided to find out what it was that grabbed me so much as a child. Frankly, I didn’t expect much. By the sixth episode I was hooked again. Six seasons, forty shows each. I came out the other side changed. I delved into other wonderful old shows… Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Maverick. I was blown away by how fast these guys were on the draw. I hit the Internet and discovered an esoteric subculture, and how these actors learned to be pistoleers. So I took lessons with Hollywood gunslingers. Had gunbelts made by Alfonso’s of Hollywood. Submerged myself in the lore, and when? I heard what Ben was up to, I was all in.”

I asked Doug if he might like to be in the film and teach our leads the art of the quick draw.? And he said “Count me in!”? We’re keeping his role under wraps as a surprise in the film, but I can tell you he’ll have a long arm.? We’re really trying to make Cowboy Creed authentic to the cowboy film tradition and Doug will be a big help.

Doug added, “I’m excited about Cowboy Creed, and can’t wait to drawdown on John Carrigan. Thanks Ben! ‘I’m yer huckleberry!'”

Thanks Doug! Let’s get shootin’!

Catch Doug at his truly wonderful Drexfiles blog where he shares great stuff from Star Trek behind the scenes and Ships of the Line to all sorts of amazing things. Check it out! http://drexfiles.wordpress.com

There are only 4 days left in our Cowboy Creed Kickstarter online fund raising campaign! To watch our video and learn more about the film visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film. Our Kickstarter ends Friday, October 28th!

Cowboy Creed is a Western short film from writer/director Ben Alpi, producer JT Tepnapa and Cinematographer David Berry. It’s a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions.

Join us on Facebook.
Follow @RunicFilms on Twitter.

Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are delighted to announce that actress Tara Platt will be playing the lovely “Miss Greta Graves” in our Western short film Cowboy Creed shooting this winter.

Writer/director Ben Alpi said, “This is so great! Tara is a wonderful actress I met earlier this year. I had the pleasure of watching her live on stage in an excellent minimalist production A Streetcar Named Desire which was truly raw and powerful. Dave, JT and I are really looking forward to working with her on Cowboy Creed.”

Tara has appeared in many films and television shows (The Young & The Restless, The Gilmore Girls, Charmed.) She’s also a voice over artist who has voiced several roles in television animation (Ben Ten: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien, Legion of Superheroes), Anime (Naruto, Buso Renkin, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) and Video Games (Dragon Age: Origins, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, God of War: Ghost of Sparta.)

Tara said, “I am so looking forward to working with this team. I have great respect for Ben and JT and I am sure they will do justice to the genre. I’ve always dreamed of being in a Western! I can’t wait to go play.”

Tara received her BFA degree in theatre from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts including a semester abroad at the prestigious London Academy of Theatre. As a theatre actress, Tara has performed internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been seen in everything from Shakespearean classics to world premieres nationally.

To learn more about Cowboy Creed, visit our Kickstarter online fund raising campaign and watch our video at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film.

“I can’t wait to see Tara breathe life into Miss Graves. With Tara and John Carrigan, I don’t think you’ll want to miss this!” Ben added.

Cowboy Creed is a Western short film from writer/director Ben Alpi, producer JT Tepnapa and Cinematographer David Berry. It’s a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions.

Join us on Facebook.
Follow @RunicFilms on Twitter.

As announced on our Kickstarter campaign, Florida-based composer Joseph Terrana will be scoring Cowboy Creed and performing much of the music.

Ben said about the score, “Cowboy Creed is really a blend of world elements. The Gold Rush brought folks from all over and I really want the music to reflect that. I didn’t honestly know if I’d be able to find someone when I asked ‘Well, I’m looking for Western meets Asian meets Native American’ and one of my very good friends replied ‘I know just the man!'”

Joe Terrana studied music at the University of North Florida and after graduating was awarded artist grants from the Pinellas County Arts Council for recording and composition. He plays numerous flutes and whistles, erhu, piano, dizi, sitar, saxophone and various other instruments.

“When Ben approached me about doing music for the film with Celtic, Chinese and Native American influences, I said ‘You know, I could absolutely do that!’ And let me tell you how much fun it is to get all those spices to blend just right,” Joe added. “It’s like a musical gumbo!”

Joe continues to be an active performer in the Tampa Bay area and in the past has won Best of the Bay People’s Choice as best instrumentalist. His various projects have performed with artists such as Men at Work, Alana Davis and The Chieftains.

“Joe’s created the music for our Kickstarter campaign which really started as a sketch called ‘A Cowboy in Beijing.’ When I first heard his erhu (Chinese violin) I said ‘I’ve never heard an erhu sound like that!’ It was haunting and mixed with drums, guitars and flutes, it’s exactly the unique blend we need in Cowboy Creed,” Ben said.

To hear a touch of Joseph’s music as well as a tune from Cuban Sandwich Crisis, check out our Cowboy Creed Kickstarter video at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film

Cowboy Creed is a Western short film from writer/director Ben Alpi, producer JT Tepnapa and Cinematographer David Berry. It’s a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions.

Join us on Facebook.
Follow @RunicFilms on Twitter.

Writer/Director Ben Alpi:

JT and I are overjoyed to announce that John Carrigan will be playing the villainous “Thomas Michael ‘Limey’ Lymm” in our upcoming short action Western film Cowboy Creed. As you’ll learn about in our Kickstarter video, John and I met while working on Star Trek: Phase II (then New Voyages) back in 2005. The first time I got to direct him was in David Gerrold’s two-parter “Blood and Fire” playing Captain Kirk’s nemesis “Kargh.” We always said we would love to work with each other again and I’m really glad we’re finally getting to.

John said, “I am over the moon to be working on Cowboy Creed. It is a little boy’s dream to be a space man or a cowboy. How incredible it is that as an actor I get to play both while being directed by my multitalented friend Ben Alpi. This is truly a fantastic project.”

John is a very fine actor and martial artist and he runs his own school in England teaching the art and philosophy of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. I asked John to have a look at an early draft. I didn’t tell him I was writing the part with him in mind at first, but it was pretty evident– a suave Englishman who isn’t afraid of a fight.
 

“A western with this much depth of character and heart is very rare and I am so proud to be a part of it,” John added.

Thank you John! Stay tuned for more news and of course, to learn more about our Kickstarter online fund raising campaign and watch our video, please visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film

Cowboy Creed is a Western short film from writer/director Ben Alpi, producer JT Tepnapa and Cinematographer David Berry. It’s a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions.

Join us on Facebook.
Follow @RunicFilms on Twitter.

“Captain Kargh” image courtesy of Star Trek: Phase II and Retro Studios.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Serif Productions are proud to announce the launch of their Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign for their Western short film Cowboy Creed. From writer/director Ben Alpi and producer J.T. Tepnapa, filming is planned for November. To view their video and learn about becoming a backer of the film and receive great “thank you” rewards, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film.

Cowboy Creed is about Phineas, a young man trying to find his way in the strange land of the California Gold Rush. “Phineas” world is turned upside down by a deadly international criminal nicknamed “Limey”. ” I really look forward to filming these characters,” Ben said about the film.

JT added about their Kickstarter campaign, “We’re thrilled to be utilizing Kickstarter, a great community fund raising platform. Anyone can go to the page and check out our video and of course, become a Cowboy Creed backer!” The team also noted that Kickstarter uses this all-or-nothing funding which means all pledges are logged and nothing is charged unless the total pledges equal or exceed the posted goal.

Ben said, “Also on our Kickstarter video is an exclusive casting announcement! To find out what the special announcement is, visit our Kickstarter page!”

“In return, we’ll be rewarding backers with a whole slew of great rewards like signed DVDs, posters, a limited edition printed sketchbook of the film’s concept art, set props and more!” J.T. said.

For further details on the Kickstarter campaign, visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-short-film.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bob Alpi, 818-588-6880
email

Runic Films is an Los Angeles-based film production and entertainment company dedicated to upholding the traditions of mythic storytelling.

Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles production company. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to announce their first collaboration, a Western short film entitled Cowboy Creed. Lead by writer/director Ben Alpi and producer J.T. Tepnapa, the film goes into production in November. To support the film, the co-production will launch a fund raising campaign Wednesday, September 28, 2011 on Kickstarter.com.

Ben said about the film, “Cowboy Creed is about Phineas, a young man coming into his own in the strange new world of the California Gold Rush. Social changes from immigration, world cultural convergence and the American Civil War make this an incredibly rich period to set a film in.”

The production brings together a tight group of filmmakers including Alpi, Tepnapa and cinematographer David Berry who all worked together on the award winning Star Trek: Phase II web series. “J.T. and David just completed a feature Judas Kiss which is doing fantastically at festivals. It”s great to be working with them again,” Ben added.

“I’m really excited about working with Ben and David again, this time on a Western.” J.T. said.

Phineas is an eighteen year old who has looked up to the gruff old Sheriff since his father was murdered. He wants to follow in the lawman’s footsteps, but Phineas world gets turned upside down when his ladylove is kidnapped.

The filmmakers said they are thrilled to be fund raising with Kickstarter, a great platform to allow anyone to donate to worthy creative projects. The campaign for funding Cowboy Creed will launch on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 and will introduce some very cool rewards for donors.

“Our Kickstarter companion video will include and exclusive announcement,” Ben said. “We can’t wait to share the news.”

Stay tuned for more great announcements and don’t forget to check out https://runicfilms.com/ for the link to the Cowboy Creed Kickstarter.com campaign starting Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bob Alpi, 818-588-6880
email

Runic Films is an Los Angeles-based film production and entertainment company dedicated to upholding the traditions of mythic storytelling.

Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles production company. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

The Captain America: First Avenger movie opened in theaters to a strong $65 million dollar weekend. Writer/cartoonist Rick Arthur viewed the film in Central New York and film producer/director Ben Alpi caught a screening in Los Angeles. In the tradition of movie reviews done for the Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth blog such as THOR and X-Men: First Class, the writing team produced two separate, non-collaborative reviews. Neither know what the other would write. Taken together, they form a complex analysis of the Cap film.

The reviews are posted and readers are invited to dive in at: http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

The Cap reviews come closely on the heels of a highly successful five-part Red Skull series detailing the final conflict between Cap and Red Skull. This marks the end of almost four years of writing between the blog team and presents one possible outcome for a screenplay based on their writings.

Worth seeing for yourself!

One final note: Runic Films wishes to thank all the readers who tuned into the blog and made it successful. Visit any time: http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

The blog between filmmaker Ben Alpi and cartoonist Rick Arthur announces that yet again records have been broken for June. The final figures won’t be in until July 1st yet personal records for Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth are already apparent.

“I am astounded by the response from readers,” said Arthur.

Records include:
1) Best Single Day Page Views – June 8th;
2) Highest Monthly Page Views – June (whopping 40% increase over May);
3) Highest Single Post – THOR movie review has more than doubled the post average and is 80+ views higher than the next most popular post.

http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

“4th of July is almost here!” commented Alpi. Runic Films has helped plan a very patriotic Cap-style Independence Day for our readers. “Why wasn’t Cap released on the 1st of July?” The later date is too far away…

A powerful 5-Part Cap vs. Red Skull post series is being worked on to give readers an exclusive look at the loose draft of the final battle between our hero and one of the most evil villains of all time!! Don’t miss it!! Starts July 6th.

After the Captain America: First Avenger movie comes out, look for an exclusive double feature film review by Alpi and Arthur. “This will be done in the same double blind style as both THOR and X-Men: First Class” Noted Arthur. Alpi, writing from the west coast will have no knowledge of what Arthur is thinking on the east coast. See the review for the first time on Monday, July 25th!!

Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth can be read at:

http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

From Ben:

 
Sliding back into the writer’s chair has been a truly rewarding experience. I’ve never really stopped writing, but I’ve been inspired lately to flex those muscles anew. I’m happy to say that we have a bevy of cool stuff coming although, I can’t reveal many details!

  (more…)

Los Angeles-based, Runic Films, an independent film production company, congratulates filmmaker Ben Alpi and comic artist Rick Arthur for their blog Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth which continues like a juggernaut to break their own records for greatest number of single day page views, greatest single monthly page views and greatest recorded single all-time number of views of a post.

 
“The growth is explosive and exciting,” said Alpi before adding that his creative partnership with fellow blogger Arthur allowed for experimentation and constant tinkering.

 
“Watching the numbers climb is amazing. We are doing in two days now what we would get in ten days a short time ago,” Arthur said.

 
They noted that the” Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth” blog currently draws an audience from over 18 countries to read the three fresh posts that come out every week.?

 
Runic Films schedules new posts three times each week and can be accessed either on the blog site, on the Facebook companion page or Twitter. Do not miss a post and find out what a real Cap movie character could be all about. All posts are easily accessible and many readers like to start at the beginning or with favorite topics.

 
Alpi and Arthur discuss Captain America from all angles as a character for film and readers have responded strongly to a “THOR” double feature film review, three “Avengers” posts and a new movie review? “double shot” onX-Men: First Class. Not surprisingly anything with the Red Skull also draws a lot of interest according to Alpi.

 
The main goal of this series is craft a character for a two hour feature film and the topics go from WWII, comics, movies, Nazis, patriotism, Pearl Harbor, “Simon and Kirby” and much more. Additional Non-Continuity posts are under wraps at Runic Films.

 
Read all about it at www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com.