News

Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to announce that their “mini epic” short film Cowboy Creed is now available to view on their website www.localhost/runic/. The short Western film recently completed its festival run with two award nominations at the Action on Film Festival; for Best Western Short Film and Anthony De Longis (Sheriff Eli) was nominated for Best Supporting Role in a Short Film.

View the complete film HERE.

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 have announced that their “mini epic” short film Cowboy Creed will be released on www.localhost/runic/ on Friday, March 7th. The short Western film recently completed its festival run with two award nominations at the Action on Film Festival; for Best Western Short Film and Anthony De Longis (Sheriff Eli) was nominated for Best Supporting Role in a Short Film.

The trailer for the film can be seen here.

A Western action-adventure written and directed by Ben Alpi, Cowboy Creed tells the tale of Phineas Creed, a young cowboy trying to find his place in a post-Gold Rush world. When the international criminal “Limey” kidnaps his ladylove Miss Graves, Phineas faces the most harrowing showdown of his life. The film stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis, with Leandro Cano, Wayne Webb, Tellier Killaby, and Doug Drexler. The film’s producer was J.T. Tepnapa with cinematographer Dave Berry, production designer Meg Savage, costumes by Catherine Elhoffer, editor Jeff Handy, and the music was composed and performed by Joe Terrana.

“I’m really glad to be launching the film via Vimeo,” said writer-director Ben Alpi. “It’s the culmination of over two years of work by over 45 individuals. I can’t wait to let it loose on the world [laughs].”

Kickstarter Backers, who backed half of the project’s budget, were rewarded for their support with signed DVDs, posters, pre-production sketchbook and more. Ben added, “We put a lot of time and effort into the rewards because our Backers believed in us and we feel they deserve darn cool stuff in return. Working with Rick Arthur on the sketchbook and Scott Deyett on the poster was really wonderful. Pony Horton did a great job on the Behind-the-Scenes [on the DVD] and Jyotika Virmani was a huge help coordinating our rewards efforts. I really couldn’t have asked for more with this crew and cast.”

About Runic Films’ next projects, Ben commented, “We have some really great stuff cooking here. We’ll have details soon about our next project including a Kickstarter.”

Tune in to https://runicfilms.com/ on Friday, March 7th!

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.

Hot on the heels of last week’s announcement that Cowboy Creed was accepted into the Action on Film International Film Festival, this week we have two award nominations! “Firstly” Cowboy Creed has been nominated for “Best Western.”  Also, Anthony De Longis has been nominated for “Best Supporting Actor in a Short Cowboy Creed.“

For more information about Cowboy Creed’s selection by the AOF Festival,  click here.

The AOF screening of Cowboy Creed will be next Tuesday evening so join us at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre.

Screening Info

Tuesday, August 20 at 6 PM
Krikorian Premiere Theatre
410 S Myrtle Ave
Monrovia, CA 91016

To purchase tickets click here!

Cowboy Creed?is a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions and was funded in part by the support of backers on Kickstarter.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to announce that Cowboy Creed has been made an official selection of the 9th Annual Action On Film International Film Festival. On Tuesday, August 20th, during the 6:15pm short film block, the AOF International Film Festival will screen Cowboy Creed at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre, 410 S. Myrtle Ave, Monrovia, CA. The AOF International Film Fest, now in its ninth year, features top works of action, as well as comedy, drama, romance, horror, and documentaries.

“We’re all really excited about screening at AOF. The production and post teams put in a ton of great work and we’re glad to be an official selection of the fest,” said Cowboy Creed writer/director Ben Alpi.

Cowboy Creed stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis as Sheriff Eli Graves. Shot entirely on S16mm film, Cowboy Creed is a special blend of elements from all eras of the Western motion picture tradition. Written and directed by Ben Alpi, its heroic themes, drama, and action, make it a short film of epic proportions. Alpi worked closely with producer JT Tepnapa and cinematographer David Berry to complete filming in Santa Clarita, CA with a team comprised of over thirty cast and crew.

“We’ve had three private screenings in Hollywood, CA, St. Petersburg, FL and in Kent, UK and many of our viewers have said Creed feels like a feature film. That’s fantastic because I really wanted to make a short that is more than the sum of its parts,” remarked Alpi.

Dubbed a “mini epic,” this period piece features classic Western elements, grand vistas, horses, six-shooters, and fisticuffs…

When an international criminal nick-named “Limey” (Carrigan) shoots down Sheriff Eli (De Longis), it’s up to young cowboy Phineas Creed (Wells) to save the lawman’s daughter, Miss Graves (Platt). Set in the desperate times following the California Gold Rush, Cowboy Creed follows Phineas as he chases down the murderous Limey leading to the most harrowing showdown of Phineas’ life.

Alpi added, “I really respect the AOF. Their intent is to be action-and-more which was one of my intentions in writing this film. I think folks at the festival will really enjoy Cowboy Creed.”

Don’t miss Cowboy Creed at the Action On Film International Film Festival! Tuesday, August 20, 2013, 6:15pm block at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre, 410 S. Myrtle Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016. For more about the festival which runs from August 16-24, visit http://aoffest.com and to purchase Cowboy Creed screening tickets? click here!

Cowboy Creed is a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions and was funded in part by the support of backers on Kickstarter.com.

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

Links

Cowboy Creed Trailer vimeo.com/runicfilms/cowboy-creed-trailer

AOF International Film Festival www.aoffest.com

Runic Films www.localhost/runic/

Runic Films on Twitter twitter.com/RunicFilms

Runic Films on Facebook www.facebook.com/RunicFilms

Cowboy Creed on IMDb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2833640/

Company Background

Runic Films is a production and entertainment company which develops original properties for film, television, and the Web. Now located in Los Angeles, Runic was founded by two brothers in New York state, and is dedicated to upholding the rich traditions of storytelling. Runic Films harnesses cutting-edge technology and visual effects to create amazing worlds for dramatic tales grounded in humanity.

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.

Cowboy Creed director/writer Ben Alpi along with editor Jeff Handy were interviewed on the long-running Digital Production Buzz podcast. Hosted by Larry Jordan and Mike Horton and produced by Cirina Catania, Ben and Jeff answer questions about making Cowboy Creed, an action-packed short shot on 16mm film. (The Cowboy Creed segment begins at about 29 minutes in.)

Many thanks to Cirina, Larry, and Mike for having Ben and Jeff on the show!

Listen for free here: http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2012/11/digital-production-buzz-nov-15-2011/

On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-production-buzz-aac/id73329533

Direct link to the MP3: http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/BuZZ_Audio/Buzz_121115_Cowboy_Creed.mp3

From the director’s apple box…

As the director and writer of the short film Cowboy Creed, I’m very happy to announce that our mini epic is complete! With a Herculean effort by our post production staff including Jeff Handy our editor, Joel Bellucci our visual effects supervisor, Joe Terrana our music composer and performer, Ralph Miller our sound designer and foley artist, Chris Orazi sound mixer, David Berry color correction, and myself working a bit of movie magic as well, we completed the film in time for our first private screening at the Cahuenga Theater in Hollywood. Invited to the intimate showing were our high-level Kickstarter donors, cast and crew, and friends and family including an Oscar-winning producer, and cinema immortals Walter Koenig, Richard Bustillo, and Greg Jein amongst others. I’m glad to say without any bias (ahem!) that the film looks and sounds fantastic in the theater! We had a Q&A session after the screening with the attending cast and crew which was a lot of fun. The reception of the film was quite positive, one of the big questions being ‘how did you fit so much into the film on such a tight budget?’ That is of course thanks to a dollop of ingenuity and an amazing team who reduced their rates to help put as much quality on the screen as possible. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their efforts in helping bring my vision to fruition.

Our next step is to submit Cowboy Creed to festivals around the world. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to see the film in a fest near you!

Until next time!
Ben
Director/Writer of Cowboy Creed

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to release their highly anticipated trailer for their short Western epic, Cowboy Creed.

‘Cowboy Creed’ Official Trailer watch it in HD on Vimeo.

The period short film stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis with Doug Drexler, Leandro Cano, and Wayne Webb. Directed and written by Ben Alpi, Cowboy Creed tells the story of Phineas (Wells), a young man who must face the most harrowing showdown of his life when the international criminal ?Limey? (Carrigan) kidnaps his ladylove Miss Graves (Platt). The trailer will feature rich original music composed and performed by Joe Terrana and textured sound design by Ralph Miller. The film is produced by JT Tepnapa with cinematography by David Berry.

Also released today was their first official poster featuring artwork by Scott Deyett of inHouse Graphics.

Principal photography was completed in December and is currently in post-production bringing together composer Terrana and visual effects wizard Jo?l Bellucci.

A release date for the complete Cowboy Creed film has not been chosen, but as director Ben Alpi says, “Keep your ear to the rail for more.”

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 that on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, they will release the highly anticipated trailer for their short Western epic, Cowboy Creed.

The period short film stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis with Doug Drexler, Leandro Cano, and Wayne Webb. Directed and written by Ben Alpi, Cowboy Creed tells the story of Phineas (Wells), a young man who must face the most harrowing showdown of his life when the international criminal “Limey” (Carrigan) kidnaps his ladylove Miss Graves (Platt). The trailer will feature rich original music composed and performed by Joe Terrana and textured sound design by Ralph Miller.  The film is produced by JT Tepnapa with cinematography by David Berry.

When asked about the trailer, Ben noted, “We have some truly great footage thanks to the amazing talent of our cast and crew. Our special thanks go out to our Kickstarter Backers.” The team of Alpi, Tepnapa, and Berry, with the help of sound man Erik “Gooch” Goodrich, set out last September to raise funds via the popular creative fundraising platform Kickstarter.com and successfully exceeded their goal. Principal photography was completed in December and is currently in post-production bringing together composer Terrana and visual effects wizard Jo’l Bellucci.

A release date for the complete Cowboy Creed film has not been chosen but Ben added, “This film is a great balance of tradition and cutting-edge and brings together a brilliant group a creative people. I can’t wait to share the whole film! It’s going to a wild ride.”

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.

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.