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!
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.
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 Creedfilm 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.
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 Creedfilm 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.
Get involved and support, intelligent, creative, visionary science fiction!
Greetings friends! I just wanted to alert everyone to Doug Drexler’s latest project, Space Command! Now fundraising on Kickstarter.com, “Space Command” a series of three feature-length retro science fiction films. The project is helmed by Doug, Marc Zicree, and Neil Johnson and will harken back to the fantastical, high drama sci fi of yesteryear. On a personal note, as I’ve blogged about in the past, looking out on the current television and film landscape can be a harrowing experience for a science fiction fan. One of this project’s objectives is to fill the gap and create forward-looking, inspiring stories. I sure look forward to that. If you’d like to help them out, learn more on http://spacecommandmovie.com!
A big surprise to us here thanks to Cowboy Creed actor Doug Drexler. StarTrek.com has a great interview with our favorite digital innovator/Western fan about his career so far (and his career change.) Thanks for mentioning your role in Cowboy Creed, Doug!
Kendall Wells atop Latigo as “Phineas” gets notes from director Ben Alpi.
From the director’s apple box…
On behalf of all of us here at Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions, I would like to thank, our top-notch crew and amazing cast! Thanks to you we completed principal photography on December 11, 2011! We spent three days in the beautiful high desert of Santa Clarita, CA and everyone did an incredible job.
Day One: David Berry and I along with a skeleton crew headed out to our remote mountain location with a view that goes on for miles in all directions. Kendall Wells (as “Phineas Creed”) rode out with Anthony De Longis (“Sheriff Eli Graves”) and his horse team, including expert rider/wranglers Sara Warner and David Baker, to film some great riding shots. It was windy up there, but with Dave operating an Arri SR-3 16mm film camera we got some fantastic horse riding footage. The team, including Kendall on Latigo, were a sight to behold.
Cinematographer David Berry & 1st Asst. Camera Jenn Gittings on the mesa.
Day Two: The workday started before dawn with a full (albeit light!) crew compliment. Perhaps auspiciously, the day began with a lunar eclipse. With the sun up and the grip and lighting equipment being deployed, costumer Kelsey Morgan put the finishing touches on the excellent costumes, makeup artist Carol Crouse completed make making the cast look beautiful and otherwise! With all the pieces now together, we began shooting. The actors, including Kendall, John Carrigan (“Thomas Michael “Limey”‘ Lymm”), Tara Platt (“Miss Greta Graves”), Leandro Cano, and Wayne Webb, all settled into their roles immediately. (Our hero horse Latigo also performed very well again.) The weather was perfect. Wrapping at dusk, it was a great day.
Day Three: Today we added Anthony in his role as well as Doug Drexler, Peter Sherayko, Tellier Killaby, Mary De Longis and Mel Turner in front of the lens. Also, when the sun went down, production designer Meg Savage really got to bring her skills to bear and create a great rustic tent environment for our night shoot. It was a bit cold once the sun went down, but overall great weather and incredible work by all.
Thanks again to our wonderful cast and crew and to all our Backers and supporters!
Check out tons of photos on our Facebook page  and tell us what you think! Of course if you haven’t already, please consider Like-ing us!
Keep your ear to the rail for more news!
# # #
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.
Cowboy Creed Kickstarter Successful! Makers ‘Quest’ to Shoot on Film
Yeehoo! “We surpassed our Cowboy Creed Kickstarter goal— all thanks to our generous backers!” Many thanks go out to all of you! It’s not over yet though!
With Thursday and Friday remaining in our campaign, we have time to continue to raise funding. With the pledges from our current backers we can afford to make the movie in large part, but there is one element we still cannot afford: FILM. When David (Berry) and I first talked about the look of Cowboy Creed, we agreed that we’d love to shoot on 16mm film to capture that legendary look of a Western. Since then, we’ve researched and tested and have found that film, with its rough, organic texture tells us, ‘Yessir, that there’s a Western. The nick or rub is, film is indeed expensive– upwards of $1000 a day.! Our new goal– or should I say, our new QUEST is to raise enough funds to film our film… on film! It would be amazing if we can continue to raise funds though our Kickstarter to help take our film to the next level. Are you with us?
Sweet Backer Rewards await you! Let’s make some Western movie magic… on film! Our Cowboy Creed Kickstarter ends Friday, October 28th at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific.
Oscar and Emmy Winner Doug Drexler Joins Cowboy Creed!
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…
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
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.
Day Three: Today we added Anthony in his role as well as 
