News

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.

Ben and Rick are back! Their Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth blog officially began on February 4, 2011. Three years in the making, the blog features a series of personal emails between the pair which started out asking the question: If they were to be asked to bring Captain America, a character with 70 years of history, to the big screen, how would they do it?  They explored the character, his creators and the life and times of the WWII era as well as the foundations of storytelling and character.  The blog also featured many portions of scripts and vignettes Ben and Rick were inspired to write by their communications.

“We certainly never expected to make our conversions public, but when we looked at all the great material we had collected and created, we started talking about doing more with it,” explains Ben.

Rick adds, “Every time I would send something to Ben, he would come back with amazing and unexpected insights. His script at the start of the blog, Captain America: A Beginning is worth the price of admission alone.” The blog also features illustrations and collages on almost every post created by Rick specially for the posts they appear in.  Ben also contributed graphics on a few of the posts.

The “Emails” series ran for six months totaling close to eighty entries.  “I wish we could have recorded our phone calls as well. They were pretty epic,” Ben adds. “Rick’s passion for not only the material, but also good storytelling is something not to be kept under wraps. ” We’ve considered doing podcasts which I think would be fantastic, but time has been tight for both of us.”

“The Myth Discussion blog stands on its own and is so chock full of detail that I am finding new ideas even after six or seven readings. Compelling,” says Rick.

Also featured on the blog were “double” reviews of superhero films which were released over the run including ?THOR,?X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and of course CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER. Rick and Ben wrote independent reviews of the films and didn’t get to read the other’s until it was posted.  The dynamic duo admits it was funny how similar their reviews ended up being fundamentally, but how different they were in many respects as well. Rick also wrote an excellent review of another Marvel hit, THE AVENGERS.

Rick and Ben both speak about the enjoyment they derived from collaborating on the blog.  On the subject Ben says, “I miss working with Rick a lot and I really hope we can team up again soon.  He’s one of the most creative fellows I know and an excellent collaborator. It was great to do the anniversary post with him again. Looking back on the last one we wrote, wow what a difference!”

Rick has moved to New Mexico and has added teaching to his many hats. Ben has gotten married and completed the short film, Cowboy Creed. For more check the blog!

To read the second anniversary post, click here:
http://mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com/2013/02/captain-america-vs-world.html

To read the blog from the very beginning, click here:
http://mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com/2011/02/by-way-of-introduction.html

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.

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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.

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!

Read this great interview here:
(Part 1) : http://www.startrek.com/article/doug-drexler-from-makeup-to-design-part-1

(Part 2): http://www.startrek.com/article/doug-drexler-from-makeup-to-design-part-ii

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.

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.

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From the director’s apple box?

All of us here at Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to announce that we have found our Phineas Creed, actor and martial artist Kendall Wells! Kendall will play the young lead who sets out to save his lady love in our upcoming Western short film Cowboy Creed.

I can’t tell you how thrilled we are pardners! Kendall is another rare case of actor-warrior. His mentor Anthony De Longis, who plays Sheriff Eli, encouraged JT and I to look him up and we’re glad he did! Who better to play the prot’g? of Sheriff Eli than the prot’g? of actor and fight master Anthony De Longis?

On the screen, Kendall was a weapons expert on SpikeTV’s Deadliest Warrior, the lead in two episodes of 3Nets new 3D mini-series Scary Tales and co-starred in an episode of TNT’s Leverage. On the stage, he played the title role in Blue Monkey’s production of Robin Hood. In Northwest Classical Theatre Company’s Macbeth, Kendall played both “MacDuffe” (select performances) and “Seyton” for which he won a Drammy for fight choreography. He also worked as an action performer in LA Opera’s recent production Romeo et Juliette, directed by Ian Judge and conducted by one of the most famous names in world opera, Pl’cido Domingo. Kendall also stars alongside Anthony in an award-winning Western short film series Blood Trail, written by the pair and directed by Mr. De Longis. Their production company Palpable Hit Productions is currently raising funds via IndieGoGo HERE for part three in their trilogy entitled Trail’s End.

“When Anthony first told me about the film, I was immediately interested. And after meeting with Ben and JT, I felt we were on the same wavelength and that we could do good things with the character,”Kendall writes.

Kendall’s acting started at the Iowa Performing Arts Conservatory, a program founded and sponsored by Hawthorne Direct and Actor’s Playhouse teacher Jennie Lee. In addition to acting, Kendall is a Certified Teacher of De Longis Combative & Performance Arts specializing in empty-hand combat, sword, knife, whip, stick, staff including when he’s mounted on horseback. If he’s starting to sound like a silver screen actor of years gone by, he is! We consider ourselves lucky to have such skilled performers in Kendall, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, Anthony De Longis and Doug Drexler as well as a fantastic crew!

“I’m very excited to be working on Cowboy Creed. The role of Phineas is one of great depth and subtlety and a lot of physicality?my favorite!”

Thanks Kendall! I cannot wait to watch Phineas walk in front of the lens!

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.

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Follow @RunicFilms on Twitter.

From the director’s apple box…

We here at Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are honored to announce that actor, director and weapons expert Anthony De Longis has joined the cast of Cowboy Creed! Anthony will play the venerable “Sheriff Eli Graves,” our hero’s mentor in our Western short film shooting this winter. (To help make this film happen, back us! Visit our Cowboy Creed Kickstarter online fund raising campaign now in its final hours!)

My friend visual effects (and bullwhip) artist Pony Horton introduced us and perhaps the first thing I thought when I first met Anthony was ? he is the genuine article. Cowboy Creed‘s title comes from an ideal where a person acts according to a high standard. It’s safe to say that Anthony is such a cowboy. And I can’t tell you how excited we all are to be working with him.

Fellow Star Trek Fans will recognize Anthony as Kazon leader “First Maje Culluh” from Star Trek: Voyager, and he has appeared on several other television series, a few including Grimm, Justified, Leverage, iCarly, ER, The Outer Limits, Queen Of Swords, Babylon 5, and Highlander: The Series, twice. He has also appeared in many popular movies Jet Li’s Fearless, Road House and cult favorites Masters of the Universe, and Sword and the Sorcerer.

Anthony writes, “I grew up steeped in the Western genre and have always loved the stories and the life lessons they teach. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Do what’s right, not just what’s easy. Friendship and loyalty are your treasures and your word is your most valuable possession.”

In addition to his many roles, Anthony formed Palpable Hit Productions in 1999 to teach, support and promote the use of safe and exciting fight choreography in theatre, film and television based on techniques true to each weapon. With a training facility based at Anthony’s Rancho Indalo, he teaches multiple disciplines including bladed and flexible weapons, knife and hawk throwing, archery, firearms and mounted weapons combat. Palpable Hit also produces a diverse line of period and weapons specific training DVD’s. JT, Dave and I have visited the ranch and got to meet the trained and set-savvy horses that we’ll be using for Cowboy Creed. You know I love watching cowboy movies, but I have to say so far, I love making them, too.

“Cowboy Creed is a good western yarn and I’m pleased to join the team to bring it to the screen,” Anthony added.

Thank you kindly, Anthony! I can’t wait to get on set and see your Sheriff Eli come alive!

Want to help make Cowboy Creed a reality AND get awesome rewards in return? Visit our Kickstarter online fund raising campaign and watch our 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.