A new article came out in the Princeton Packet in anticipation of our New Jersey Film Festival screening next Friday. I pasted it below, but there is also a link to the article in the "Press" section of my blog.
DIY Cinema
‘Running Funny,’ about two friends just out of college, presents the same state of confusion its maker faced when he first read the play by his uncle Charles Evered.
By Elise Nakhnikian
On first impression, Anthony Grippa strikes you as a likeable, somewhat diffident guy, as much a watcher as a doer. But he obviously knows how to get things done: His first feature is one of the homegrown movies being shown at this year’s New Jersey Film Festival in New Brunswick.
The film is Running Funny, and it’s part of the crop of extremely low-budget, do-it-yourself features by young filmmakers with a prosumer (professional consumer) video camera and a story to tell. “I decided two or three years ago that I’d get a day job and make my life about getting this film made,” says Mr. Grippa, 25. “I watched as more and more of my friends started making more money and getting cool cars and apartments. But I have this film, which to me is a lot more valuable.”
Based on a play by Princeton-based playwright Charles Evered — who’s also Mr. Grippa’s uncle — Running Funny tells the story of Ed (Gene Gallerano) and Mike (Maximilian Osinski), friends just out of college who rent a garage together for a few weeks from a wise elderly landlord (Louis Zorich) while trying to figure out what to do with their lives.
Grippa read the play after graduating from Rutgers, when he was living in the same state of confusion as Mike and Ed. He contacted the man he calls “Uncle Chuck,” who has written movies as well as theatrical plays, and proposed that they turn his 1988 play into a screenplay.
The two agreed not to stray far from the play’s script. “We didn’t want to open it up too much to become something completely different, because the heart of the story is these two guys living in this small apartment-garage,” explains Mr. Grippa. “Also, we knew we couldn’t afford to open it up too much, since we’d need to shoot most of it in that one location.”
Mr. Grippa grew up in Upper Saddle River with his psychotherapist mother and two younger sisters. (His father, who runs a business in the Fulton Fish Market, lives with a second wife and their two children.) For the last couple of years, he’s been living in Hoboken, working a day job at the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, and making and marketing this film on his time off.
”I didn’t want to write a script and wait for somebody to give me $5 million to make a movie, because it just wasn’t going to happen,” says Mr. Grippa, who started making short movies in high school. “I wanted to just grab a camera and go do it. I think when you have less resources available, you really learn how creative you can be.”
Making his first feature was a much bigger production than making those high school shorts — but it was essentially the same process on steroids. The most important thing, Mr. Grippa says, was “just committing to it, saying ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’
”I’m the co-writer, I’m the co-producer, I’m the director, I’m the marketing guy, I’m the caterer, I’m the sales guy. It’s basically the best film school I could ask for.”
Making the movie was “definitely a grassroots process,” he says. The key to success was telling everyone he came across about what he was doing, since “you never know who might want to help you out.”
The whole thing cost only $10,000, which he raised from “friends and family, and friends of friends and family. No amount was too small. Some people gave 20 bucks; some people gave 1,000 bucks.”
Other things were donated too. He found the garage where they shot in Upper Saddle River after his hometown paper ran a story on the movie and a reader called to offer his garage, free of charge. “It was the first one we looked at, and it was perfect,” Mr. Grippa marvels.
An indie filmmaker operating on a shoestring has to be “a great communicator,” he adds. “You have to be able to get people as passionate as you are about what you’re trying to do.”
For his cast and crew, he rounded up a group of people, most of them also starting out their movie careers, who volunteered their time in exchange for adding a feature to their resumes. Mr. Grippa was hardly the only one who did more than one job. “The gaffer was also the sound guy; the grip was also helping out with wardrobe,” he says. “Everyone was wearing many different hats. I think everyone was working on it for two reasons: because they really cared about the story and to gain experience.”
For the actors who play Mike and Ed, there was a third reason: “the chance to work with Louis Zorich. They couldn’t turn that down,” says Mr. Grippa.
Mr. Zorich, who plays the landlord, is best known for his role as Paul Reiser’s character’s father on TV’s Mad About You and for co-founding the Whole Theater in Montclair with his wife, actress Olympia Dukakis. “Louis became involved because he was in my uncle’s play ‘The Size of the World’ about 10 years ago when it ran off-Broadway,” says Mr. Grippa.
”In a way, making the movie was the easy part,” continues Mr. Grippa. “The hard part is getting people to care about it. How do you get them to see it?”
Hoping to interest a distributor in putting the movie into theaters or on DVD, Mr. Grippa submitted it to film festivals. So far, it’s been accepted by three, including the Woods Hole Film Festival, where he won the emerging filmmaker award. He does advance publicity for festivals, plastering area coffee shops with flyers, contacting the media for stories like this one, and “telling everyone I see about the movie.”
And he doesn’t stop with film festivals. “I’ve done all this work for two years, so why do I want to put the life of this movie in the hands of these festival programmers?” he asks. So he’s also screening it at colleges that accept his offer to show the movie and answer questions afterward.
”I think you become a filmmaker by making films,” says Mr. Grippa. “I made my feature film for a third of the cost of one year of tuition at NYU film school. The technology is so accessible — it’s all digital now. You just need a desire to do it and a camera.
”The bad thing is, since more and more people are making films it becomes more difficult to break through the pack.”
Running Funny will be screened as part of the Jersey Fresh film and video program at the New Jersey Film Festival, Scott Hall #123, 43 College Ave. (near the corner of College Avenue and Hamilton Street), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. Director Anthony Grippa will speak at the screening. Admission costs $10, $9 seniors/students; (732) 932-8482; www.njfilmfest.com
Friday, November 9, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Back from Williamstown!
I got back from the Williamstown Film Festival on Sunday, and we had a great time! We woke up early on Saturday morning to participate in the "Theater Into Film" breakfast seminar. It was cool to hear everyone's experience making the film and it definately brought back a lot of memories from the shoot.
Louis was absolutely hilarious! Apparently he turned down a major role in Steven Spielberg's next movie in order to do Running Funny. I think he was kidding. Louis is the greatest guy and I feel really lucky that I got a chance to work with him.
Our screening went really well and we did a Q&A afterwards and everyone had nice things to say. I was really happy that the cast was there with me. There was a feeling of comraderie among us that was really nice.
On Saturday night we all went to the "Grace is Gone" screening. What a powerful film. I really appreciated the spareness of it. It was refreshing to see such a subtle and moving film. I got a chance to speak to the director, James Strouse, afterwards and told him how much I enjoyed his work. He actually heard about Running Funny and said he was interested in seeing it!
So anyway, back to the real world. We're screening at the New Jersey Film Festival on November 16th and hopefully many other festivals after that.
Stay tuned...
-Anthony
Louis was absolutely hilarious! Apparently he turned down a major role in Steven Spielberg's next movie in order to do Running Funny. I think he was kidding. Louis is the greatest guy and I feel really lucky that I got a chance to work with him.
Our screening went really well and we did a Q&A afterwards and everyone had nice things to say. I was really happy that the cast was there with me. There was a feeling of comraderie among us that was really nice.
On Saturday night we all went to the "Grace is Gone" screening. What a powerful film. I really appreciated the spareness of it. It was refreshing to see such a subtle and moving film. I got a chance to speak to the director, James Strouse, afterwards and told him how much I enjoyed his work. He actually heard about Running Funny and said he was interested in seeing it!
So anyway, back to the real world. We're screening at the New Jersey Film Festival on November 16th and hopefully many other festivals after that.
Stay tuned...
-Anthony
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Running Funny in the news!!
Running Funny is screening at the Williamstown Film Festival this weekend and a newspaper up there wrote an article about it. Check it out! I'll let you all know how the festival goes!
Facing adulthood on both sides of the camera
By John E. Mitchell, North Adams Transcript
Thursday, October 25
WILLIAMSTOWN — A new film based on a play by a Williams College graduate echos the real life of the director who made it.
"Running Funny" is the story of two recent college grads who, in that nether space between college and real life, find themselves renting out a garage as an apartment as they prepare for rapid fire job interviews and figuring out what they really want to do with their lives. All through this, their landlord, a mysterious elderly man, lurks around, providing frustration and perspective.
The film is adapted from a play of the same name by the director of the film, Anthony Grippa, and the playwright, Charles Evered — who also happen to be uncle and nephew. Evered wrote the play in 1987 — it premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival — but it wasn't until recently that Grippa discovered it by accident. Grippa picked up a published collection of plays Evered had put out and "Running Funny" just happened to be included in it.
"I just read it not really thinking I'd be making any of it into a movie," said Grippa. "I just read it to read it, but I was so drawn to the play. I fell in love with it and I couldn't get it out of
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my head."
Grippa — at the time, a recent grad of Rutgers University — had been looking for avenues to pursue in a film career and adapting the play not only provided an opportunity, but one that followed a path he admired. Grippa admired do-it-yourself filmmakers like Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez and was seeking the inspiration that would lead him to do the same.
"Ultimately I realized that this was the movie I had to make," said Grippa. "It was perfect because I knew it was a movie I could make inexpensively, because the cast is very small and it takes place in mostly one location. I also really loved the story and loved the characters."
Grippa approached Evered, who was enthusiastic about the prospect and they began collaborating on the adaptation in a new kind of family togetherness.
"I wrote a first draft and we would pass it back and forth to each other," said Grippa. "We wrote it on and off for over a year, passing it back and forth and ultimately coming up with a script that we both really liked and it stayed really close to the play."
That was one thing we decided early on, we didn't want to open it up too much and make it a bigger movie than it had to be. The root of the story is these two guys in the garage and we didn't want to stray too far from that. Also, economically, we couldn't afford to, we knew we weren't going to have a lot of money to shoot the movie. We had to keep it mostly in one location just like the play was, because we didn't have the budget for it.
The adaptation required very little tinkering — any small liberties were for the sake of the medium of film, where backgrounds can and probably should change with more ease than a stage production. The root of the story was the two guys in the garage and the uncle/nephew team kept it that way — a fine economic decision, as well as an artistic one, since it was exactly what the budget would support.
"Mostly I just wanted to try and make it a little more cinematic," said Grippa, "and by that I mean writing it in a way that we did open it up a little bit. Some of the stuff takes place outside the garage, we had to add some new scenes. It's a little bit longer than the play."
Making the movie was an experience that was close to home in more ways that one. Grippa shot it in his hometown of Upper Saddle River, N.J. — more importantly, he shared an emotional space with the characters, which had attracted him to the piece in the first place.
"I really identified with the characters," said Grippa, "so, in a way, it felt like I was telling my story even though it was Chuck's play."
The circumstances weren't the same, but Grippa could identify with the root of what the characters were going through.
"I've never lived in a garage or anything like that," said Grippa, "but I do remember when I finished school, I moved around a lot, I spent a lot of time living out of my suitcase and crashing on people's couches, so I can definitely relate to the idea of not really having a home and trying to figure out what that home is after you finish college."
In fact, making the movie was, itself, a bit like that situation — and having a director who was still in the thick of it in his own way gives the movie an urgency that could not be duplicated by a director in his 30s looking back on that period of his life.
"When I made the movie, by no means did I have my life figured out," said Grippa. "The path I chose was that I would get a job to pay rent and I would make this movie. The path I chose was to follow my heart and say that I really love film and I want to be a filmmaker and I really love this story, so I'm just going to invest the next couple years of my life and just do this — and I don't regret it at all."
Grippa recognizes that there are plenty of others out there who have gone through the same thing following college and is working to bring it directly to those who are about to live through it themselves through a tour of college screenings. He and Evered have shown the film and done question and answer sessions at several schools around the country and they plan to continue.
"The college age kids are our target audience so I figured why not take it to universities?" said Grippa.
Those kids are preparing for the scenario presented in the film, but Grippa realizes that it speaks to more than just young people — everyone goes through change.
"If they aren't in it already, they will be when they graduate," said Grippa. "I think everybody goes through that at one point or another, maybe not when they're 22 and right out of school, maybe it's sometime later in life, when they're trying to deal with some kind of transition in life. In a way, I feel like it's not completely geared towards 22 year olds, I think everyone can relate to this."
"Running Funny" will screen at the Williamstown Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, at noon.
-Anthony
PS: Does anyone know how I can post video clips on this blog?
Facing adulthood on both sides of the camera
By John E. Mitchell, North Adams Transcript
Thursday, October 25
WILLIAMSTOWN — A new film based on a play by a Williams College graduate echos the real life of the director who made it.
"Running Funny" is the story of two recent college grads who, in that nether space between college and real life, find themselves renting out a garage as an apartment as they prepare for rapid fire job interviews and figuring out what they really want to do with their lives. All through this, their landlord, a mysterious elderly man, lurks around, providing frustration and perspective.
The film is adapted from a play of the same name by the director of the film, Anthony Grippa, and the playwright, Charles Evered — who also happen to be uncle and nephew. Evered wrote the play in 1987 — it premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival — but it wasn't until recently that Grippa discovered it by accident. Grippa picked up a published collection of plays Evered had put out and "Running Funny" just happened to be included in it.
"I just read it not really thinking I'd be making any of it into a movie," said Grippa. "I just read it to read it, but I was so drawn to the play. I fell in love with it and I couldn't get it out of
Advertisement
my head."
Grippa — at the time, a recent grad of Rutgers University — had been looking for avenues to pursue in a film career and adapting the play not only provided an opportunity, but one that followed a path he admired. Grippa admired do-it-yourself filmmakers like Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez and was seeking the inspiration that would lead him to do the same.
"Ultimately I realized that this was the movie I had to make," said Grippa. "It was perfect because I knew it was a movie I could make inexpensively, because the cast is very small and it takes place in mostly one location. I also really loved the story and loved the characters."
Grippa approached Evered, who was enthusiastic about the prospect and they began collaborating on the adaptation in a new kind of family togetherness.
"I wrote a first draft and we would pass it back and forth to each other," said Grippa. "We wrote it on and off for over a year, passing it back and forth and ultimately coming up with a script that we both really liked and it stayed really close to the play."
That was one thing we decided early on, we didn't want to open it up too much and make it a bigger movie than it had to be. The root of the story is these two guys in the garage and we didn't want to stray too far from that. Also, economically, we couldn't afford to, we knew we weren't going to have a lot of money to shoot the movie. We had to keep it mostly in one location just like the play was, because we didn't have the budget for it.
The adaptation required very little tinkering — any small liberties were for the sake of the medium of film, where backgrounds can and probably should change with more ease than a stage production. The root of the story was the two guys in the garage and the uncle/nephew team kept it that way — a fine economic decision, as well as an artistic one, since it was exactly what the budget would support.
"Mostly I just wanted to try and make it a little more cinematic," said Grippa, "and by that I mean writing it in a way that we did open it up a little bit. Some of the stuff takes place outside the garage, we had to add some new scenes. It's a little bit longer than the play."
Making the movie was an experience that was close to home in more ways that one. Grippa shot it in his hometown of Upper Saddle River, N.J. — more importantly, he shared an emotional space with the characters, which had attracted him to the piece in the first place.
"I really identified with the characters," said Grippa, "so, in a way, it felt like I was telling my story even though it was Chuck's play."
The circumstances weren't the same, but Grippa could identify with the root of what the characters were going through.
"I've never lived in a garage or anything like that," said Grippa, "but I do remember when I finished school, I moved around a lot, I spent a lot of time living out of my suitcase and crashing on people's couches, so I can definitely relate to the idea of not really having a home and trying to figure out what that home is after you finish college."
In fact, making the movie was, itself, a bit like that situation — and having a director who was still in the thick of it in his own way gives the movie an urgency that could not be duplicated by a director in his 30s looking back on that period of his life.
"When I made the movie, by no means did I have my life figured out," said Grippa. "The path I chose was that I would get a job to pay rent and I would make this movie. The path I chose was to follow my heart and say that I really love film and I want to be a filmmaker and I really love this story, so I'm just going to invest the next couple years of my life and just do this — and I don't regret it at all."
Grippa recognizes that there are plenty of others out there who have gone through the same thing following college and is working to bring it directly to those who are about to live through it themselves through a tour of college screenings. He and Evered have shown the film and done question and answer sessions at several schools around the country and they plan to continue.
"The college age kids are our target audience so I figured why not take it to universities?" said Grippa.
Those kids are preparing for the scenario presented in the film, but Grippa realizes that it speaks to more than just young people — everyone goes through change.
"If they aren't in it already, they will be when they graduate," said Grippa. "I think everybody goes through that at one point or another, maybe not when they're 22 and right out of school, maybe it's sometime later in life, when they're trying to deal with some kind of transition in life. In a way, I feel like it's not completely geared towards 22 year olds, I think everyone can relate to this."
"Running Funny" will screen at the Williamstown Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, at noon.
-Anthony
PS: Does anyone know how I can post video clips on this blog?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Running in California
I just got back from Riverside, California where I screened Running Funny for a group of students at UC-Riverside. The screening went really well and all of the students responed positively. My Uncle Chuck and I did a Q&A after the screening and everyone asked some really good questions. It's a lot fun to screen the film for college kids because they really identify with the characters. And if we help inspire a few student filmmakers, well then, it makes it all worth it.
Sounds cheesy, but it's the truth.
-Anthony
PS: I'm heading to the Williamstown Film Festival next weekend! Can't wait!
Sounds cheesy, but it's the truth.
-Anthony
PS: I'm heading to the Williamstown Film Festival next weekend! Can't wait!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Upcoming Screenings
Hello fans of Running Funny! I will be departing for the west coast on October 16th to attend a screening of Running Funny at the University of California at Riverside. The screening is sponsored by a student run group called the Filmmakers Association. I am extrememly excited about my second stop on the Running Funny College Tour and stay tuned for more RFCT screening dates.
The following week, the cast and my Uncle Chuck are heading up to the Williamstown Film Festival (www.williamstownfilmfest.com) for our screening on October 27th. Prior to the screening we are all going to be on a panel called "Theater Into Film." Among other things, we will be discussing the process of adapting the play to the screen and our experience shooting the film. I'm psyched! So if you know anyone in Riverside, CA or in Williamstown, MA please tell them about the film!
Thanks!
Anthony
The following week, the cast and my Uncle Chuck are heading up to the Williamstown Film Festival (www.williamstownfilmfest.com) for our screening on October 27th. Prior to the screening we are all going to be on a panel called "Theater Into Film." Among other things, we will be discussing the process of adapting the play to the screen and our experience shooting the film. I'm psyched! So if you know anyone in Riverside, CA or in Williamstown, MA please tell them about the film!
Thanks!
Anthony
Friday, September 21, 2007
Screening at FDU
I screened the movie for a group of freshmen at Fairleigh Dickinson University yesterday and it was a lot of fun! I was really excited to screen it for them because this movie is for their generation, so I was curious how they would react to it.
The students really seemed to enjoy it and they were genuinely interested in learning more about the filmmaking process. They asked some great questions! It was actually a very rewarding experience -- to hear how they identified with Michael and Eddie, what they thought was funny and sad about the story. It was great. I'm really looking forward to screening at more colleges, so stay tuned for more screening announcements!
-Anthony
The students really seemed to enjoy it and they were genuinely interested in learning more about the filmmaking process. They asked some great questions! It was actually a very rewarding experience -- to hear how they identified with Michael and Eddie, what they thought was funny and sad about the story. It was great. I'm really looking forward to screening at more colleges, so stay tuned for more screening announcements!
-Anthony
Sunday, September 9, 2007
First College Screening
Running Funny will be screening at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ on Thursday September 20th at 2:10pm.
FDU-Madison
285 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ
Dreyfus Building, Room 125
The film will be screening as part of a film class, so it should be pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting and talking to students about it.
FDU-Madison
285 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ
Dreyfus Building, Room 125
The film will be screening as part of a film class, so it should be pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting and talking to students about it.
Monday, September 3, 2007
NewFilmmakers Screening
Please come out and support Running Funny on Wednesday night! Tell all your friends!
Wednesday, September 5th at 8pm
NewFilmmakers Screening Series
at Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue (at 2nd Street)
New York, NY
www.newfilmmakers.com
See ya there!
Anthony
Wednesday, September 5th at 8pm
NewFilmmakers Screening Series
at Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue (at 2nd Street)
New York, NY
www.newfilmmakers.com
See ya there!
Anthony
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Skeeball
Gene and I went to this bar on the lower east side called The Crocodile Lounge, where we hope to shoot the film, and shot some test footage with my little Canon ZR800. The game room is situated nicely in the back of the bar away from the crowds, so it offers a sense of isolation that I think is key for the film. The footage I shot looks grainy, grimy, raw, and dirty. Just the way I like it.
With Running Funny finished I'm itching to make another film, but in a different way than I'm used to. I wrote a 10 page script, but it's going to be more of a blueprint for the actors to improvise with in rehearsal. And through those improvisations, the script will hopefully come to life. It'll be an interesting experiment in filmmaking and I'm pretty excited about it.
Production will hopefully begin in late September or early October. Stay tuned for more info.
-Anthony
With Running Funny finished I'm itching to make another film, but in a different way than I'm used to. I wrote a 10 page script, but it's going to be more of a blueprint for the actors to improvise with in rehearsal. And through those improvisations, the script will hopefully come to life. It'll be an interesting experiment in filmmaking and I'm pretty excited about it.
Production will hopefully begin in late September or early October. Stay tuned for more info.
-Anthony
Monday, August 13, 2007
Williamstown Film Festival!
I found out this morning that "Running Funny" will be one of only 12 feature films screening at the 2007 Williamstown Film Festival this fall!!! This is big news for our little movie and I couldn't be happier! Running Funny was born at the Williamstown Theater Festival when it was produced as a play and I'm really happy that I'll be able to bring it home to where it all began.
Visit www.williamstownfilmfest.com for more info. Stay tuned for screening dates/times!
-Anthony
Visit www.williamstownfilmfest.com for more info. Stay tuned for screening dates/times!
-Anthony
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Rocket Science and Skeeball
I saw this great new movie called "Rocket Science" this weekend. It's about a kid from New Jersey with a really bad stutter who joins his high school debate team to impress a girl he likes. It's a really funny off-beat little comedy that reminded me of the classic, "Rushmore." Go see it!
I also saw Shane Meadows' new movie, "This is England" at the IFC Center which was also really good. So many good movies to see! I wish I had time to see them all!
In other news, Gene Gallerano and I are making a short film called "Skeeball." It's about two people who accidentally meet in a bar, play skeeball, and hang out for a little while. We're both really excited about this little experiment. Stay tuned for more updates about that in the coming weeks.
"Running Funny" will be screening on September 5th at 8pm at The Anthology Film Archives in New York City. Visit www.newfilmmakers.com for more info.
-Anthony
I also saw Shane Meadows' new movie, "This is England" at the IFC Center which was also really good. So many good movies to see! I wish I had time to see them all!
In other news, Gene Gallerano and I are making a short film called "Skeeball." It's about two people who accidentally meet in a bar, play skeeball, and hang out for a little while. We're both really excited about this little experiment. Stay tuned for more updates about that in the coming weeks.
"Running Funny" will be screening on September 5th at 8pm at The Anthology Film Archives in New York City. Visit www.newfilmmakers.com for more info.
-Anthony
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Emerging Filmmaker Award
I went to the Closing Night party of the Woods Hole Film Festival last night where to my surprise I won the Emerging Filmmaker Award! I didn't even know they were giving out an emerging filmmaker award, so I was totally caught off guard. I'm really happy that the festival chose to recognize me and my film. This festival was a great experience. I met a lot of really cool people, I showed my film publicly for the first time and got a really great response from the audience despite having technical difficulties during the screening, and I came home with an award! I couldn't have asked for a better time!
Thanks to all those who supported the film at the festival, and especially to the festival staff for working so hard all week.
Back to the real world tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to it.
-Anthony
Thanks to all those who supported the film at the festival, and especially to the festival staff for working so hard all week.
Back to the real world tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to it.
-Anthony
Friday, August 3, 2007
World Premiere
Our world premiere screening was a success last night! I was really surprised at how many people showed up to see the movie. A bunch of people I had met randomly over the last few days, as I went around town talking about the film, actually showed up!
We did have a minor issue with sound though. About half way through the movie the sound started going out of sync with the picture! I couldn't believe it! I quickly made an announcement to the audience that we were going to stop the movie and switch to the DVD, and then it took forever to cue up the DVD! It was so stressful! It really sucked that we had to stop the movie because it totally ruins the cinematic experience for the audience, although people didn't seem to make a big deal out of it. Once we resumed the movie everything was fine.
I did a Q & A afterward and everyone said nice things about the movie. So I guess for our first festival screening it went as well as it could have, and I'm happy about that.
I'm here for a couple more days and then it's back to the real world on Monday.
-Anthony
We did have a minor issue with sound though. About half way through the movie the sound started going out of sync with the picture! I couldn't believe it! I quickly made an announcement to the audience that we were going to stop the movie and switch to the DVD, and then it took forever to cue up the DVD! It was so stressful! It really sucked that we had to stop the movie because it totally ruins the cinematic experience for the audience, although people didn't seem to make a big deal out of it. Once we resumed the movie everything was fine.
I did a Q & A afterward and everyone said nice things about the movie. So I guess for our first festival screening it went as well as it could have, and I'm happy about that.
I'm here for a couple more days and then it's back to the real world on Monday.
-Anthony
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Showtime!
The screening is in about 4 hours and I can hardly breathe! I'm not sure if I'm nervous or excited, but it's probably both. I can't distinguish between the two anymore. There's been so much anticipation for this event over the last two months and especially over the last few days, as I've been promoting it as much as I can. I have posters and postcards up all over town and I've made friends with a few locals, so hopefully a few people show up tonight.
We pre-screened the film this morning and it looks and sounds good, which is a huge relief. I actually had a bad dream the other night that the sound was not in sync with the picture, and I haven't stopped thinking about that until this morning.
I don't know what else to say. I just want to screen the damn thing already!
-Anthony
We pre-screened the film this morning and it looks and sounds good, which is a huge relief. I actually had a bad dream the other night that the sound was not in sync with the picture, and I haven't stopped thinking about that until this morning.
I don't know what else to say. I just want to screen the damn thing already!
-Anthony
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
One more day!
Tomorrow is the big day. The official "World Premiere" of Running Funny on the festival circuit. I am really really really excited/nervous about the screening. I've spent the last four days trying to get as many people as possible to come to the movie. I put up posters all over Falmouth and Woods Hole, handed out postcards to random people I've met at bars, bookstores, on park benches, and at other screenings at the festival. Promoting a movie is a little exhausting because I'm trying to convince people I don't know to come see this little movie I made, but I hope it pays off tomorrow.
I saw a couple of movies last night and then went to a festival party at a bar/restaurant in Falmouth and hung out with a bunch of the volunteers who are working at the festival. They are all so supportive of independent film. It's pretty amazing that they give up a week of their lives to work their asses off, when they could be on vacation somewhere. I'm definately grateful that they're doing it. Thanks Woods Hole staff!
I did manage to spend some time at the beach yesterday, which was cool, but I got sunburned, which sucked, so I'm spending most of today indoors.
-Anthony
I saw a couple of movies last night and then went to a festival party at a bar/restaurant in Falmouth and hung out with a bunch of the volunteers who are working at the festival. They are all so supportive of independent film. It's pretty amazing that they give up a week of their lives to work their asses off, when they could be on vacation somewhere. I'm definately grateful that they're doing it. Thanks Woods Hole staff!
I did manage to spend some time at the beach yesterday, which was cool, but I got sunburned, which sucked, so I'm spending most of today indoors.
-Anthony
Monday, July 30, 2007
Cape Cod Times
I was interviewed by a reporter from The Cape Cod Times the other night. Check out this article!
WOODS HOLE — "Running Funny" is Anthony Grippa's first feature film and Woods Hole Film Festival is his first film festival.
The 25-year-old filmmaker from Hoboken, N.J., was excited to show his movie and meet people who are actually interested in what he is doing.
"My friends back home don't always get it," Grippa said. "And it's great to talk to people who are doing the same thing."
Grippa is the personification of what the Woods Hole Film Festival is all about — an independent filmmaker eager to meet and talk with other filmmakers, according to executive director Judy Laster. The festival, now in its 16th year, offers a place for independent filmmakers to come together, talk shop and have an audience. According to Laster, getting an audience is regarded as the highest validation for filmmakers, because most of them work in anonymity.
"Festivals are like art galleries for films," Laster said. "It's about bringing people together and helping them to bring their work to the next level by providing an audience."
There was no shortage of audience on opening night Saturday for the special screening of the 1971 feature documentary "Blue Water, White Death."
It was a reunion of the original crew and a tribute to the film's late director and producer Peter Gimbel, who set out on a 12,000-mile journey to get the first footage of a great white shark underwater. In 1971 most people didn't know much about sharks and it was a major box office success, earning $6 million, which is the equivalent of about $40 million today.
Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution at MGM, came from Los Angeles for the opening speech of the re-launch. Packer told the audience he promised old family friends Ron and Valerie Taylor, who are in the film, to get the documentary digitally remastered and distributed on DVD.
Last March he found the negatives buried in a vault at CBS in a legal mess. "It was my pet project," Packer said. "And I am really proud that a whole new generation can see this great adventure."
Artist Deborah Davidovits was impressed by the documentary. She didn't come particularly for the special screening though. "I came for the whole experience," she said.
Davidovits made the animation "Shadow Plays Volume 4" that was screened in the firehouse last night.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "But so far the crowds in the audience are bigger and the gatherings smaller."
The opening night party, with entertainment by the Last Minute Swing Band, was indeed not that busy, but Judy Rosenblum, a teacher from Miami, said she had an amazing night.
"The beauty of Woods Hole is that there's always something going on," she said. "I came here by chance and this film festival is the perfect way to spend your night."
WOODS HOLE — "Running Funny" is Anthony Grippa's first feature film and Woods Hole Film Festival is his first film festival.
The 25-year-old filmmaker from Hoboken, N.J., was excited to show his movie and meet people who are actually interested in what he is doing.
"My friends back home don't always get it," Grippa said. "And it's great to talk to people who are doing the same thing."
Grippa is the personification of what the Woods Hole Film Festival is all about — an independent filmmaker eager to meet and talk with other filmmakers, according to executive director Judy Laster. The festival, now in its 16th year, offers a place for independent filmmakers to come together, talk shop and have an audience. According to Laster, getting an audience is regarded as the highest validation for filmmakers, because most of them work in anonymity.
"Festivals are like art galleries for films," Laster said. "It's about bringing people together and helping them to bring their work to the next level by providing an audience."
There was no shortage of audience on opening night Saturday for the special screening of the 1971 feature documentary "Blue Water, White Death."
It was a reunion of the original crew and a tribute to the film's late director and producer Peter Gimbel, who set out on a 12,000-mile journey to get the first footage of a great white shark underwater. In 1971 most people didn't know much about sharks and it was a major box office success, earning $6 million, which is the equivalent of about $40 million today.
Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution at MGM, came from Los Angeles for the opening speech of the re-launch. Packer told the audience he promised old family friends Ron and Valerie Taylor, who are in the film, to get the documentary digitally remastered and distributed on DVD.
Last March he found the negatives buried in a vault at CBS in a legal mess. "It was my pet project," Packer said. "And I am really proud that a whole new generation can see this great adventure."
Artist Deborah Davidovits was impressed by the documentary. She didn't come particularly for the special screening though. "I came for the whole experience," she said.
Davidovits made the animation "Shadow Plays Volume 4" that was screened in the firehouse last night.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "But so far the crowds in the audience are bigger and the gatherings smaller."
The opening night party, with entertainment by the Last Minute Swing Band, was indeed not that busy, but Judy Rosenblum, a teacher from Miami, said she had an amazing night.
"The beauty of Woods Hole is that there's always something going on," she said. "I came here by chance and this film festival is the perfect way to spend your night."
R.I.P. Ingmar Bergman
I just found out that Ingmar Bergman, one of the greatest filmmakers, died this morning at the age of 89. He was a master and a huge influence on a lot of filmmakers, myself included. The last film of his I watched was "Scenes From a Marriage," which is fantastic. There is a big article in the New York Times today about his life and work. Check it out if you can.
-Anthony
-Anthony
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Day 1 of the Woods Hole Film Festival!!
I arrived in Woods Hole yesterday afternoon after a quick flight from New York to Boston and a short bus ride to Cape Cod. Immediately after checking into my hotel in Falmouth I took a cab to the Woods Hole Film Festival headquarters, where I was given a festival badge, which allows me free entry into every event and screening during the fest, as well as a tote bag with a bunch of goodies. I especially liked the chocolate covered cranberries. They really know how to treat filmmakers here because after checking in with the festival I went to the opening reception at a bar called the Fish Monger, where I was given more free food and drinks.
This is my first film festival, so I didn't know what to expect before coming here, but so far it's been great. I met a lot of filmmakers and we traded a lot of war stories. I didn't go to film school so I don't have a lot of friends who are filmmakers, so it is really cool to meet other people doing the same thing as I am -- making movies on their own and trying to screen them where ever they can.
After the opening reception I went to the opening night screening of the restored documentary "Blue Water, White Death" which is about a group of divers searching for the great white shark. The movie was originally shot in the late 60's, but somehow the print was lost for a long time and MGM recently found it and restored the film. I think it's being released on DVD this week. It was a fascinating documentary about these divers who were obsessed with filming the great white in it's natural habitat. I recommend seeing it if you can.
Following that screening I watched a few short films and met more filmmakers at the opening night party held at a bar in Woods Hole. Everyone is really nice and very welcoming to the filmmakers here. From what I can tell the town of Woods Hole is really psyched about this festival because there are signs, banners, and posters up all over town promoting the festival. So for an out of town filmmaker, it's a relief to see that the people here are supportive of independent artists. That means I might actually have an audience at my screening!
After the party I got a ride back to my hotel in Falmouth and collapsed. I had been up since 6am and was completely exhausted. And this is just the first day! There are 7 days left!
I just got back from a brunch with all of the attending filmmakers at a beautiful home on the bay. Strangely enough, I found out one of the filmmakers here is from Allendale, NJ which is about five minutes from where I grew up in Upper Saddle River. She even went to the same high school as me! What a small world.
Now I'm sitting in a coffee shop drinking an iced latte trying to cool off before I go to another reception at 3:30 followed by a night filled with more screenings!!
Thanks for checking in. I'll be posting all week, so stay tuned!!
-Anthony
This is my first film festival, so I didn't know what to expect before coming here, but so far it's been great. I met a lot of filmmakers and we traded a lot of war stories. I didn't go to film school so I don't have a lot of friends who are filmmakers, so it is really cool to meet other people doing the same thing as I am -- making movies on their own and trying to screen them where ever they can.
After the opening reception I went to the opening night screening of the restored documentary "Blue Water, White Death" which is about a group of divers searching for the great white shark. The movie was originally shot in the late 60's, but somehow the print was lost for a long time and MGM recently found it and restored the film. I think it's being released on DVD this week. It was a fascinating documentary about these divers who were obsessed with filming the great white in it's natural habitat. I recommend seeing it if you can.
Following that screening I watched a few short films and met more filmmakers at the opening night party held at a bar in Woods Hole. Everyone is really nice and very welcoming to the filmmakers here. From what I can tell the town of Woods Hole is really psyched about this festival because there are signs, banners, and posters up all over town promoting the festival. So for an out of town filmmaker, it's a relief to see that the people here are supportive of independent artists. That means I might actually have an audience at my screening!
After the party I got a ride back to my hotel in Falmouth and collapsed. I had been up since 6am and was completely exhausted. And this is just the first day! There are 7 days left!
I just got back from a brunch with all of the attending filmmakers at a beautiful home on the bay. Strangely enough, I found out one of the filmmakers here is from Allendale, NJ which is about five minutes from where I grew up in Upper Saddle River. She even went to the same high school as me! What a small world.
Now I'm sitting in a coffee shop drinking an iced latte trying to cool off before I go to another reception at 3:30 followed by a night filled with more screenings!!
Thanks for checking in. I'll be posting all week, so stay tuned!!
-Anthony
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Back to School!
"Running Funny" has been officially selected to screen at the 2007 New Jersey Film Festival!! The screening is set for Friday, November 16th at 7pm on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. I'm really excited that I'll be able to go back to Rutgers, where I went to school, and screen "Running Funny" there. I haven't been back to New Brunswick since I left about two and a half years ago, so it'll be cool to walk down College Avenue again. I will definately be making a stop at the grease trucks!
T-minus four days until I leave for Cape Cod! Can't wait!
-Anthony
P.S. My uncle's movie, "Adopt a Sailor," starring Bebe Neuwirth, Peter Coyote, and Ethan Peck begins shooting on August 6th. Stay tuned for more news about that. If "Rescue Dawn" is playing in your area, go check it out. Christian Bale is awesome and it's definately worth seeing.
T-minus four days until I leave for Cape Cod! Can't wait!
-Anthony
P.S. My uncle's movie, "Adopt a Sailor," starring Bebe Neuwirth, Peter Coyote, and Ethan Peck begins shooting on August 6th. Stay tuned for more news about that. If "Rescue Dawn" is playing in your area, go check it out. Christian Bale is awesome and it's definately worth seeing.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Done and Done!!
Running Funny is officially completed! We were finally able to finish the sound mix last week and the movie sounds a lot better thanks to Jesse's great work. He did a lot of cool stuff with it and I'm really thankful for his help.
It feels good to have a finished film in my hands that I'm really proud of. Filmmaking is a long process, but it's a process I love, and I'm so psyched to screen it at the Woods Hole Film Festival in a couple weeks. It will be the first time I screen Running Funny for people who aren't my close friends or family, so it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts.
The posters just came in a couple days ago and they look great! They are going to be posted all over Cape Cod, so look out for them!
-Anthony
P.S. The website for my uncle's movie is up and running! Check it out at www.adoptasailormovie.com
It feels good to have a finished film in my hands that I'm really proud of. Filmmaking is a long process, but it's a process I love, and I'm so psyched to screen it at the Woods Hole Film Festival in a couple weeks. It will be the first time I screen Running Funny for people who aren't my close friends or family, so it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts.
The posters just came in a couple days ago and they look great! They are going to be posted all over Cape Cod, so look out for them!
-Anthony
P.S. The website for my uncle's movie is up and running! Check it out at www.adoptasailormovie.com
Monday, July 2, 2007
Finishing Up
Thanks to my brilliant new sound mixer, Jesse Flower-Ambroch, we are finally finishing the sound mix on "Running Funny." It's been a long, long, long, long process, and I am so relieved that it's finally coming to an end. The movie has been stuck in limbo for the last several months with an incomplete soundtrack, and it's been really frustrating to not have the movie finished. Since I don't have thousands of dollars to go into a professional studio and pay someone to do the mixing, I have to rely on the kindness of strangers to help me finish my movie. It's just that sometimes those "nice people" turn out to be the complete opposite and hinder the progress of your movie instead of helping to progress it. There are good people out there who will want to help you make your movie. The hard part is finding them.
I brought Max and Gene into Jesse's home studio tonight to do some additional ADR work, which will really help the movie sound a lot better. It was a lot of fun to see those two guys together again -- they seriously are like the odd couple in a lot of ways. It's hilarious.
Are there any good movies out? I think I'm the only guy in the world who isn't psyched to see "Transformers."
Anyway. Hopefully the next time I post a blog I will finally have a finished film in my hands. Keep your fingers crossed!
-Anthony
I brought Max and Gene into Jesse's home studio tonight to do some additional ADR work, which will really help the movie sound a lot better. It was a lot of fun to see those two guys together again -- they seriously are like the odd couple in a lot of ways. It's hilarious.
Are there any good movies out? I think I'm the only guy in the world who isn't psyched to see "Transformers."
Anyway. Hopefully the next time I post a blog I will finally have a finished film in my hands. Keep your fingers crossed!
-Anthony
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Bad movies are Good Movies
I went to see a new movie this weekend that was really bad. I'm so glad I saw it! Seriously. I went to see it because it dealt with similar themes of the new script I'm writing and I thought it would be good research to check out how another filmmaker did it. The movie wasn't very funny even though it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, the main character wasn't likable at all, and the story was totally predictable. I won't name the movie because I'm not a movie critic and the title of the movie is irrelevant. My point is, watching this movie showed me what NOT to do when writing a screenplay, and that's why I am really glad I saw it. The end.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Running Funny screening in New York!
"Running Funny" will screen in the NewFilmmakers Summer Series at the Anthology Film Archives on Wednesday, September 5th at 8pm. This is a great independent film series and a great opportunity to screen the film in New York. So mark your calendars! If you're in the NYC area, come check us out! Visit www.newfilmmakers.com for more info.
-Anthony
-Anthony
Monday, June 18, 2007
Interview with Max Osinski!
Max Osinski, who plays Michael Kaminski in "Running Funny" was recently interviewed on the set of his new movie, "The Express," starring Dennis Quaid. I had no idea Max was so athletic! Click on the link below to watch the interview. "The Express" is due out in theaters in October of 2008.
SU Athletics - Orange All Access Look at The Express - Part 5
SU Athletics - Orange All Access Look at The Express - Part 5
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Running Funny Screening on August 2nd!!
Running Funny will be screening at the Woods Hole Film Festival on Thursday, August 2nd at 8pm! We got a really great time slot and I am extremely excited about this festival. A lot of great films and filmmakers are going to be there and it'll be really cool to meet some of them. I'm looking forward to seeing "The Great World of Sound," which screened at Sundance this year and a bunch of other festivals. I am really proud that Running Funny is being included in this group of films.
Okay, now I just have to finish the movie, and I'll be ready to go.
-Anthony
PS: Go see "Knocked Up." It's great!!
Okay, now I just have to finish the movie, and I'll be ready to go.
-Anthony
PS: Go see "Knocked Up." It's great!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Preparing for the Festival
T-minus 6 weeks until the festival and there is much to do! We're still working on the sound mix believe it or not. It's been a really long and frustrating process for a number of reasons and I am going to be so relieved when it is finally finished. In the meantime, I'm also busy preparing promotional materials like posters, postcards, stickers, and maybe a few t-shirts to help promote the movie at the festival.
I will be documenting my entire film festival experience on my new video camera, which I will also use to document all of the college screenings we're having in the fall (schedule coming soon!). So in addition to writing in this blog, I'll be posting video clips of all the cool things that happen along the way!
-Anthony
I will be documenting my entire film festival experience on my new video camera, which I will also use to document all of the college screenings we're having in the fall (schedule coming soon!). So in addition to writing in this blog, I'll be posting video clips of all the cool things that happen along the way!
-Anthony
Friday, June 8, 2007
Meeting David Gordon Green
I went to a screening of David Gordon Green's new movie "Snow Angels" at BAM last weekend. It was part of the Sundance Institute series at BAM. I am a HUGE fan of DGG. "All the Real Girls" is one of my favorite movies and there was no way I was going to miss this special screening and to hear him answer some questions.
On my way out I decided to walk up to him and say "hi." I told him I really enjoyed the movie and he thanked me for coming to see it. I ended up talking to him for about 30 seconds as he was walking out of the theater. It went a little like this...
Me: Hi, I'm a big fan and just wanted to say hi.
DGG: Thanks for coming out.
Me: No problem. I really enjoyed the movie.
DGG: Thanks man. I appreciate.
Me: I'm a filmmaker myself, actually.
DGG: Oh yeah? What have you done?
Me: I just finished my first feature.
DGG: Cool, what's it called?
Me: It's called "Running Funny."
DGG: Did you direct it?
Me: Yeah, I directed it and co-wrote the script.
DGG: Is it any good?
Me: Well, yeah, I'm really proud of it. We're trying to take it to festivals now.
DGG: It can be a tough road.
Me: Yeah, it is.
...then he was ambushed by more people, and I slipped out the door. I walked to the subway with a smile on my face. I met one of my favorite directors ever!! For some reason I was surprised by how nice he was. I don't know why I expected him to not give a shit that one of his fans wanted to introduce himself and tell him that he's a filmmaker too, who recently completed his first feature and hopes to screen it at a lot of film festivals!
To be honest, "Snow Angels" isn't David's best work, but it was still pretty good.
-Anthony
On my way out I decided to walk up to him and say "hi." I told him I really enjoyed the movie and he thanked me for coming to see it. I ended up talking to him for about 30 seconds as he was walking out of the theater. It went a little like this...
Me: Hi, I'm a big fan and just wanted to say hi.
DGG: Thanks for coming out.
Me: No problem. I really enjoyed the movie.
DGG: Thanks man. I appreciate.
Me: I'm a filmmaker myself, actually.
DGG: Oh yeah? What have you done?
Me: I just finished my first feature.
DGG: Cool, what's it called?
Me: It's called "Running Funny."
DGG: Did you direct it?
Me: Yeah, I directed it and co-wrote the script.
DGG: Is it any good?
Me: Well, yeah, I'm really proud of it. We're trying to take it to festivals now.
DGG: It can be a tough road.
Me: Yeah, it is.
...then he was ambushed by more people, and I slipped out the door. I walked to the subway with a smile on my face. I met one of my favorite directors ever!! For some reason I was surprised by how nice he was. I don't know why I expected him to not give a shit that one of his fans wanted to introduce himself and tell him that he's a filmmaker too, who recently completed his first feature and hopes to screen it at a lot of film festivals!
To be honest, "Snow Angels" isn't David's best work, but it was still pretty good.
-Anthony
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Running Funny is Officially Selected!!
My feature film, Running Funny, was recently accepted into competition at the 2007 Woods Hole Film Festival!!! Wow! I am so excited and so grateful that the good people at Woods Hole think this little movie deserves an audience. As more and more people start making movies, festivals are becoming more competitive than ever, so I feel really lucky and proud to be a part of a festival like Woods Hole.
I'll post exact screening dates/times once I have them. See you on Cape Cod!!
-Anthony
I'll post exact screening dates/times once I have them. See you on Cape Cod!!
-Anthony
Monday, June 4, 2007
First Post
This is my first post on my new blog, which will eventually be linked to my upcoming website (anthonygrippa.com) as well as the Running Funny website (runningfunnymovie.com). I'll be posting info about projects that I'm working on as well as the Running Funny College Tour, which kicks off on September 20th at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ.
So stay tuned and keep checking back!
-Anthony
So stay tuned and keep checking back!
-Anthony
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