Interview with Anthony Grippa

I recently did an interview with IndieFilmChat.com about making Running Funny. Check it out by clicking HERE.

Running Funny DVD Release!

Hi Everybody,

We're excited to announce that our award winning independent film, Running Funny, is now widely available on DVD. The bonus features on the DVD include an audio commentary track, as well as the short film Skeeball, written and directed by Anthony Grippa. Running Funny stars Tony nominated actor Louis Zorich, Maximilian Osinski (Universal Pictures "The Express"), and Gene Gallerano. Based on Charles Evered's play, Running Funny was written for the screen by Evered and the film's director, Anthony Grippa.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune said about it: "A young Paul Giamatti played Michael onstage in 1988, and Osinski brings a similar wounded soulfulness to the part. Gallerano is suitably high-strung as the know-it-all Eddie, and Zorich excels. Grippa ... manages to hit the right emotional chords."

You can pre-order the Running Funny DVD online today at sites like amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com, or simply by clicking here! It makes a great holiday present for the film lover in your life.

Also, a special note TO ALL NETFLIX SUBSCRIBERS: Be sure to save the Running Funny DVD in your queue! The more people who save it in their queue, the longer the movie will be available for more people to watch and enjoy.

And finally, as a true independent film, Running Funny's marketing budget is pretty slim. The success of the DVD depends heavily on your recommendation. You can help make a real difference by forwarding this email to a few friends or relatives and recommending that they purchase the DVD or rent it on Netflix.

Thanks for your continued support and Happy Holidays!

Anthony Grippa & Matt Christensen

Running Funny on Netflix

"Running Funny" will be available to rent on Netflix beginning January 13th. If you are a Netflix subscriber please save it in your queue, and tell all of your friends to do so as well. The more people who have it saved, the longer it will be available, and the more people will be able to watch and enjoy the film. Thank you!

Chicago Tribune Review

'Running Funny' ★★★


'Running Funny' stars Louis Zorich, Maximilian Osinski, Gene Gallerano
3 stars

By Maureen M. Hart
November 21, 2008

"Running Funny," filmmaker Anthony Grippa's screen adaptation of his uncle Charles Evered's play, captures three men—two young, one old—at crucial life junctures.

Michael (Maximilian Osinski) and Eddie (Gene Gallerano) are just out of college and so broke they're pondering the rental of an "apartment garage" as they strategize their job searches (the latter, the "brains" of the operation, is desperate to get out of his parents' home, and the former is an orphan with limited options). Their potential landlord, Stan (well-known character actor and Chicago native Louis Zorich), is a crusty widower with a take-it-or-leave-it demeanor and a few secrets. Once moved in, hard by Stan's Mercedes, they figure 30 days will be enough to land employment and improve their prospects. Their real task, it turns out, is to find themselves.

A young Paul Giamatti played Michael onstage in 1988, and Osinski brings a similar wounded soulfulness to the part. Gallerano is suitably high-strung as the know-it-all Eddie, and Zorich excels as a man whose vision is impaired but who sees more than the boys think he can. Grippa was 24 when he worked on this film, and though he doesn't always know when to tell his stars to pull back on the histrionics, he manages to hit the right emotional chords overall.

U.S. Theatrical Premiere!!

"Running Funny" will have a one-week run at Facets Cinematheque in Chicago beginning on November 21st!! The film were screen through November 26th, so if you or someone you know is in the Chicago area, please tell them about the screenings and go check out the film!

Visit www.facets.org for more info and to purchase tickets.

DVD news coming soon...

Synecdoche, New York

I went to see Charlie Kaufman's new movie "Synecdoche, New York" last weekend. Man, this was a weird movie. I thought it was an interesting story, but I was completely confused by most of it and I found myself constantly wondering what the point of the whole thing was. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" remains my favorite Kaufman movie thus far.

I also re-watched "Jaws" recently for my screenwriting class, and I forgot how GREAT that movie is! Very little of it seems outdated and there were several parts where I was genuinely frightened. Hard to believe Spielberg was only in his twenties when he directed it.

Keep an eye out for more Running Funny DVD release news!

The Wrestler

I was lucky enough to snag a couple of tickets to the New York Film Festival's Closing Night screening of Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler." I LOVED THIS MOVIE. Mickey Rourke is brilliant in it and he will most certainly be nominated for an Oscar. I must admit that I have never been a fan of professional wrestling, but the story is so moving and Mickey Rourke's performance is so powerful, that you realize it's not really a film about wrestling at all. I'm not going to give away anything else. Go. See. This. Film. It opens on December 19th.

DVD Release -- Save the Date!!

"Running Funny" will be released on January 13, 2009!! You can pre-order the DVD on Amazon.com, Netflix, Blockbuster Online, and in Hollywood Video stores beginning in December. It will be the perfect holiday gift, even though you won't get it until January 13th, but good things come to those who wait.

Max in The Express

Max Osinski, who played Michael in "Running Funny," has a part in the new Dennis Quaid film, "The Express," which opens nationwide tomorrow. I've heard the movie is really good so go check it out this weekend!

Elle and Guy

Gene Gallerano ("Running Funny" and "Skeeball") is in a really cool new short film called "Elle and Guy." Check out the Elle and Guy website, and view the trailer for the film by searching for "Elle and Guy trailer" on YouTube. Gene gives a really good performance so please check it out!

PTA

There is a very interesting article about the early years of director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights," "There Will Be Blood") posted on www.cigarettesandredvines.com. Go check it out.

A Must Read

This was an article from Indiewire.com that I think is a must read for all independent filmmakers, and even for people who aren't filmmakers you will see how the internet is changing everything.


FIRST PERSON | Peter Broderick: "Welcome To The New World of Distribution," Part 1

by Peter Broderick (September 15, 2008)
Welcome to the New World of Distribution. Many filmmakers are emigrating from the Old World, where they have little chance of succeeding. They are attracted by unprecedented opportunities and the freedom to shape their own destiny. Life in the New World requires them to work harder, be more tenacious, and take more risks. There are daunting challenges and no guarantees of success. But this hasn't stopped more and more intrepid filmmakers from exploring uncharted territory and staking claims.
Before the discovery of the New World, the Old World of Distribution reigned supreme. It is a hierarchical realm where filmmakers must petition the powers that be to grant them distribution. Independents who are able to make overall deals are required to give distributors total control of the marketing and distribution of their films. The terms of these deals have gotten worse and few filmmakers end up satisfied.
All is not well for companies and filmmakers in what I call the Old World of Distribution. At Film Independent's Film Financing Conference, Mark Gill vividly described "the ways the independent film business is in trouble" in his widely read and discussed keynote. Mark listed the companies and divisions that have been shut down or are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, noted that five others are in "serious financial peril," and said that ten independent film financiers may soon "exit the business." Mark made a persuasive case that "the sky really is falling... because the accumulation of bad news is kind of awe-inspiring." While he doesn't expect that the sky will "hit the ground everywhere," he warned "it will feel like we just survived a medieval plague. The carnage and the stench will be overwhelming."
Mark's keynote focused on the distributors, production companies, studio specialty divisions, and foreign sales companies that dominate independent film in the Old World. Mark has many years of experience in this world. He was President of Miramax Films, then head of Warner Independent Pictures, and is now CEO of The Film Department. He sees things from the perspective of a seasoned Old World executive.
I see things from the filmmaker's perspective. For the past 11 years, I have been helping filmmakers maximize revenues, get their films seen as widely as possible, and launch or further their careers. From 1997 until 2002, I experienced the deteriorating state of the Old World of Distribution as head of IFC's Next Wave Films. After the company closed, I discovered the New World of Distribution in its formative stages. A few directors had already gotten impressive results by splitting up their rights and selling DVDs directly from their websites.
Filmmakers started asking me to advise them on distribution, and, before I knew it, I was a "distribution strategist" working with independents across the country and around the globe. Since late 2002, I have consulted with more than 500 filmmakers. While some have taken traditional paths in the Old World, many more have blazed trails in the new one. I've learned from their successes and failures and had the opportunity to share these lessons with other filmmakers, who then have been able to go further down these trails. It has been very exciting to be able to participate in the building of the New World, where the old rules no longer apply.
Many of the rulers of the Old World continue to look backwards. Having spent their entire careers in this realm, played by its rules and succeeded, they can't see past the limits of their experience. For them, the Old World is the known world, which they refer to as "the film business." They explain away the serious problems facing the Old World by citing the film glut, higher marketing costs, mediocre films, and the historically cyclical nature of the industry. They appear to believe that everything will be just fine with enough discipline and patience--if fewer, better films are made, costs are controlled, and they can hold out until the next upturn.
Many of these executives seem unaware of the larger structural changes threatening their world. They recognize that video-on-demand and digital downloads will become more significant revenue streams but seem confident that they can incorporate them into their traditional distribution model. These executives do not understand the fundamental importance of the internet or its disruptive power. By enabling filmmakers in the New World to reach audiences directly and dramatically reducing their distribution costs, it empowers them to keep control of their "content'.
The Old World executives who do acknowledge the New World can be as dismissive as record industry executives were when they first noticed the internet. Their usual condescending response is the internet may work for "little" films with "niche" audiences. After admitting that the internet represents added competition for eyeballs, they are quick to point out that little money is currently being made from digital downloads or online advertising.
Notable successes in the New World represent the shape of things to come. Several filmmakers have each made more than one million dollars selling their films directly from their websites. Other filmmakers have begun raising money online. During 10 days of internet fundraising, Robert Greenwald attracted $385,000 in contributions for his documentary "Iraq for Sale."
Arin Crumley and Susan Buice built awareness for their feature "Four Eyed Monsters" through a series of video podcasts. They then made their film available for free on YouTube and MySpace, where it was viewed over a million times. Arin and Susan made money through shared ad revenues and Spout.com sign-ups, and then snagged a deal with IFC for domestic television and home video distribution. Wayne Wang will follow in their footsteps when he premieres his new feature "The Princess of Nebraska" on YouTube October 17th.
The power of the internet was also demonstrated by the remarkably successful documentary, "The Secret." During the first stage of its release, "The Secret" could be streamed or purchased at the film's website, but was not available in theaters, on television, in stores, or on Amazon. During the next stage, the book was launched by Simon & Schuster in bookstores and online. After the book shot to the top of the bestseller list, "The Secret" DVD was finally made available in retail stores and on Amazon. Over 2 million DVDs were sold during the first twelve months of its release.

The chart above illustrates the essential differences between Old and New World Distribution.
Here are ten guiding principles of New World distribution:
1. GREATER CONTROL - Filmmakers retain overall control of their distribution, choosing which rights to give distribution partners and which to retain. If filmmakers hire a service deal company or a booker to arrange a theatrical run, they control the marketing campaign, spending, and the timing of their release. In the OW (Old World), a distributor that acquires all rights has total control of distribution. Filmmakers usually have little or no influence on key marketing and distribution decisions.
2. HYBRID DISTRIBUTION - Filmmakers split up their rights, working with distribution partners in certain sectors and keeping the right to make direct sales. They can make separate deals for: retail home video, television, educational, nontheatrical, and VOD, as well as splitting up their digital rights. They also sell DVDs from their websites and at screenings, and may make digital downloads available directly from their sites. In the OW, filmmakers make overall deals, giving one company all their rights (now known or ever to be dreamed up) for as long as 25 years.
3. CUSTOMIZED STRATEGIES - Filmmakers design creative distribution strategies customized to their film's content and target audiences. They can begin outreach to audiences and potential organizational partners before or during production. They often ignore traditional windows, selling DVDs from their websites before they are available in stores, sometimes during their theatrical release, and even at festivals. Filmmakers are able to test their strategies step-by-step, and modify them as needed. In the OW, distribution plans are much more formulaic and rigid.
4. CORE AUDIENCES - Filmmakers target core audiences. Their priority is to reach them effectively, and then hopefully cross over to a wider public. They reach core audiences directly both online and offline, through websites, mailing lists, organizations, and publications. In the OW, many distributors market to a general audience, which is highly inefficient and more and more expensive.
Notable exceptions, Fox Searchlight and Bob Berney, have demonstrated how effective highly targeted marketing can be. "Napoleon Dynamite" first targeted nerds, "Passion of the Christ" began with evangelicals, and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" started with Greek Americans. Building on their original base, each of these films was then able to significantly expand and diversify their audiences.
5. REDUCING COSTS - Filmmakers reduce costs by using the internet and by spending less on traditional print, television, and radio advertising. While four years ago a five-city theatrical service deal cost $250,000 - $300,000, today comparable service deals can cost half that or even less. In the OW, marketing costs have risen dramatically.
6. DIRECT ACCESS TO VIEWERS - Filmmakers use the internet to reach audiences directly. The makers of the motorcycle-racing documentary, "Faster," used the web to quickly and inexpensively reach motorcycle fans around the world. They pulled off an inspired stunt at the Cannes Film Festival, which generated international coverage and widespread awareness among fans. This sparked lucrative DVD sales first from the website and then in retail stores. In the OW, filmmakers only have indirect access to audiences through distributors.
7. DIRECT SALES - Filmmakers make much higher margins on direct sales from their websites and at screenings than they do through retail sales. They can make as much as $23 profit on a $24.95 website sale (plus $4.95 for shipping and handling). A retail sale of the same DVD only nets $2.50 via a typical 20% royalty video deal. If filmmakers sell an educational copy from their websites to a college or university for $250 (an average educational price), they can net $240. Direct sales to consumers provide valuable customer data, which enables filmmakers to make future sales to these buyers. They can sell other versions of a film, the soundtrack, books, posters, and t-shirts. In the OW, filmmakers are not permitted to make direct sales, have no access to customer data, and have no merchandising rights.
8. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION - Filmmakers are now making their films available to viewers anywhere in the world. Supplementing their deals with distributors in other countries, they sell their films to consumers in unsold territories via DVD or digital download directly from their websites. For the first time, filmmakers are aggregating audiences across national boundaries. In the OW, distribution is territory by territory, and most independent films have little or no foreign distribution.
9. SEPARATE REVENUE STREAMS - Filmmakers limit cross-collateralization and accounting problems by splitting up their distribution rights. All revenues from sales on their websites come directly to them or through the fulfillment company they've hired to store and ship DVDs. By separating the revenues from each distribution partner, filmmakers prevent expenses from one distribution channel being charged against revenues from another. This makes accounting simpler and more transparent. In an OW overall deal, all revenues and all expenses are combined, making monitoring revenues much more difficult.
10. TRUE FANS - Filmmakers connect with viewers online and at screenings, establish direct relationships with them, and build core personal audiences. They ask for their support, making it clear that DVD purchases from the website will help them break even and make more movies. Every filmmaker with a website has the chance to turn visitors into subscribers, subscribers into purchasers, and purchasers into true fans who can contribute to new productions. In the OW, filmmakers do not have direct access to viewers.
(c) 2008 Peter Broderick

DVD Release

I am pleased to inform you that LifeSize Entertainment will release "Running Funny" on DVD in January! Charles Evered, Gene Gallerano, and I had a great time recording an audio commentary track this summer that was filled with hilarious insight into the making of the film. Hopefully my short film "Skeeball" will be included on the DVD extras as well. Keep checking back for the most up to date info.

Max, if you are reading this, can we throw a DVD release party at your apartment?

Unforgiven

I watched "Unforgiven" a few days ago for my screenwriting class, and it affirmed for me that Clint Eastwood is one of the best filmmakers alive, if not THE best. His direction is superb, and beautifully reflects the excellent screenplay written by David Webb Peoples. I love how so much characterization is conveyed in very simple lines like, "Yeah. I guess." Wow.

I'm going to see Eastwood's new movie "Changeling" at the New York Film Festival in a few weeks, and I'm hoping to get a chance to shake that man's hand. By the way, whatever happened to Jaimz Woolvett? He gives a GREAT performance as The Schofield Kid, and should've been offered a dozen other great roles after Unforgiven, but he disappeared. The moment in the film when he kills one of the cowboys is one of the best in the entire film.

screenplay

Getting so close to finishing the new script. Can't wait until it's done and ready for take off.

New York Film Festival

I love this poster. It's a photograph taken by the actor Jeff Bridges.

Touch of Evil

I saw a beautiful print of Orson Welles' classic "Touch of Evil" at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center last night. The opening shot is about a 5 minute take and it's one of the best things I've ever seen on screen. I would love to go back in time and watch them film that shot. I can only imagine how much work and how many people it takes to pull off a complex shot like that.

Okay, back to work on my script.

Stephen Shore

This is a beautiful image by one of my favorite photographers, Stephen Shore. My screenplay is a road movie and this image has served as an inspiration for finishing the script during many of my late night writing sessions. Enjoy.

Back to School

I'm spending the summer finishing up a screenplay that I've been working on for a while in conjunction with a screenwriting class I'm taking. The class has been incredibly helpful in ironing out the problems I've been having with the story. I had never taken a screenwriting class before, but I wish I had. I've already signed up for an advanced class in the fall. I also secretly took the class to wet my appetite for grad school, and it has. I am totally applying to Columbia.

Good movies you should see:

Frozen River (Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner)
Man On Wire (Sundance winner also)
The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan continues to impress)
Tropic Thunder (Downey, Jr. is comedy gold)

The New York Film Festival starts next month and being a member of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, I get first dibs on tickets. I'm hoping to get a chance to see Clint Eastwood and Darren Aronofsky's new movies, "Changeling" and "The Wrestler," but being the most anticipated movies of the festival, they will no doubt sell out quickly. I'm tempted to see Soderbergh's ridiculously long bio-pic "Che," but I don't know if I have the patience for it.

-Anthony

Distribution!

I am very happy to announce that Running Funny has been acquired by LifeSize Entertainment for a DVD release in late 2008/early 2009! I'm thrilled that the film will have a chance to live a long life. Thanks to everyone who has supported the film along the way, and stay tuned for more news about the release date.

-Anthony

Skeeball News!

Brianne Moncrief, the actress who played the role of Claire in my short film "Skeeball," has recently been cast as a regular on "All My Children." Brianne will be taking over the role of Colby Chandler starting May 7th. Amazing news! People are already blogging about her. Congrats Brianne!!

http://www.thesoapdispenser.com/tags/brianne-moncrief/

-Anthony

Q&A at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival

Q&A at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival

Vote for us!

"Running Funny" was entered into a new online film festival called "From Here to Awesome." It's a really exciting festival that is designed to democratize independent film distribution and help filmmakers like me find an audience for their films.

Please go to www.fromheretoawesome.com/runningfunny and vote! Thanks!!

Lake Arrowhead Film Festival

The screening at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival went really well, and we got a lot of good responses. I filmed the Q&A and I'll post it here soon. The best movie I saw at the festival was a doc called "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience." Veterans from the Korean War to the current war in Iraq discussed why they write about their experience, and how it has helped them make sense of it. It was one of the most moving docs I've ever seen. Please watch it.

Post-grad struggles reflected in film 'Running Funny' - Feature

Post-grad struggles reflected in film 'Running Funny' - Feature

Click on the link above to read the article!

MethodFest Awards!

Our very own Louis Zorich has been nominated for the Festival Director's Breakthrough Acting Award at this year's MethodFest! Visit www.methodfest.com for more info. CONGRATS, LOUIS!!

I'm off to the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival next week! Stay tuned for more news about that festival.

-Anthony

Method Fest

"Running Funny" will be screening at the 10th Annual Method Fest on Sunday, March 30th at 4pm. If you live nearby please go check out our WEST COAST PREMIERE!! Visit www.methodfest.com for more info.

-Anthony

Two Things

First I'd like to announce that "Running Funny" will be screening at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival in Blue Jay, California in April. I hear it's beautiful out there, so I'm looking forward to going.

Second, my new short film "Skeeball" is finished! I watched it with Gene last night and we are both really happy with it. It's a sweet little movie that we worked really hard on and I'm very proud of it. We're probably going to submit to a few festivals, and then put it on the internet for everyone to enjoy! Stay tuned.

-Anthony

Festival News!!

I will be announcing some exciting festival news very soon!! In the meantime, go see No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood -- the two best movies of the year.

-Anthony

From Here to Awesome

Over the last several weeks I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to get Running Funny out into the world. Film festivals are great to gain exposure and to talk to people about your film, but in terms of acquiring theatrical distribution, it's still extremely difficult to break through unless you get into a festival like Sundance or Toronto, and even then only a few films are lucky enough to get distribution. So how the heck do I get people to see the film that I worked so hard on for 2 years? I think the answer is online.

There is a new online film festival called From Here to Awesome and once you submit your film, audiences vote how "awesome" your movie is. The top ten features get some sort of distribution. Anyway, the point of this festival is that is democratizes distribution so you can build as big of an audience as you want. I think it's a really great idea and I intend to sign up. It's interesting how the internet and sites like myspace and youtube are changing the way we access music and movies. You don't have to leave your home anymore to discover new talent. It's all right there in front of you. It's give the power back to the artists who can build their own fan base without having permission from a record company or a movie studio to do so.

Having realized the potential the internet offers a no-budget film like "Running Funny," I intend to follow where the market is going (online) and I hope to bring the film to as many different people as possible. Stay tuned!

-Anthony

I'm Back!

I know it's been a while since my last blog, but I've made a new year's resolution to post more regularly and I intend to keep it. Over the last two months I've been focusing on other projects while waiting to hear back from a few festivals, which is why I didn't keep up the blog.

I shot a short film called "Skeeball" with Gene Gallerano that I am beginning to edit now. I'm hoping to have it finished within the next two to three weeks. I'm working with a new editor, Dan Solel, and I think the film is going to turn out really well. Gene and I have also been writing a feature film screenplay together. It's about an estranged father and son who find themselves on a road trip together. It's essentially about two strangers who try to reconnect and I'm really excited about it. If all goes according to plan I'll be shooting that with Gene in the starring role sometime in the next year, so keep your fingers crossed!

I plan to continue the "Running Funny College Tour" this semester with tentative screenings at Syracuse University and George Washington University. Running Funny will also be screening at the Contemporary Arts Center in Princeton, NJ on March 14th. Stay tuned for more information about upcoming screenings.

Also, look for an article about Charles Evered in the new issue of New Jersey Life on newsstands January 15th.

My other new year's resolution is to finally learn to play the guitar. I intend to keep that one too.

-Anthony