“The Anniversary” Trailer

John Campea 94 Comments

Hey there guys. As most of you know for the last year I’ve been working on my first feature length comedy called “The Anniversary”. I want to thank all of you for your amazing support and encouragement as I embarked on this project in which I had no idea what the hell I was doing. But with the help of some fantastic people we actually pulled it off.

This is not the “OFFICIAL” trailer (there is a green band one coming in the near future) but it does give you the first look at the movie:

“The Anniversary” Trailer from campea on Vimeo.

More information of the film can be found at www.the-anniversary.com

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94 thoughts on ““The Anniversary” Trailer”

  1. This is a little late, but I happened to be looking through the archives…

    First let me say this: I applaud the fact that this was made and for so cheap. Congrats. I’m still young but I’m going to be a filmmaker one day, and films like this give me hope that a good looking film can be made on a shoestring budget.

    However, I’d have to agree with RansomBetty, who seems to be the only honest person in here. When you make your first film, it could catapult your career, or effectively kill your dreams. If you’re going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on such a risk, you should probably make it fairly different than the norm. Put all of your heart into it. Put all of your passion into it. Put some balls into it. If you can, stir up some controversy. There’s no better way to get your name out there than inciting some controversy. I know John is a helluva passionate guy, and I can tell he could knock out an incredible film if he wanted to, so why didn’t he?

    In the end, a boring film made for 50 grand is no different than a boring film made for 5 million.

  3. Great trailer, John. Like some others have mentioned, I got a Kevin Smith vibe from this. Congratulations on completing a film and I hope I will eventually get to see “The Anniversary” in my part of the world :)

  4. John,

    Just one question. How many frames per second (FPS) was this film shot at? The cinematography looks pretty good (especially during the outside shots) but it looks like an infomercial at times. Do you know what lenses your DP used? Hopefully only the trailer looks like this. I’m not saying that the film looks like shit because it doesn’t. I’m just confused because wasn’t this shot on the RED 4K camera?

    1. It’s because the DP wasn’t top-notch stuff. Most of these scenes look over or under lit, and the infomercialness comes from poor framing. But for 50k John did a pretty good job of getting real actors and putting together a professional looking film. A few lines in there made me cringe — the bit about damaged things deserving love — but overall looks good.

  5. wow on second reading, that sounded so condescending.

    Really didn’t mean it like that.

    I myself am applying for filmschool this year so it was meant as a compliment to a fellow aspiring filmmaker.

  6. Looks good John.
    Your movie looks to be just as good as a movie that someone made for their filmschool graduation.
    And you have not gone to filmschool I gather :)
    So there is def. a filmmaker in you.
    Hope you make something of yourself.

    Loved your documentary. You gathered some very good interviews, and had me glued to the seat the entire time.

    Hope you keep bettering your craft, and there will be no stopping you.

  12. Like the trailer. Found the dialogue tracks to be a bit low compared to your music track. Look forward to seeing the green band trailer and eventually the film itself.

  13. I only laughed at the blind date part, which gives me some hope. I really hope it turns out well, a bit to many fucks in my opinion, you have to have some shits in there and mix it up.

    However the tagline is just awful. Obvious might work sometimes but try having a clever tagline.

  14. Cool trailer John, looks like you got something on your hands there! The main actor reminded me of Peter from “Office Space” with a bit of Jason Lee mixed in. I don’t know if the film is done but if i may suggest, can you mess around with the contrast a bit, because the colors look soft/faded a bit. Either way, good job man! You do need a new poster though, hint hint :D

  15. the critical side of me says this is an attempt to break into the industry the same way Kevin Smith did, drawing upon the same things that that made Clerks appealing- except that Clerks was fresh in 1994, and now this kind of movie is everywhere in the mainstream (Judd Apatow productions, etc.) The acting and cinematagraphy looks below average, and there was little use of visual storytelling. The script focuses on the dialog, not the visual storytelling and that mostly works if you have characters that are interesting to watch, and the guy that talked about circle jerking was the only one that seemed like an interesting character. The protagonist wasn’t unique at all. The DP didn’t create much depth in the shots used in the trailer to create a visual that felt warm and inviting and the color scheme seemed inconsistent. With that said, I am a sucker for this kind of comedy, so I will watch for it.

    The realistic side of me says, congratz for making a film! It’s hard work to make a movie, especially for 50k. Not many people have done what you have now done. That’s a huge deal! I am impressed that you not only tried, but that you succeeded. I only give my criticism because I think you can learn from it and continue to become a better filmmaker. Granted, my criticisms are only an observation based on watching the trailer, but my biggest remark would be that I know how difficult filmmaking is, and the fact that you have the moxy to complete this, this is a stellar first effort and just the fact that you have completed this shows me that you can become a great filmmaker if you keep learning along the way.

    Good job!

    1. The song is “Coastlines are Landmines” by The Light Footwork (thelightfootwork.com).

      I met Jay in 2003 when I shot my tour documentary about the band Beulah (“A Good Band is Easy to Kill”). He was a roadie for the band at the time.

  22. It looks just alright, but as someone who’s seen his friends put out their own little indie movies, I can say that this is damn impressive by comparison for a first shot at narrative. Nice work, Campea. Not great, but nice.

  28. “Ever where I go I am constantly reminded that the fact that I am alone. It’s like if your in your thirties and single, you are either gay or there something wrong with you.” This quote is kind of the story of my life right now. I am not quite 30, I am only 23 but I have had this exact thought process. So, I hope I get a chance to see.

  30. I’m not going to tell you it’s great, because it isn’t, despite how many of the people here believe it is. Is that expected from someone with little experience in feature filmmaking? Yes, and that’s okay. The Anniversary is somewhat your film school, as I see it, a way for you to get your feet wet so you feel comfortable behind the camera from now on. This is not on the same level as Reservoir Dogs, by any means, but it does make me anticipate your future in the film industry. I applaud you for what you’ve done, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Besides, someone who can make a film like this on a budget of $50,000 is someone to be admired.

    Also, I mentioned the trailer on my blog. I pray that is not a problem.

  35. Fantastic work John. You’re an inspiration to all us normal schumucks aspiring to make a movie. Way to go, it looks great. I really can’t wait to see it.

  37. I’m not so much looking forward to seeing the movie again (I saw a sneak of it in Hamilton) as much as I am to watching the discussion of the film here when people have had a chance to view it. Might just end up being one of the most fascinating topics ever on this site.

  38. Looks fucking awesome. Also looks hilarious as well. That whole slap part cracked me up, as well as the delusional woman with two daughters. Hope it does well John. If it played near me I’d definitely check it out. Looks like a fun Friday night movie.

  39. I do agree from seeing this trailer that the movie has a Kevin Smith sensibility to it, but Zack and Miri Make a Porno wasn’t good and I’m not expecting The Anniversary to turn any heads either.

  40. I want to see this movie now. It’s funny and is about certain topics that me and others relate with. I also agree about the comment made earlier that it reminds me of a kevin smith film. I laughed at the part with the womans the kid that calls him “new daddy”.

  41. Is everybody who posts on this site high? This movie looks like a typical “romcom”, nothing really special or original. I feel good that John actually accomplished making his movie but in all honesty everybody saying how great this looks is just stroking his ego. There are at least a dozen of these types of films that come out every year! What makes this one any different other than the fact it was directed by John Campea? I’m not being disrespectful or trying to be a dickhead just expressing my initial reaction to the trailer. Hopefully my initial reaction is wrong and this movie turns out to be great.

    1. @RansomBetty “Is everybody who posts on this site high? This movie looks like a typical “romcom”, nothing really special or original. I feel good that John actually accomplished making his movie but in all honesty everybody saying how great this looks is just stroking his ego. There are at least a dozen of these types of films that come out every year! What makes this one any different other than the fact it was directed by John Campea?”

      The difference is that all those other films you mention were made for $50 million dollars with movie stars by big studios using the best crew, locations, people, equipment that money can buy.

      This was made by a guy who says he doesn’t know “what the hell” he was doing for $50 thousand dollars. If he can do that and make it look like just another one of those movies you talked about, then I for one find that pretty fucking impressive. And if you think that means I’m just stroking the guy’s ego, then so be it.

    2. Ron’s correct. It certainly doesn’t scream blockbuster to me but first film on a micro budget… pretty damn good. We’re looking at doing some viral video and I’ve been given quotes for 100k+… for a series of 2-3min videos.

    3. I got agree the premise is not original but John said he was making a fun comedy and to hope to get his name out there.

      and Ron John does no what he is doing he is just not trying to show off his ego which I respect but you don’t cast actors who have done this before and invest money, time and energy when you don’t know what the hell your doing.

      And yes I mentioned in a early comment that this budget does not show it looks like he put more than 50 k into it.

  44. Really enjoyed the trailer, i thought it looked very natural and relaxed and great one liners. loved it. Hopefully be able to go and see it, she’s always wanting to watch those daft romantic comedies and its driving me insane. Nice to see a comedy aimed at a mature audience :)

  54. Adorable!! I have to say, I smiled and giggled throughout the trailer and am so proud of you. You were great to work with and I can’t wait to see the whole film. Hope to see you soon when I get back from New Zealand. xoxo, Erin

  55. C’mon, catering the crew doesn’t cost *that* much. Little Caesar’s 5 buck pizzas? Dollar menus?

    BTW, as previously stated in the earlier post where John posted the trailer for 10 minutes then pulled it….the “new daddy!” line is hysterical.

  56. It actually seemed really professional and almost like a real hollywood movie.
    Except the part where Manolis punches Jason. That moment seemed a little amateur(not that I could do better). But everything else seemed really top notch.

  59. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you at one point say that this was made for like $30 grand? I’d EASILY say this was like a 1 or 2 million low budget feature. How the fuck did you pull this off for $30 grand? It looks really impressive if that’s true.

    1. I would say at least 300 grand their is no way you would shoot on the Red pay all the actors and crew and pay for distribution for 30 grand not possible. Oh and cater it.

    3. Jesus Christ John… thats the most impressive thing Ive heard… you said that you got a lot of equipment help from good friends right? Either way 50k is damn cheap for the actual look you have… looks decent laughed a couple of times… good luck hope its a success

  66. Holy shit john, this actually looks pretty good! Good like in a Kevin Smith pre mainstream way- kinda reminds me of chasing amy, with a little bit of cheesiness, but with a bunch of good jokes and a realistic storytelling tone.

    Kevin Smith said about his movies that a lot of the stuff in his movies is what him and his friends just sit around and talk about, this kind of reminds me of that, but in a good way.

  69. This looks very promising. The dialogs in the trailer are great ,hope the movie will be all like that, a future classic like “Clerks”. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, and I hope to get to se it in Croatia ;)

  70. Ok I don’t know what to say. To be brutally honest, I was expecting pure shit. I like you and everything, but I wasn’t expecting anything worth watching. But man, I laughed out loud 3 times. I think the trailer looked great. At least a lot better than I was expecting. Well done sir.

  71. John that was awesome . I’m watching it again. that was just incredible man. With a trailer like that it might do some good business. Maybe? It’s possible. Lol that in your 30’s gay line was hilarious!

  73. Acting looks below avg, not that i was expecting oscar material, but IN REALITY, it doesn’t look legit, acting wise, however seems really funny and idealistic

  76. loved some of the moments at the end of the trailer. The whole in movies they slap thing was great. Hope the film does well. Any ideas on when we’ll get a chance to see a final product?

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