"The Stakes" will premiere on Thursday, July 12th!!

"The Stakes" has been officially selected to be a part of Cinema St. Louis' "2012 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase" on July 7-12th at The Tivoli Theatre in University City, MO. It will premiere on Thursday, July 12th before the closing night feature film, "Fatal Call" directed by Jack Snyder!

This is a HUGE accomplishment for everyone involved, especially being that over 120 films were submitted and we were one of the few who were chosen! Here is some info about the Festival:

"The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (SLFS), an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. SLFS screens works that were written, directed, edited or produced by St. Louis natives or those with strong local ties. The 2012 Showcase programs will screen at the Tivoli from July 7-12. The programs range from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Many programs include post-screening Q&As with filmmakers."

Showtimes and ticket sales will be announced shortly, so stay tuned and be prepared to get them fast!

For more info visit: Cinema St. Louis

Here's another look at "The Stakes," starring Joshua Thomas, Maurice Walters II, John Lewis, Keith Nussbaum and Aleh Neliubin.

-P

The end of the world comes early... in "Oblivious"

Maybe you've heard about this, but the world is supposed to end this year. You know, December 21st?

Well, what if that day came early? (and I'm not talking John Cusack's floating arc, Woody Harrelson hippie style).

"Oblivious" is the first short film written and directed by "The Stakes'" Executive Producer, Joshua McNew. It tells the story of Charley, a normal guy who wakes up to the greatest day of his life, only it's actually the LAST day of his life.

Created as a short student film for the University of Missouri - St. Louis, the film reunited much of the crew from "The Stakes," except on a much more intimate scale. In lieu of having some who actually knew what they were doing, I served as Director of Photography, but also had the pleasure of cutting together the final draft of the film. My good friend Charlie Springhart plays the main role of "Charley" (Which was a total coincidence, and not written out of laziness). He was naturally the only person who could play this part after I first read the script, and without fail, nailed the part during the shoot, completely embodying the innocence and humor of Charley's "Best Day Ever."

Enjoy and make sure to leave your comments below!

-P

"The Stakes" gets it's first piece of press...

University of Missouri - St. Louis' online news magazine "The Current" has released the first piece of press about my upcoming film, "The Stakes." UMSL was a huge part of bringing this production to life and its only fitting that our first piece of promotion come in its campus newspaper. 

In the article, you will find quotes by Producer - Joshua McNew, Actors - Joshua Thomas and Maurice Walters II and of course, yours truly.

The film is nearing completion, with the finalized musical score being finished just this week! Within the next two weeks it will be out the door and hopefully in the hands of Cinema St. Louis and those responsible for getting it into the St. Louis film festivals this Summer/Fall.

In other news, McNew and myself will be teaming up again this weekend to film his short student project, "Oblivious." While Joshua will be taking up the reigns as Director, I will be stepping in as Director of Photography, which is something I have never officially done before on anything other than my music videos. I am happy to add this credit to my resume, and am even happier to see this short comedy come to life.

You can read the article above online at The Current

Keep watching!

-P

"The Stakes" Trailer - Finally Released!

Officially coming out THIS SUMMER, "The Stakes" will be hitting the big screen in a big way!
In the mean time check out the official trailer and ask yourself... "Are you willing to go ALL IN?"
-P

Russian Roulette, Rabbits, Motorcycles and Mardi Gras...

I'm talking bout my February so far kids. Its been crazy.

I had a slow January, which allowed me to focus on Post-Production on The Stakes (formerly "The Game"). We filmed over January 7-8th and I quickly jumped into editing the film over the next three weeks. After finishing the initial edit, the film is currently going through the sound process (music and foley). A trailer is almost finished and should be on the web within a week's time. Just as a reminder, the film will not be released online. In order to see it, you will have to physically leave the comfort of your home, cubicle, bathroom, etc and head to a local showing or film festival to see it. Which I hope you will, cause it's pretty damn good and it would mean a lot to moi.

This month, I have had a new project every weekend. Shooting a web promo for Ritter Cycle Racing in St. Jacob, IL, a look in the studio of CeCe's first original recording and a trip down to Mardi Gras to film a promo for the cover band, Queen's Blvd. All of that leads into this weekend, when I will be travelling to Decatur, IL to film my first music video since October, with R&B singer D-Willz.

With more projects on the horizon, spring is looking to fill up quickly! So if you are interested in any kind of video work, please DO NOT HESITATE to contact me at Patrick.Slusser@me.com.

Depending on your budget, we can now film your project in 4K (and above) resolution on RED, or in 1080p on DSLR. Feel free to ask for price quotes.

-P