Introducing St. Louis' newest country sensation: Ashley Lusk!

Back in January, I had the privilege of working on the set of the first music video for teenage country artist, Ashley Lusk for her debut single: "Crazy For You." Produced by Tony Esterly and Luke Arens at Shock City Studios in St. Louis, MO, the song is a country/pop hybrid in the vein of Taylor Swift that emotes the kind of puppy dog love you can only find in middle school.

And that's exactly where we shot the video! Working with the amazing crew at Lamplight Films, the video was filmed enitrely in one day at LaSalle Springs Middle School, outside of Eureka, MO (about 30 mins West of St. Louis). The man behind the camera, was also the one calling the shots... Cinematographer, Chris Benson served as director, while Esterly and Arens moved out of the recording studio to help keep things organized on set. 

Being both a Director and Editor, this was a unique experience for me. I knew in advance that I wuld be editing the final product, so to actually be on set while the video was filming was a rare occurance, that I usually only have when it is one of my own productions. The ability to see the storyline unfolding during production allowed me to piece shots together in advance, and when it came time to cut... the edit was that much easier because of it. I sat down a few weeks later to begin the first draft of the video, and after a marathon 48 hours, I was convinced that I had it in the bag.

Its is extremely rare that a first cut is the one that sticks, but in the case of "Crazy For You" it was damn near close. The first showing to the Director and Producers was extremely well received, with very few changes needing to be made. And after another day of editing, the video was finalized - one of the fastest edits/approvals that I have experienced thus far in my career. 

On Tuesday, May 28th, the video premiered with a Release Party held at Shock City Studios, where the original track was recorded. In attendance were Ashley's family and friends, as well as industry professionals and members of the film crew (myself included). It was a true pleasure to be a part of this production, and I hope we get another chance soon on Ashley's next big single!

Thanks for viewing!

-P