Sunday Drivers

Sunday Drivers is a 2002 documentary film about competitive paintball, produced by Bryon Benini and Patrick Spohrer through Division One Productions. It is the follow-up to their earlier documentary, Push (2000).[1]

The film documents tournament paintball during the early 2000s, combining match footage, player interviews, music and scenes from the professional and amateur tournament circuits. It premiered during the 2002 Paintball World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida.[1]

The documentary has a running time of approximately 64 minutes and includes an introduction by former professional player and commentator Matty Marshall.[2]

Production

Sunday Drivers was the second paintball documentary produced by Bryon Benini and Patrick Spohrer.

Their first collaboration, Push, followed professional teams during the 1999 and 2000 tournament seasons and was noted for its combination of tournament footage, interviews, music and behind-the-scenes material.

According to contemporary WARPIG reporting, Spohrer developed Sunday Drivers in response to feedback received about the earlier film.

The production placed greater emphasis on tournament action and reduced the proportion of player interviews.

During production, the project was informally referred to as Push 2: Electric Boogaloo, although it was ultimately released under the title Sunday Drivers.[1]

The film also incorporated archival material concerning the early Ironmen, connecting the tournament scene of the early 2000s with the preceding period of professional paintball.[1]

Premiere and release

Sunday Drivers premiered on Wednesday evening during the 2002 NPPL World Cup, held from 19 to 27 October in Kissimmee, Florida.

The screening took place at Sun On The Beach, an entertainment venue in the Old Town district that was a popular gathering place for tournament participants.

A large indoor screen displayed the film to spectators on the dance floor and at the bar, while a second screen was positioned for viewers gathered outside.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage reported that the screening attracted a large audience and concluded with enthusiastic applause.

Approximately 500 advance copies were made available during the World Cup, with wider distribution planned shortly afterwards.[1]

Soundtrack

Music formed an important part of Sunday Drivers, continuing the editing style established in Push.

The soundtrack included punk rock, post-hardcore and alternative rock recordings.

A 2003 discussion on the paintball forum PbNation preserved a 14-song list associated with the film. In February 2006, a contributor posting under the name MonkeyWithaGun and signing his message as Patrick supplied a nine-track list, confirming several of the earlier identifications.[3][4]

The following table reproduces the 14-song list recorded in June 2003, with standardised artist spellings where identifiable.

No.	Song	Artist
1	Blind Date	Refused
2	Forget This Space	Miighty Flashlight
3	Ten	As Friends Rust
4	Calm Americans	Elliott
5	Argument	Fugazi
6	Son of Steve McQueen	Favez
7	Stronger	Sunday Driver
8	Simple Scenery	Sunday Driver
9	On the Wall	Secrets of Levitation
10	Installment Plan	Milemaker
11	Someday All This Will Be Mine	Favez
12	1.21 Gigawatts	The Break
13	Summer Lanes	Sunday Driver
14	The Meaning of Regret	The Break

The table is based on a contemporary community transcription rather than a verified transcription of the film's end credits. The 2003 list abbreviates Miighty Flashlight as "Mighty Flash" and spells Elliott as "Elliot".

The nine recordings subsequently identified in the 2006 discussion were those by Refused, As Friends Rust, Favez, Sunday Driver and The Break.[4]

The soundtrack became a subject of discussion among tournament players, with forum users exchanging information about the recordings and their availability.

Reception and legacy

Sunday Drivers was released during a period when dedicated paintball films were becoming an established part of tournament culture.

Its combination of match footage, music and player interviews followed the documentary approach introduced by Push.

Contemporary WARPIG reporting described the film's premiere as well received and noted its emphasis on tournament action and the history of the Ironmen.[1]

Following Sunday Drivers, Patrick Spohrer established Monkey With a Gun Productions with his wife Bonnie.

The company subsequently produced paintball documentaries including Cereal Killerz (2004) and Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story (2007).[5]

Sunday Drivers has subsequently been made available through Major League Paintball PLUS as part of its collection of historical paintball documentaries.

The streaming version runs for approximately 64 minutes and 27 seconds.[2]

References

External links