Patrick Spohrer

Patrick Spohrer is a paintball filmmaker, producer, cinematographer and former tournament player. He is best known for co-producing Push (2000) with Bryon Benini and directing subsequent paintball documentaries including Sunday Drivers, Cereal Killerz and Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story.[1][2]

Spohrer co-founded Monkey With a Gun Productions, which produced professional paintball documentaries and later provided live tournament broadcasting for Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP).[3]

Early involvement in paintball

Spohrer worked as a filmmaker specialising in surfing and skiing before becoming involved in tournament paintball during the late 1990s.

He offered production of a team documentary as a prize at a local paintball tournament. The winning team, The Family, subsequently invited him to play alongside its members.

Spohrer joined the team and competed at tournaments across the United States alongside Frank, Susan, Keely and Ryan Watson.[1]

His experience filming action sports influenced his approach to documenting paintball, combining conventional video with motion picture film, music and footage of players away from competition.[1]

Film career

Push

Spohrer collaborated with professional Ironmen player Bryon Benini to produce Push, a documentary following leading professional tournament teams.

Filming began during practice sessions preceding the 1999 Paintball World Cup and continued through the 2000 season.

The production featured teams including the Southern California Ironmen, Avalanche, Chicago Aftershock and Image.

An unfinished version was screened at the 2000 NPPL Chicago Open in June. Contemporary WARPIG reporting described the screening as well attended, with spectators responding positively to the documentary's combination of tournament action and player interviews.[4]

The completed film premiered during the 2000 Paintball World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida.

Push was produced through Division One Productions, the company established by Spohrer and Benini.[2]

Sunday Drivers

Spohrer and Benini subsequently produced Sunday Drivers, their second paintball documentary.

The film premiered during the 2002 Paintball World Cup, with a screening organised at the Sun On The Beach entertainment venue in Kissimmee.

According to contemporary WARPIG reporting, Spohrer explained that the production incorporated audience feedback from Push, placing greater emphasis on tournament action and reducing the amount of interview material.[5]

Sunday Drivers subsequently became available on DVD and through digital streaming services.

Monkey With a Gun Productions

Following his work with Division One Productions, Spohrer established Monkey With a Gun Productions with his wife Bonnie.

The company specialised in paintball films, combining Spohrer's cinematography and production experience with Bonnie's background in sales and marketing.[3]

Its first major release was Cereal Killerz, a documentary examining the lives and competitive careers of prominent professional paintball players.

The film premiered during the 2004 NPPL Commander's Cup in San Diego, California.

The screening took place at the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas and attracted an audience of more than 400 people.

WARPIG's contemporary tournament report identified Spohrer as the filmmaker behind the project and documented his use of motion picture film alongside video footage.[6]

Heroes for a Day

In 2007, Spohrer released Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story, a documentary following the professional team XSV.

The film documented the team's development following its establishment by former Ironmen and other professional players.

Production took approximately three years and followed the team through practices, tournaments and events away from competition.

Featured players included Rich Telford, Nicky Cuba, Matty Marshall, Micah McGlocklin, Davey Williamson and Thomas Taylor.

The screenplay was co-written by Matty Marshall.

WARPIG's contemporary review described the documentary's combination of tournament action, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, including the team's efforts to win a major professional championship.[1]

Cereal Killerz 2

Spohrer subsequently directed Cereal Killerz 2, the follow-up to the original player-profile documentary.

The film premiered during the 2009 PSP Paintball World Cup.

It featured professional players including Ryan Greenspan, Angel Fragoza, Travis Lemanski, Konstantin Fedorov, Brian Fow and Thomas Taylor.

The production used high-speed cameras recording at approximately 500 frames per second to create slow-motion sequences of tournament action.[7]

Tournament broadcasting

Spohrer expanded Monkey With a Gun Productions into live professional paintball broadcasting during the late 2000s.

At the 2008 PSP World Cup, the company produced a live webcast covering professional NXL competition.

The broadcast used six cameras, live scoring graphics, footage from the tournament pits and interviews with players and equipment manufacturers.

Matty Marshall served as commentator.

Coverage was distributed online through a combination of free viewing and paid access, while live feeds were also shown around the tournament trade-show area.[8]

Monkey With a Gun subsequently produced further live tournament broadcasts for PSP events.[7]

Filmography

Year	Production	Documented involvement
2000	Push	Co-producer with Bryon Benini
2002	Sunday Drivers	Co-producer with Bryon Benini
2004	Cereal Killerz	Director and producer through Monkey With a Gun
2007	Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story	Director and producer
2009	Cereal Killerz 2	Director and producer

Legacy

Spohrer's films contributed to the development of documentary-style paintball media during the early 2000s.

His productions combined professional tournament footage with interviews, music, player biographies and scenes showing the lives of competitors away from the field.

The approach differed from conventional tournament highlight videos, which generally concentrated on match footage.

Contemporary WARPIG reviews credited Push with establishing a new standard for paintball filmmaking and identified Spohrer's later productions as developments of that approach.[1][5]

His transition into live broadcasting also contributed to the presentation of professional X-Ball competition through multi-camera streaming coverage.[8]

The Monkey With a Gun documentary catalogue, including Push, Sunday Drivers, Cereal Killerz and Heroes for a Day, has subsequently been made available through Major League Paintball PLUS.[9]

References

External links