- PRESS KIT - North American Distributor: Producer: Avi Federgreen O. Corbin Saleken IndieCan Entertainment Inc. Silent Ibis Entertainment Inc. [email protected] [email protected] 416-898-3456 604-783-7633 Patterson’s Wager LOGLINE A man discovers that he has the unpredictable ability to see two minutes into the future. SHORT SYNOPSIS One moment Charles (Fred Ewanuick) is alone in his living room, the next moment there’s rain and thunder and lightning, then a branch suddenly materializes out of nowhere and crashes to the floor in front of him. Then it all just disappears, just like that, leaving no trace behind. Before he’s able to process the bizarre event, it starts raining outside, only this time for real. Then there’s a huge crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning suddenly shoots down and hits a tree across the street and a branch breaks off and falls to the ground. Is Charles losing his mind? Was it all just a really strong case of déjà vu, as Audrey (Chelah Horsdal), his girlfriend, later suggests? Or could it be that maybe, just maybe, he’s developed the unpredictable ability to see two minutes into the future? LONG SYNOPSIS One moment Charles (Fred Ewanuick) is alone in his living room, down on one knee practicing his proposal, the next moment there’s rain and thunder and lightning, then a branch suddenly materializes out of nowhere and crashes to the floor in front of him. Then it all just disappears, just like that, leaving no trace behind. Before he’s able to process the bizarre event, it starts raining outside, only this time for real. Then there’s a huge crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning suddenly shoots down and hits a tree across the street and a branch breaks off and falls to the ground. The next morning, Charles tells Audrey (Chelah Horsdal), his girlfriend, about what happened. He’s distraught at the possibility that he might have hallucinated, and that the hallucination could have dire medical implications. That the “vision” ended up coming true makes the whole thing even more confusing. Audrey tries to reassure him, and suggests that maybe he was just having a really strong case of déjà vu. Charles is adamant that this wasn’t the case. that it was a lot more real than any déjà vu he’d ever experienced before. Since they both aren’t willing to call it a supernatural premonition, neither has a valid explanation for what happened. Troubled by both his inexplicable experience and his indecision about how and when and if he should propose to Audrey, Charles returns to his job as an auto insurance adjuster – a position in which he is constantly required to assess the truthfulness of the people with whom he talks. Madeline (Gillian Barber), his co-worker, notices that something’s not right, and she asks if there’s anything she can do to help. Though he doesn’t tell her about his “vision,” Charles does tell her that he’s thinking of proposing to his girlfriend. She offers him some advice, and tells him not to worry too much about it, that he’ll know when it’s the right time. Two weeks pass without further incident. Charles is still anxious about his “condition,” but Audrey manages to convince him that it was a one-off event. Unfortunately, his relief is short-lived. On the way home from dinner, the couple pulls into a parking lot and Charles proceeds to have another vision. This time, however, it would appear that Charles can not only maybe see two minutes in the future, he might also be able to change it. PRINCIPAL CAST Charles Fred Ewanuick Audrey Chelah Horsdal Otter’s Dad Alex Zahara Otter Michelle Creber Otter’s Mum Anne Openshaw Otter’s Grandpa Garry Chalk Madeline Gillian Barber Otter’s Great, Great Grandpa Daniel Jeffery Calvin Andrew Gillingham Dr. Collins Tom McBeath PRINCIPAL CREW writer, director, producer, and editor O. Corbin Saleken co-producer and casting Alex Zahara directors of photography Nelson Talbot & Graham Talbot production designer Rebecca Sjonger costume designer Nataliya Fedulova location sound mixer Anton Thomas key hair and makeup Joyce Tu computer effects artist Kial Natale DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT At its core, Patterson’s Wager is about trust and faith and belief, notions in which I’ve always been interested. Throughout the film, people tell each other stories. In each of these instances, the receivers of these stories – whether it be, say, Charles (Fred Ewanuick) the auto insurance adjuster listening to the story of how a squirrel supposedly caused a driver to crash their car, or Charles’ girlfriend Audrey (Chelah Horsdal) listening to Charles tell her about the supernatural event he seemingly experienced – must decide whether or not they should believe the storytellers. We are all of us constantly placed in similar situations every day of our lives. How do we determine if we can trust someone? Must it ultimately be a matter of faith? Maybe we choose to believe a given story simply because we want it to be true? The film’s screenplay was the product of a number of bits and pieces that I’d been mulling over for quite a while. The main story – of a man who discovers that he can see two minutes into the future – was based on a short story that I wrote several years ago. When I decided to translate and expand the short story into script form, I just started pulling a whole bunch of seemingly disparate ideas into what would eventually become Patterson’s Wager, my first feature film. I’ve written several feature-length scripts over the years, but it always seemed like an impossible feat to actually get one of them made. I had no idea where I could find potential investors, or how I’d convince a funding body to give me the necessary resources. In the end, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life talking about the movies I was never going to make, so I decided to dip (heavily) into my savings and fund the project myself. My intent with Patterson’s Wager was to make an entertaining, thoughtful, heart-felt, funny, unique movie. Thanks to a remarkably good cast of actors and a talented, dedicated crew, I believe we managed to achieve this. I honestly could not be happier with the final result. STILLS Audrey (Chelah Horsdal) and Charles (Fred Ewanuick) spend time together. Charles (Fred Ewanuick) and Audrey (Chelah Horsdal) toast to no more visions. Another day at the office for Charles (Fred Ewanuick). Audrey (Chelah Horsdal) asks a question. Otter’s Dad (Alex Zahara) and Grandpa (Garry Chalk) tell Otter (Michelle Creber) the family secret. Otter’s Mum (Anne Openshaw) and Otter (Michelle Creber) have a conversation about trust. The Patterson’s Wager crew dollies with Michelle Creber. Fred Ewanuick, writer/director O. Corbin Saleken, and Directors of Photography Nelson and Graham Talbot review a shot. The Patterson’s Wager crew prepares to film at Jolly’s Indian Bistro The Patterson’s Wager crew films a scene with Daniel Jeffery. FILM FESTIVALS AND AWARDS Winnipeg Real to Reel Film Festival (February 17-22, 2015) - Best Independent Feature Narrative Big Island Film Festival (May 21-25, 2015) - Best Foreign Feature Columbia Gorge International Film Festival (August 6-16, 2015) - Special Jury Prize for Feature Narrative Muskoka Independent Film Festival (August 27-30, 2015) Oregon Independent Film Festival (September 21-28, 2015) - Best Picture, Best Actress (Chelah Horsdal), and Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Creber) Boise Film Festival (September 25-27, 2015) Gig Harbor Film Festival (October 15-18, 2015) Whistler Film Festival (December 2-6, 2015) Trail Dance Film Festival (January 29-30, 2016) - nominated for Best Feature Narrative Spokane International Film Festival (January 29-February 6, 2016) - Best Feature Twister Alley Film Festival (May 5-7, 2016) PRODUCTION INFORMATION Patterson’s Wager is the first feature film by O. Corbin Saleken. In addition to writing, directing, producing, and editing (both picture and sound) the film, Corbin also funded the entire project himself. The low budget brought with it some challenges, to be sure, but through a mixture of creativity, perseverance, and old-fashioned good manners (ie, being polite to the people from whom you’re requesting something), a solution was eventually found to every problem that arose. To illustrate just one of the many production hurdles that was successfully overcome, a key location in the script was a casino. Gaining access to a casino is difficult for even big-budget studio productions, so the idea that a low budget, independent movie might somehow be permitted to film in such an establishment seemed far-fetched. But, given that the script involved someone who could see two minutes into the future, there was just no way around the fact that certain scenes had to be set in a casino. At first, the filmmakers toyed with the idea of faking it. If they rented some tables and slot machines and put them in a sound stage and shot it in such a way, maybe they could get away with it. Ultimately, though, they knew this wouldn’t work. This was a key set piece in the movie, and anything less than an actual casino would be unconvincing. They had no choice but to try and convince someone to let them use the real deal. Miraculously, Chances Casino in nearby Squamish permitted the production to film in their facilities during their off hours for a very affordable price. After persuading several extras to come out on a Monday night and populate the set until 4 AM, after trucking in a roulette table and three blackjack tables (because this particular casino only had gaming machines), and after obtaining permission from all of the gaming machine manufacturers to actually show their products on screen, they managed to get all of the gambling footage for which the script called.