SAN FRANCISCO—Raging Stallion Studios directors Chris Ward, Ben Leon and Tony Dimarco are proud of their latest big-budget release, Focus/ReFocus, which hit the streets over Thanksgiving weekend. Although the studio traditionally bows its biggest project of the year at Thanksgiving, the new title is the biggest effort yet, they said.
“This year we are really excited to release Focus/ReFocus, which is going to be bigger than Grunts (2007) and To the Last Man (2008) combined,” RSS President Ward said. “Quite simply, this is the most ambitious movie we have ever made. On To the Last Man we spent 12 days shooting. On Focus/ReFocus, we spent almost 30 days shooting.”
The extensive footage resulted in a five-disc set that includes an extended “making-of” documentary by Andrew Rosen. Getting into Focus is a revealing study of how major movies are made in the porn industry, complete with performer and director interviews and fly-on-the-wall looks at production meetings. A second documentary comprises a video diary of the entire Focus/ReFocus shoot. Other bonus features include solos from Steve Cruz and Mitchell Rock, hours of unedited POV footage and trailers for other RSS titles.
Ward was impressed with the sex in the movie, too—which is no small feat for someone who has watched as much sex as he has. The two-part epic contains more than a dozen hardcore scenes that consume more than six hours.
“The Sex in Focus/ReFocus is the best action we have ever filmed—made even more interesting by the extensive use of innovative POV footage,” he said. “The plot of the movie centers around a guy who loves to film himself—and others—having sex. We gave the actors a camera and used much of their footage in the movie. Obviously we shot with our regular style as well, but this POV footage adds an element of reality to the scenes that is not only a current trend on the internet, but also makes it seem like you are actually there in the room in real time watching amazing fucking.”
Focus/ReFocus takes place at the intersection of Danger and Desire, according to promotional materials. The concept is all old-style Hollywood Film Noir as the camera tracks Joe Wilder on a sexual adventure that ends in a startling and unexpected way.
Not a day goes by without porn in Wilder’s world. Inspired by his insatiable appetite, Wilder buys a video camera. He just wants to capture the passion and lust he experiences during sex with his boyfriend and share it with the world. As both exhibitionist and voyeur, Wilder knows how hot he is, and he knows that Eddie, his boyfriend, is big-time porn star material.
Wilder is ecstatic about the number of comments his first web-posted video clip receives. His ego takes control. But Eddie, whose cock is now all over the internet, is not quite as pleased. Eddie’s dark and dangerous past gives him good reason to avoid publicity, and the last thing he wants is to have his private life become the object of public scrutiny.
Still Wilder’s obsession grows, consuming his days and nights. He follows couples and seeks out sex in whatever form he can find it. With a video camera in his hand, he turns the world into his own porn studio, and with each encounter he moves further away from reality: from peeping Tom to stalker to edge player in a few short weeks. He finds his biggest thrills in danger.
As the ongoing conflict with Eddie drives the boyfriends apart, Wilder focuses more and more on his obsession with porn star Dario Stefano. A dream comes true when Wilder is invited to film a five-man orgy that includes Stefano and a collection of “A Gays” in a beautiful mansion in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights. Just as Wilder thinks his life can’t get any better, things quickly become more complicated than he ever imagined. A clip never meant for public consumption is leaked onto the web, and heads literally begin to roll. All of the dead men appeared in the leaked clip—and Stefano may be next on the killer’s list.
The story was not easy to cast or film, Ward said. Like To the Last Man and Grunts, Focus/ReFocus required some serious acting chops.
“The cast of actors is about as good as it gets: award-winning superstars and new actors combine to make this the movie event of the year,” he said.
Two new RSS exclusives play the lead roles: Cole Streets embodies Wilder, and current Raging Stallion Man of the Year David Taylor portrays Eddie, who is as mysterious as he is sexy. Steve Cruz, Bruno Bond, Ricky Sinz, Ryan Raz, Jason Crew, Angelo Marconi and Tristan Jaxx round out the exclusives selected to appear in the film. In addition, the cast includes industry stalwarts Adam Killian, Damien Crosse, Francesco D’Macho, Wilfred Knight, Scott Tanner, Connor Habib and Mitchell Rock. Newcomers Brogan Reed and Frank Fatone debut, and mainstream actor Joe Wicht plays the non-sex role of a police interrogator in a performance that rises above anything usually seen in porn.
The five-disc collector’s edition—the edition that contains the bonus DVD of POV material—is available only at the studio’s website, RagingStallion.com. Ward said the fifth disc never will be sold in stores. Otherwise, local retail establishments should have the standard retail edition on shelves now.
