Film Crew Shooting at Paoli Battlefield

A Philadelphia film crew is shooting a short film in Malvern this week, and area residents are encouraged to stop by and check it out.

Following Chase is a "fun action movie with a twist," according to producer Erica Sperber.

"It's about bridging the gap between reality and fiction," Sperber said. "Like, when you were a little kid and played Army man, and thought it was so real. You felt like you were actually in the battle."

Despite a wet Tuesday that slowed production and added some rainy scenes to the film, the crew is on schedule to wrap up Thursday as planned.

Director Greg Koorhan, co-owner of Crossbow Studios, said he enjoys working with young people on projects like this one. His son, Leo, is an actor in the film, and his daughter, Sophie, is in charge of continuity. (She notes, for example, that actor Stedman Croft's Army helmet strap should be left hanging, to match a previous shot.)

The crew keeps a playful, but professional atmosphere. When shooting moved from the fields into the woods, Koorhan jokingly informed the more skittish crew members that the woods had been cleared of snakes and spiders before they arrived.

Sperber said they considered other locations for the film, including Ridley Creek State Park, but Paoli Battlefield was a perfect fit.

"We looked at the battlefield online, at some aerial shots. It had a clearing and wooded area. It had such rich history and is in such a great town," she said. "It was everything we were looking for."

Sperber said that she received a lot of support from Bruce Knapp of Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund and that borough officials were very accomodating. When noisy municipal lawnmowers interfered with filming Wednesday, Sperber was able to quiet them in a matter of minutes with a phone call.

The film will end up running about 10 minutes, Koorhan said. He hopes to enter it in festivals by spring 2012.