WILDWOOD — The young dancers were strutting their stuff for the camera in front of Harry’s Gyros on the Boardwalk near Morey’s Pier Saturday Oct. 4 while renowned director and writer Stewart Raffill smiled broadly behind the camera and lights.
The motion picture Standing Ovation will be filming in Cape May County for the next two months. The boardwalk musical sequence was the first day of filming.
Rafill described the movie, which he both wrote and is directing, as the story of poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks that form a singing group and enter a national competition. Along the way they face competition from a rival singing group, which includes sabotage.
A young girl in the group, from a Mafia family, solves a mystery in her own life, he said.
It’s all set in South Jersey.
Raffill’s screen credits include Mannequin 2, The Philadelphia Experiment, Mac and Me, The New Swiss Family Robinson and the screenplay for Passenger 57. His 1972 film, Napoleon and Samantha, introduced the world to Jodie Foster and a young Michael Douglass.
Judging from the dance number, featuring some hip beyond their years 12 to 15 year olds this reporter watched being filmed several times, the movie will be pure fun and a big draw for middle school-aged kids.
Producer Diane Kierman, a Jersey gal, who said she moved to Los Angeles 18 year ago, seemed thrilled to be filming in Wildwood. She described the film as a family friendly musical.
Kirman brings a long resume of producing and casting television shows and movies including Rocky V.
Locally, singer-actress Leigh Ann Austin has been helping to house crewmembers and provide local actors and dancers to the production. Some of the young dancers were from Cape May’s Joanne Reagan Dance Studios. Joanne and Anne Reagan were on location with Krystal Tini, a Philadelphia 76ers dancer is choreographing the film.
Sal Dupree of Linwood is co producer of Standing Ovation. Dupree has performed and produced shows in Atlantic City and Las Vegas and taught and arranged the musical numbers for Bianca Ryan, 2006 winner of America’s Got Talent.
A stand out in the sequence filming on the Boardwalk was 8-year-old Alana Palumbo of Ocean City. Austin called her a triple threat who sings, dances and acts.
Cinematographer for the film is John Darbonne who just finished the latest National Lampoon comedy.
Edward Kessel and Tony Coluccio composed the movie’s original music.
Kessler’s work in A Tale of Two Cities is headed for Broadway.
Coluccio was a musical producer for Dream Girls and he worked with Gloria Estefan, Bette Midler and Barry Manilow and holds the number one spot for producing from Billboard Magazine. He is known for his dance music remixes.
In between takes, the younger dancers gulped down Boardwalk fast food and talked excitedly about the experience.
Kierman said the film will premier in South Jersey and Philadelphia as a fundraiser for children’s charities.
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