ABOUT THE FILM

Inspiration for movies came come from a lot of different places. A lot of films derive from a simple idea.   The writer of Lethal Weapon started with the scene on the top of the roof where Riggs dared the suicide man to jump.  For Jason Prugar, one of the biggest sources of inspiration is music.

"Not only am I a filmmaker, I'm also a film fan. And I really enjoy soundtracks. One of my favorites at the time was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I loved the first song, 'Indy's First Adventure.'

Around that time, I was moving from the Jersey Shore up to the town I grew up in. My parents had kept some of my old trophies for me, and when I got a chance to take a look at them. I took particular fondness to my old spelling  trophies. That night I started to have a dream about bullies chasing me, trying to steal my trophy. I don't usually remember my dreams, but this one I did, and the next day, I popped in 'Indy's First Adventure' into my CD player. I wrote the script to The Chase."

Prugar wrote the script about a 5th-grader who wins a spelling trophy, who has enemies in the form of 8th grade bullies. He wanted it to be funny but also have moments of excitement. Most importantly, though, he wanted it to show that even though the odds may seem impossible, they can be overcome. And this film would be different than the prior two films. Digital video equipment was now very affordable for the prosumer, and Jason hadn't made a film in two years.

“I was fortunate enough to have my other dream come true for  working in professional sports. I worked in sales and was better than I could've ever imagined. I even got a championship ring!" But it left him little time to work on films, save for writing. "I did a lot of shooting at my son's sporting events, even for his basketball practices. It all helped me get back into the groove behind the camera."

And since this film dealt with elementary school children, Prugar would have to enter a new arena for casting. He scoured the internet for young actors and actresses to fit the roles. He wasn't surprised when a lot of the submissions were females. "Of course the bulk of replies would be from girls. I only had one female role to cast!" The one female he chose can near the tail end of the submissions. Natalie Martin, a young actress from nearby Gettysburg, fit the role perfectly. Not only was she the right age (only 4 of the actresses were the in the age range     needed), but she looked the part. "Natalie was exactly what I was looking for. She has this warmth about her that would offset the nervousness of Milton." Jason also settled on Kevin Benjamin for the lead role of Milton, the spelling trophy winner. "Kevin had this innocence about him, as well as a quiet demeanor about him. He was just good for Milton, he was Milton."

To fill the role of the bullies, Jason didn't have to look very far. He found Allen Starzynski in his backyard. "Allen came to me from a casting website, and he was in Phillipsburg. I saw that he did a lot of theater and some indie film work. As soon as I talked to him, he was in."

He found another one actor to play a bully in New Jersey also, but was having a tough time getting a third. He turned to a former colleague and his son. "A colleague of mine had a great son who was very patient, respectful, and did  what you needed and did it well. It didn't hurt that he was almost six feet tall.!" He rounded out the cast with some friends: Dr. Sam Fatta, a family friend and father-in-law to The Prize star Michael Huber, Natalie Huber, Mike's wife, and Jay Short, a colleague, rounded out the cast.

From the get go, challenges and setbacks arose, but that was typical of a Jbird Entertainment film. One of the actors portraying the bullies was a no-show, but Alan had brought a couple of extras for the shoot, and one of them was an actress at many plays with Alan. It also added a different dynamic to the group: an angry female bully.

The production was filmed all over New Jersey, with the school scenes taking place at Jason's alma mater, Lopatcong Elementary School. Once completed, Jason edited the film with his home computer, a first for Jbird  Entertainment. Jason enlisted the help of Cheryl B. Englehardt and Fredrik Blom for the music.

While The Chase was a hit with the cast and crew, it wasn't met with the initial success of his prior two efforts. Jason shrugs it off. "Times have changed, and more and more festivals pop up, taking different types of films. I chalk it up as another issue that arises when I make a film. And both of my other films had them. It's only a matter of time."