Independent movie filming in Butler
Rachel Pfennigwerth has acted in productions in New York City, but this month returned to her native Butler County for an acting gig.
Pfennigwerth, a Seneca Valley Senior High School alumna, has what she said is a small role in an upcoming independent film, “The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro.” In early January, Pfennigwerth, who lives in Pittsburgh, shot a scene in Cummings Candy & Coffee on Butler’s Main Street, which she said was a quick process which is not always the case in larger production shoots.
“I just had the one day on set, it was a two-person crew, and it was hustling,” Pfennigwerth said. “Time was used very productively.”
The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro is the brainchild of writer and producer Joe Fishel, who also lives in Butler County. Fishel said he came up with the idea for the story and is funding the movie’s production himself. He approached Don Swanson to direct the film.
Fishel didn’t want to give much away about the film’s plot, but said the movie contains several inner stories connected by an overall plot. Pfennigwerth, he said, is featured in one of the inner stories.
“We're going to have three movies within the movie in the broader feature,” Fishel said. “We're releasing the short, ‘I Swiped the Wrong One,’ separate from the feature.”
Fishel said he is working with a small cast and crew compared to Hollywood productions. He said he was able to recruit actors from around the region, including students from Slippery Rock University, as well as people who are traveling to Butler County and Pittsburgh from afar to work on the film.
The filming process is broken into chunks, FIshel said, and it will probably take most of the weekends of the year to complete the shooting process.
“Part of the rationale was to try to get it out there that we are filming a movie,” Fishel said. “In terms of the cast and crew, with actors and extras we're going to have well over 100 people. For people who have already been in front of the camera, it's over 60.”
Shooting a movie independently differs from a high-budget production, and comes with its own challenges, according to Fishel. He said several people involved in the production are doing several tasks, from acting to manning equipment.
Additionally, the makers of the movie have to schedule everything out so time can be used effectively. They also must find places to shoot scenes in that don’t need much dressing up. Fishel said Cummings on Main Street was a good candidate for a scene because of its distinct look.
“If I want to have a scene, I have to make sure I have places to film,” Fishel said. “With Cummings, we filmed a short. It’s got a distinct look to it we could film in.”
Pfennigwerth said she has been able to continue acting through the years, despite living in Pittsburgh since 2017. She said Fishel contacted her via a casting website.
Although Western Pennsylvania is not known for performing arts the way New York City or Los Angeles are, Pfennigwerth said, the place has plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in filmmaking and acting.
“It's a pretty tight-knit community that is always working,” Pfennigwerth said, “either for a festival or a passion project. If you look for it, you can work as much or as little as you want.”
