Filmmaker lives big screen dream
April 11, 2002

By Amy Hatala
Staff Writer for The Current

After numerous re-writes of the script, reels of deleted scenes and years of shooting around Atlantic County, Egg Harbor Township resident Steven Pershing will finally see his movie, “Steel Spirit”, a full length action adventure feature, on the silver screen this month. 

The movie will run from April 12-18 at the Tilton 9 theater in Northfield. 

The culmination of the eight-year project is a relief for Pershing, 30, who credits his friends and family’s belief in him as the driving force behind the movie.

“The first step in breaking into the (movie) business is the hardest, and it’s been really hard,” he said.  “I’m a nobody, but my friends and family believed in me so we pulled it off.”

“After this is done, people will take me a little more seriously.  Look what we were able to do with a video camera – imagine what we could do with a real production set.”

Pershing began writing “Steel Spirit” in 1994 and finished production in time for the premier last November.  He wrote, directed, and stars in the film. 

Having a hand in the movie until the end, Pershing will run the projector each time “Steel Spirit” plays at the Tilton 9.  Afterwards he will descend to the lobby for a meet-and-greet session with his loyal fans.

“Steel Spirit” features a cast of 52 locals that tells the story of Dallas McQuaid, a former bounty hunter who trades in his exciting life on the edge for an ordinary 9 to 5 existence.  But seven years later he is discovered by his old enemy, who then offers a $5 million reward for the capture of McQuaid.

McQuaid quickly figures out who he can and cannot trust, including his ex-wife, his old childhood friend, and his current best friend, a process that lasts until the last twist of the movie.

The movie was shot in Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, and the Atlantic City Race Course with a $1,100 8 mm video camera and a lot of imagination.

“This movie has heart.  When people see that, it wins them over,” said Pershing.

Pershing said the movie is not rated because it costs $2,000 to receive an official rating, while funding for the movie has come straight from his pocket.  In his opinion though, it is appropriate as a PG-13 film, with some language and violence.

Pershing is a 1989 graduate of Egg Harbor Township High School who now works as a network administrator for the FAA Technical Center.

The cast and crew includes his five closest friends:  John Murphy, Dexter Weeks, Matt Lonzi, Stephen Pagano, and Brian Papakie, all of whom graduated from Egg Harbor Township High School between 1987 and 1991.

Astonishingly, no one that helped with the movie has made a dime.

Murphy is the music man who wrote the original score to the film.  He also wrote a song that was popular last Christmas called, “Merry Christmas Angel,” about the victims of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. 

Weeks, a graduate from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, hand-painted the movie’s poster that consists of a large shot of McQuaid.

More information about “Steel Spirit” and the cast are available on the film’s web site, www.steelspirit.com, which has received over 60,000 hits from all over the world, Pershing said.

He is responsible for the whole site, complete with a viewable trailer that can be downloaded.

Pershing said he has spent approximately $15,000 on the movie over the years.  His dedication to the film was so severe that he moved back in with his parents and took a year off from work just to complete it. 

“If the movie were to sell out all week, I could pay off one third of its cost,” he said.

Pershing has his friend from work, Kelli Morgan, 30, from Egg Harbor Township to thank for seeing his movie on the theater’s marquis.  She set up a screening of the movie at the Tilton 9 back in January, which went over so well that the manager and owner worked out the week long deal.

“The theater has been great.  They’re treating me and the movie like a regular distributor with bells and whistles and everything,” Pershing said.

Once the theater screening of the film is over, Pershing plans to send out DVD copies to distribution companies in the hopes of future video release.

After that he’ll join a friend on the West Coast, former Egg Harbor Township resident Tony Nahar, 28, who is now an assistant director with films like 1997’s “Titanic” under his belt.

“I have a priority – it’s going after the dream.  I’ve always had my eye on the little gold guy,” said Pershing.

With a one-way ticket to California burning a hole in his pocket, Pershing said he still plans to take a small amount of time to celebrate reaching his first movie-making goal.

“On April 19, the day after the last showing of the movie, I’m going to sleep late, pop in a movie and relax – at least for a month.”

For more information about the movie visit: www.steelspirit.com