Ping-Pong Summer Filming Wraps This Weekend

OCEAN CITY -- After a little over a month at locations all over the Ocean City area, the shooting of the independent film Ping-Pong Summer is expected to wrap up this weekend.

In September, the coming-of-age film, set in Ocean City in the mid-1980s, started shooting at locations all over the resort area. The film’s plot involves a teenager vacationing in Ocean City with his family when he discovers a love of ping-pong and rap music. The film’s leading stars include Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson and John Hannah, for example, but the main characters are relatively unknown including lead actor Marcello Conte and Ocean City’s own Emmi Shockley, who plays Conte’s summer teen crush.

The film’s photography is expected to wrap tomorrow with just a handful of scenes still to shoot. On Wednesday, film crews set up shop at the intersection of 33rd Street and Coastal Highway to shoot a scene involving Conte, Shockley and other young cast members near Anthony’s Beer Wine and Deli.

With the filming segment of the production coming to a close, producer George Rush said the production in the resort went well with few obstacles.

“It went awesome,” he said. “It really exceeded our expectations on every front. The weather cooperated and the people in Ocean City were incredible and really seemed to embrace the film. It really was remarkable.”

Rush said the filming sequences were expected to wrap up on Saturday, but some crew members might remain behind for a few days.

“We need to wrap up some loose ends in Ocean City, but for the most part, we’re finished here after Saturday,” he said. “Then, we start the post-production process. It’s always possible we might need to return, but we’re hoping we have everything we need with what we’ve shot. I think we’ve covered everything.”

Directed and written by Michael Tully, a Maryland native who vacationed in Ocean City as a youth, Ping Pong Summer hired dozens of locals as extras and a handful of talented people for production. The crew has an ambitious production schedule in place, Rush said.

“We hope to be done with the production by mid-2013,” he said. “Everything has gone so well that I really don’t want to jinx things in the future, but we’re confident we’re making a really great film.”