Lights, Camera, Action

Large trucks, lighting apparatus and a film crew assembled in Chase Park on Friday August 10 causing much speculation about what was being filmed…. a movie, a tv show? And would the rain hold off long enough for the work to be done? Turns out the crew of 30-40 people came to Scarsdale to shoot a commercial for United Healthcare and AARP. The location scout selected Scarsdale because of the park’s setting in Scarsdale and shot the commercial to showcase the village. Though no famous actors were on the set, a representative from MacGuffin Films told us that SAG actors were employed and it was a union job.

Lange’s catered food for the crew all day and lunch was served at Moscato. The visitors found Scarsdale to be “friendly and cooperative.”

According to Assistant Village Manager Justin Datino, the production company “approached the Village, applied for and received an approved special event permit from the Village Manager’s Office.”

Datino then reviewed what was involved in getting permission to film here, “There are a number of requirements to obtain the permit including: references, insurance, site plan, parking plan and advanced payment. The Village requires the film company to reimburse all expenses related to Police, DPW, parking as well as using the Village facility (Chase Park).”

Datino also added the following: “The Village receives many inquiries regarding filming, only a handful end up actually submitting a permit application for review.. Filming does bring with it both benefits and drawbacks. On an otherwise slow business day in the summer a crew of 30-40 people can stimulate business and activity in the Village Center but other circumstances could bring a variety of disruptions so there is a delicate balance and why the Village reviews each film request on a case by case basis.”

At 12:15, there was a big downpour so we don’t know whether the crew beat the weather and finished their work. However, we were told that the television spot should air in October so watch for Scarsdale on your television.