If you notice Nephilim giants, purple robed gargantuans and a litany of interesting characters looming about the state this September, that just means the system works.
Thanks to Wisconsin's newly implemented film tax incentives -- which helped bring Johnny Depp and the "Public Enemies" crew here for filming earlier this year -- creator / director Danny Wilson chose to work with the Green Bay-based Pulse Studios for his 2009 sci-fi action thriller "Nephilim."
Wilson and producer Susan Moses, a Wisconsin native, had been scouring Eastern Europe for the perfect film location and had settled on Bulgaria before the US dollar fell and costs rose.
Seeking other options, they flew into Green Bay and Milwaukee with director of photography Bern Heinl, who was the cinematographer on 2003's Wisconsin-shot "Milwaukee, Minnesota," and decided that the "beautiful old structures and wonderful river system" supported the film's look, says Heinl.
The team is opening its production offices in Green Bay this week and hopes to start filming by September.
According to Wilson, "Nephilim" is part of a trilogy and began as a comic book series he created before graduating from film school. The film will utilize local crews, talent and the state's film and production infrastructure.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
