2008 Woodie Awards
The Racquet takes a closer look: Johnny Depp films in Oshkosh
Jesse Tucker
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Spotlight
There was excitement in the air, star studded arrivals, crew members hurriedly setting up fake cobblestone and storefronts, police patrolling lines of celebrity trailers and pyrotechnics hanging on the walls waiting to be blown. Did I take a trip to a studio lot in Los Angeles? Am I dreaming of what I hope to be my future? No, faithful readers, I am merely walking the downtown of my home city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Public Enemies, a historic docu-drama about John Dillinger and directed by the great Michael Mann, is shooting this week and I ventured home to get a taste of what a real movie set feels like. Electric is the first word that comes to mind.
Most of Oshkosh is excited about one star in particular, Johnny Depp! Yes, Mr. Depp is in town; his arrival was noted by the local paper, which took eyewitness account of people who saw his police-escorted Escalade fly down the street. My interest in Johnny Depp is secondary to my excitement for Mr. Mann, known for Heat, Last of the Mohicans, Collateral and Miami Vice; also in my top three all time favorite working filmmakers. This is like the Oscars, the Superbowl, New Year's, Christmas, Thanksgiving and my birthday all rolled into one event, and for the first time ever I am proud to say I call Oshkosh my hometown and people know it as more than, "That place where they make the little kid clothes" (Oshkosh-B-Gosh, for those unfamiliar with the city's primary calling card).
My dream is to be a maker of films someday, so this being my first time even near a real working film set was euphoric to say the least. Nevermind that the main crew was shooting at the airport and couldn't be seen easily by the public, I was enthralled with observing the minimum-waged local crew dress up the downtown area circa the 1930s. Fake storefronts, billboards, cobblestone roads, trolleys, and yes, explosive laden props set up for an action packed shootout between Dillinger and the police. The effect wasn't lost on the other interested folks who had gathered on this cold and snowy day, and the number of onlookers increased as the day wore on. The shoot has actually divided the city of Oshkosh, with many people loving the idea of a piece of Hollywood coming to town while others hate the fact that a chunk of Main Street, among others, is closed for 10 days. Inconvenient, I know, but it's a freaking movie! Well, not everyone share my passion.
Most of Oshkosh is excited about one star in particular, Johnny Depp! Yes, Mr. Depp is in town; his arrival was noted by the local paper, which took eyewitness account of people who saw his police-escorted Escalade fly down the street. My interest in Johnny Depp is secondary to my excitement for Mr. Mann, known for Heat, Last of the Mohicans, Collateral and Miami Vice; also in my top three all time favorite working filmmakers. This is like the Oscars, the Superbowl, New Year's, Christmas, Thanksgiving and my birthday all rolled into one event, and for the first time ever I am proud to say I call Oshkosh my hometown and people know it as more than, "That place where they make the little kid clothes" (Oshkosh-B-Gosh, for those unfamiliar with the city's primary calling card).
My dream is to be a maker of films someday, so this being my first time even near a real working film set was euphoric to say the least. Nevermind that the main crew was shooting at the airport and couldn't be seen easily by the public, I was enthralled with observing the minimum-waged local crew dress up the downtown area circa the 1930s. Fake storefronts, billboards, cobblestone roads, trolleys, and yes, explosive laden props set up for an action packed shootout between Dillinger and the police. The effect wasn't lost on the other interested folks who had gathered on this cold and snowy day, and the number of onlookers increased as the day wore on. The shoot has actually divided the city of Oshkosh, with many people loving the idea of a piece of Hollywood coming to town while others hate the fact that a chunk of Main Street, among others, is closed for 10 days. Inconvenient, I know, but it's a freaking movie! Well, not everyone share my passion.
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