Page 25
Spoilers May Be Below!
Page 25
Spoilers May Be Below!
From the Madison Capitol Times
The Capital Times
Local court reporter takes it all down for Johnny Depp
Mike Miller — 3/26/2008 11:22 amLike many others selected for brief appearances in the filming of "Public Enemies," the movie about John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp now filming in Wisconsin, Ellen Weisling took a step back in time last week for a scene filmed at the Lafayette County courthouse in Darlington.
But for Weisling, it was to play a very familiar character. The "floater" court reporter in the Fifth Judicial District that includes Dane, Rock, Green and Lafayette counties played the role of a court reporter in a scene filmed in the courthouse where she has worked as a real-life court reporter on occasion.
"It was very much fun for me," Weisling, who has worked as a court reporter for 24 years, said as she recounted her one-day role. "It was very interesting and fascinating." Weisling got the non-speaking role through a series of happenstances not uncommon as bit players were selected for the filming currently being shot in Oshkosh.
It turns out that one of the people working for the casting firm whose job is to hire people for the film is the nephew of a woman who works in the Dane County District Attorney's Office. The nephew told his aunt there was a need for a relatively small court reporter to fill the role of a court reporter in the movie. She, in turn, put her nephew in touch with Weisling, who was a perfect match. Weisling said she was unaware of the filming, but sent in a picture of herself and was picked for the part.
Weisling had even worked as a court reporter in Lafayette County's courthouse, one of the oldest in the state. But the courtroom she was used to looked different when she arrived last Wednesday for the shooting.
"It was so beautiful," she said of the work done by the set designer. Wooden blinds had been installed on the windows to reflect the 1930s era, all the electronics had been removed, and the furniture, including the desk in front of the judge's bench, had been restored to the original luster.
Also brought in was an ancient, by today's standards, court stenographer's machine, a far cry from the computerized models used today, but it had the same pattern of letters and symbols familiar to modern-day court reporters. Weisling's job was to take down everything said by the actors as if they were appearing in a real courtroom.
"I ended up being smack-dab in the middle of the courtroom," she said. Weisling was one of seven people in the scene, which also included a heavily guarded Depp as Dillinger as well as some real-life Wisconsin National Guard members dressed as Indiana National Guardsmen from the 1930s. Although much of the film is being shot in Wisconsin, including a bank robbery in Columbus, the locations are supposed to represent a bank robbery and the subsequent court appearances in Indiana.
Weisling said she was impressed by the meticulous detail paid by the film's director, University of Wisconsin graduate Michael Mann, and his crew.
"The attention to detail was phenomenal," she said. "It's so '30s I looked like my mom."
Other locals selected to be the audience in the courtroom scene were given 1930s-style haircuts, and all the men were told to shave.
"One man had had a beard for 32 years," Weisling said, but shaved to be a movie extra. "They were the cleanest-cut looking young men," she said of the batch of 20-somethings that made up part of the audience in the court scene, "and the girls were all young and gorgeous."
"It took about two hours to do my hair," she added. "I think they glammed me up way too much."
She got to see Depp, of course, but didn't get much of a chance to speak to him because when they weren't filming one of the uncountable number of takes for the three-minute scene, they were listening as Mann and others gave them directions.
And even though the day's work proved to be long, from 5:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., she was happy with the experience. "It was fascinating for me, I loved every minute of it," she said. And despite what one might hear about Hollywood types, the crew was good in dealing with the extras. "These people were so nice, and so gracious," she said.
There were, however, a couple of things that bothered her about the filming. "The food was lousy," she said. "I thought we would be having a wonderful lunch and it was a cafeteria." She was also a little disturbed that so much money is being spent on a film about Dillinger, one of America's most notorious bank robber and killers.
But all in all, she said, "it was a wonderful experience." All she has to worry about now is whether the three-minute scene appears in the movie or ends up on the cutting-room floor.
Mike Miller — 3/26/2008 11:22 am
From TheCaptsWench first posted on JDA
From Rachel
From Channel 3000
From Flckr
From Carasun found at C3 and brightened
From KittyKat first posted on JDA
From The Times Online (NWI)
C.P. residents deal with filming in their backyardBY KATHLEEN QUILLIGAN
Wednesday, March 26, 2008CROWN POINT | From Shirley Friend's kitchen, it's impossible to hear the thousands of screaming Johnny Depp fans, but easy to hear the hum of the truck that blocks her driveway, ready to make snow on cue.
Like many of the city's residents, Friend said she's happy part of "Public Enemies" is being filmed in Crown Point.
After all, the movie's main character, bank robber John Dillinger, played by Depp, became a part of the city's history when he escaped from the Lake County jail in 1934.
While many in the city visited the film's set with the hope of seeing a star or two, Friend and other residents virtually live on the set since their homes are affected by the barricades that stop traffic and hold back the star-gazers.
Friday, the city sent a letter to affected residents, informing them which streets would be closed and when.
"We are asking that no cars be parked on the roadway and that the vehicles that you will be driving be parked at an alternate location," the letter said.
But Friend, a 70-year-old widow who lives with her son, said she couldn't move her car down the block because she uses a walker and her son was not at home.
"I'm here all by myself," she said. "I had a baloney sandwich for my Easter dinner."
The city's letter provided phone numbers for residents to call if they had problems. Friend received a call Tuesday from the city after she complained her driveway had been blocked. Tuesday morning her driveway was clear, but by Tuesday afternoon it was blocked again.
"At least they could get me a photo of Johnny," Friend said.
Across the street, Joan Heidbreder, who has lived in her house for 58 years, said the filming was nothing she couldn't handle.
"We'll just have to put up with it a couple of days," she said. "But the trucks are noisy."
Heidbreder's husband, John, is the president of the Old Sheriff's House Foundation, and the two are hoping the movie could help raise funds to further restore the historic building.
"We've never promoted Dillinger," she said. "He was here for a couple days and that was it. Our interest is in the whole justice system."
Daily Blog of the "Public Enemies" author Brian Burrough
We have Dillinger wallpapers
Please email me if you find
any missing links
homeLegal Stuff:"Public Enemies" and the characters, events, items, and places therein are trademarks of Michael Mann,NBC Universal, and Forward Pass. Copyrights and trademarks for the book, music and films are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law.
