Waiting for Gouda

We had a bit of excitement in the neighborhood this last week, as we were invaded by the production crew for the new Johnny Depp / Michael Mann film, called Public Enemies. The movie is about John Dillinger and other gangster types in 1930’s Chicago, and they’ve decided to get authentic by shooting much of it on the north side of town.

We thought something was going on last weekend, when a construction crew began making a terrible racket in the house next door. At first, it seemed like perhaps they were just re-doing the kitchen in the vacant apartment, getting it ready to rent again, but then we noticed that the truck outside said Universal Studios or some such…. which seemed a little odd.

Sure enough, we soon got flyers stuck to our cars saying that they were shutting down our street for filming on Tuesday, meaning that we would have to park our car three blocks away, which for decent folks in civilized neighborhoods in Chicago is quite the hardship. (I want to hear no crying from Wrigleyville residents… that’s what you get for living in that wretched hive of scum and villany.) But we figured this was a small price to pay to see them film a major motion picture right next door!

On Monday, they began hauling crates full of old-timey looking stuff out of trucks… furniture, lamps, art, and other props to dress the set, like vases, 70 year old phone books, etc. The spread all this stuff out all over the sidewalk outside, and for a time, it looked like the house was having the world’s oldest lawn sale.

As is bound to happen, however, the next few days brought a whole lot of nothing. Shooting took place elsewhere in the city, and our street sat like a ghost-town for several days as the parking ban remained in effect. Things got underway on Thursday, and although I spent the day at work, the Lovely Wife™and some friends camped out on our front steps and watched the proceedings. Here are some observations:

- There is an amazing amount of equipment required for a shoot… several huge trailers full, requiring dozens of people several hours to unload, assemble and prep.

- Even though the shooting took place indoors, there were apparently some shots where the outside was visible through the windows, and since the story takes place in the 1930’s, that means only one thing:

Classic cars! They had plenty of them… many more than ever could appear on film. There were rumors that they were going to shoot an exterior shot later in the day, but they never got around to it Still, it was cool to see a row of these babies parked in front of the house:

While the street was swarming with production assistants, the “talent” was barely glimpsed. They set up several of those classic directors chairs right next to our front steps, but sadly, nobody sat in them all day:

The director, Michael Mann, who has brought you such films as The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, and The Insider, was running around outside for quite a while, getting things set up and in general being very director-y. Here he comes now:

And yes, Mr. Johnny Depp eventually appeared to shoot his scenes. They drove him up in a big black SUV and he was quickly escorted inside the set… but he did indeed pass by within about ten feet of My Lovely Wife, who snapped these pics. Here he is going in the first time to see the set, and perhaps rehearse:

And later on, here he is returning to the set in his costume:

They set up a number of contraptions in the backyard to manage the afternoon sunlight, including a really large, heavy black screen near the windows. They also built a small platform in our backyard to put a spotlight on… presumably to simulate the sun that they were blocking out:

Ultimately, we didn’t get to see much. Every once in a while, someone inside the house would yell out “Rolling!”, which was relayed to everyone outside in front and back so that they would keep quiet during the take.

Early in the evening, Misters Depp and Mann were whisked away to other locales, and the production assistants began the hours long process of packing everything away. Here’s a look from our living room:

I guess it was kind of cool to have all this commotion right next door for a couple days. But without being able to see the actors, director, cameramen, or anyone else actually in action… having a major motion picture shoot right outside your house is… well… pretty dull.

Kind of like watching your new neighbors move in. And then out again. On the same day.