This past Monday night, the Lawrence University Film Production Club brought in various members of the new movie “Nephilim” being filmed soon in Green Bay. The director, Danny Wilson, along with producer Susan Moses, an art director and an actress from the film spoke in front of a small but attentive crowd in Riverview Lounge. They brought along a model of one of the movie’s sets, along with examples of the storyboards from the film.
The four spoke for a couple of hours, occasionally taking questions from those in attendance. “Nephilim” is a movie about the Nephilim, a Biblical character that Wilson described as the product of “when a fallen angel mates with a human.” Wilson got his inspiration for the film from his childhood days spent reading the Bible in class instead of the textbook. He started with Revelations, which he “realized was awesome.”
“I wondered why there wasn’t really any movie being made about Revelations,” he said. Wilson started compiling journal entries and other readings on the matter, and after attending film school he started a marketing company that got him enough money to consider making his story into a movie.
The producer and art director both originated from this area, giving the film many local connections. “Nephilim” is being produced with an impressive budget of just over five million dollars. When asked why they chose Green Bay as a filming location, Moses said it was largely a matter of budget. Wisconsin has recently started a tax credit for filmmakers, giving them a financial incentive to make movies in the state. Also, Moses said the area matched the “particular look” they were going for.
“Nephilim” is the start of what Wilson sees as a “franchise.” “There are many parts to this,” he said. “Comics, actions figures, and video games are all possibilities for telling this story.” The film itself is the first of a trilogy of movies.
Besides discussing the specifics of “Nephilim,” the four visitors discussed many aspects of filmmaking in general, touching on the relationships between the various players, such as between the actor and director, or director and editor. They also discussed their desire for involving local talent in the making of “Nephilim,” urging anyone present to submit ideas for artwork or any other creative ideas.
Wilson hopes to get his film made in the next few months, and to get as wide a release as possible. “We have a deal with Marcus Theatres where they agreed to show our film in their theatres, so we know if nothing else, we have a decent release with Marcus,” he said, indicating that the film will be shown at the Appleton Marcus theater, something Lawrence students should be sure to check out.
“Nephilim” film crew speaks in Riverview
