The chase was on.
First came the battered 1940s Jeep, flying the Nazi flag as it sped across the iron-trussed bridge before coming to a stop.
Then, rumbling into sight, came the tank. As it pulled to the edge of the bridge, German soldiers popped out, hurling warnings at the Jeep. When they received no reply, the commander gave the signal, and the tank’s massive gun echoed through the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryDirector Nick Lyon yelled cut, gave his actors some direction, and moved everyone in place to shoot the scene again.
For an entire week, Johnson County got a taste of Hollywood. Filmmakers and crew from the California-based production studio The Asylum shot footage for their upcoming action movie, “Dunkirk.”
Local promoters hope that a successful shoot will open up central Indiana as a legitimate locale for filmmakers, and be a potential source of economic development for the area, said Bill Dever, Franklin resident and producer of the film.
“It’s a celebration of Johnson County. I still believe that Franklin is the greatest place in the world, and it’s a great place to make movies,” he said. “This is the first time an Indiana-based producer has managed to attract L.A. money for an original film.”
The film centers on the evacuation of Dunkirk, France, when the British military scrambled to avoid annihilation by German forces in World War II.
In the movie, a group of British soldiers is sent on a mission to retrieve a mysterious package that contains the algorithm for radar. Trapped behind Nazi lines, they have to sneak back to safety with the war effort in the balance, Lyon said.
“It’s a man-chase kind of movie, where these group of soldiers are being hunted by the Nazis,” he said.
Asylum is responsible for such films as “Mega Piranha,” “2-Headed Shark Attack” and the Sharknado series. Their specialty is the “mockbuster,” tongue-in-cheek versions of well-known movies.
They have released films such as “Android Cop,” “Independent’s Day” and “Almighty Thor.” But though “Dunkirk” shares the title with the Christopher Nolan-helmed blockbuster coming out in 2017, it’s tone is a departure from past productions, Lyon said.
“This isn’t like a ‘Sharknado.’ There’s actually a story. I thought that was cool,” he said. “I like the general beat of the story of a group of soldiers being hunted down by the Nazis. It seemed like a fun one.”
Filming started on Oct. 30, and wrapped up on Nov. 5. The plan is to release the film in 2017, and it will likely be available on Netflix and other distribution platforms, Dever said.
Dever and Carl Doninger, the assistant director of the film, were the linchpins behind the deal to bring production to Johnson County. The duo are active in the local film and pop culture scene, and have built a national reputation with events such as the yearly Indy Pop Con.
For the past seven years, Dever has had a relationship with the Asylum on varying projects. He has constantly touted Indiana as an untapped resource for filmmakers, and in particular thinks that Johnson County can be an ideal shooting location.
“We’re always trying to bring low-budget filmmaking in,” Dever said. “This is a step to put into place and structure in a way that we can promote economic initiatives with alternative media.”
In the case of “Dunkirk,” the county featured a number of locations that fit into the aesthetic of World War II France. The wilderness of the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area made for an ideal shot of the forests of northern Europe.
Furnas Mill Bridge, the 1880s-era wrought iron and steel bridge, provided good visuals for a chase scene and shootout.
The Franklin Flying Field and Ashley Drake Historic Inn in Franklin were also used in filming.
“Take a look at this scenery. It’s evocative,” Dever said.
The film crew worked on a shoestring budget, compared to even modest movies made in Hollywood, Lyon said.
“It’s a very guerrilla film production. It’s been a bit crazy. One thing is, it’s not orthodox, like the way things run in L.A., because it is a small film community,” he said. “A lot of people here are still new to the film business, and learning.”
Still, the production was able to secure World War II-era costumes, weaponry, trucks and even a tank. They paid local residents to be extras in the movie, and when they couldn’t find enough people, they tabbed production staff to dress up and stand in.
“What an average production would spend per day just on transportation and food, we’re making a movie for,” Dever said. “Quite frankly, I don’t now anyone else who could pull it off.”
Doninger, an Indianapolis resident, was dressed as the Nazi soldier and helping out on one of the final days of shooting.
“We’re really trying to be a driving force to bring this stuff,” he said. “But I’ll tell you, a period piece in Indiana is a heck of a thing to pull off.”
Both Dever and Doninger plan to meet with Teresa Sabatine, Indianapolis’ first film commissioner, to discuss how to better accommodate filmmaking in central Indiana.
By working together, they believe they can make the region a destination.
“We just don’t have the infrastructure for it,” Doninger said. “Even pulling all of the individuals and extras together has been difficult, because there’s just no infrastructure.”
