Exploring Cinematic Oak Creek

The Milwaukee area has lots of opportunities throughout the year for filmmakers to get their work seen and appreciated.

Two of those opportunities coming up later this year - the 48-Hour Film Project and the Milwaukee Film Festival - both support the work of local artists, including those working in Oak Creek.

Creativity and motivation are great starting points for anyone looking to make their own movie, and they can go a long way. Great locations to shoot their film, meanwhile, is something not everyone has.

But Oak Creek has them in spades. That's why I set out on the town to find some of its most cinematic locales.

I found many along E. Forest Hill Ave. The Oak Creek Historical Museum is a unique location and would serve anyone trying to make a period-piece quite well. The museum is a veritable 19th-century town and more detailed than most any Hollywood set. Those looking to film here, however, would be wise to ask the permission of the the Historical Society.

Another unique potential shooting location is the Market Place Village, near Puetz and Chicago roads. Market Place offers a plethora of great shopping, but it also has a one-of-a-kind Western aesthetic unlike anything I've seen in southeastern Wisconsin. 

Perhaps the most spectacular locations in Oak Creek, though, are its natural ones. A drive through town reveals vast, colorful fields, winding water, and atmospheric woodlands. A film made in the midst of these features could be quite stunning.

The 48-Hour Film Project comes to Milwaukee June 17- 19. Over the wild weekend, teams of filmmakers will compete to produce the best short film in the two-day period.

At the onset of the competition, teams receive a list - including a prop, a genre, a character and a line of dialogue - that need to be worked into their completed project. Registration for the competition begins today. For more information about the project's rules or registration, visit the official site.