Upcoming movie filmed in Manitowoc and Sheboygan a twist-filled tale about a missing Oostburg girl
SHEBOYGAN - It isn't every day that a film crew comes to Manitowoc and Sheboygan, but when it does?
They benefit from "that whole Midwest mentality," said Midwest-based director Mike Determan, "that people are willing to roll up their sleeves and help out where they can."
That's what happened with filming the upcoming movie "Through Eyes of Grace," which was shot in locations throughout the region in June and July.
'Through Eyes of Grace' a thriller with faith-based roots set in Oostburg
"Through Eyes of Grace" started life in 2015 as a self-published novel written by New York native and Sheboygan-based actor Dave Payton, who started living and working in Wisconsin after he married his wife in 2008.
The story centers on a fictional Oostburg pastor whose daughter suddenly disappears, as well as a local sheriff and his partner's efforts to find her.
Payton's career has involved faith-based acting work, such as his role in the 2018 Christian suspense movie "Thy Neighbor."
According to Payton, "Through Eyes of Grace" is meant to "deal with the struggles of faith" and the tension between faith and doubt.
The plot involves hidden secrets, mysteries and mental illness.
Katelin Stack, an actor and producer on the project, added, "It's a lot darker than most faith-based films."
Who's who in 'Through Eyes of Grace'?
Payton not only wrote the original book and the script, he also plays Pastor Seth Adams in the movie.
The movie also stars Saturday Night Live alum Victoria Jackson, Green Bay actor Kurt Krauss, and Oshkosh actor and American Idol participant Franki Moscato.
In addition to helping produce the movie, Stack also has a major role as an actor.
Payton said the production had about 150 people total, including staff and extras, adding, "It takes a village to make a movie."
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the shooting schedule, according to Determan, but they were eventually able to shoot Jackson's scenes in November 2021 and wrap principal photography the next July.
Movie crew filmed in former McKinley Academy, area businesses and homes
Though the story is set in Oostburg, the production filmed in Sheboygan and Manitowoc partly because members of the production team could use their connections to get film locations there, Determan said.
Some locations were "provided by members of the production themselves," Determan said. Others were the result of Payton and others reaching out to people they knew in the area.
One filming site was Manitowoc's old McKinley Academy building, which film crews turned into a police station for almost a week.
The building "was the perfect blank slate" for what the production needed, said Determan. With the help of props and some redecorating, old classrooms turned into an office, a bullpen and an interrogation room.
Members of the production mentioned other places in the area where they filmed scenes from the movie: local cafés, bed and breakfasts, area homes and hotels, St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Belgium, even a car stunt on Sheboygan's streets, according to Determan.
Justin Moeller, owner of Harbor Pointe Mini Golf, was happy the film locations highlighted local businesses and that, for him, letting the production film scenes at his mini golf course was an "easy, simple and fun" process.
'They became family': Sheboygan and Manitowoc area residents open their homes and businesses to the production
According to multiple members of the production, residents of Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Belgium didn't just help them scout locations — they contributed directly to the movie magic.
"Everyone wants to help around here," Determan said.
Local people "took the bull by the horns," Krauss said, and supported "Through Eyes of Grace" by hosting actors, playing extras and cooking meals.
"They were really friendly and incredibly generous," he added.
Heather Besaw, a longtime Sheboygan resident, found out about the movie through Payton and hosted film crews while they shot scenes in and around her south-side house.
During the five or six days the movie was filming, Besaw said, her family was "immersed" in the production and encouraged to get involved, like having her daughter use the clapperboard.
Along the way, Besaw said she learned a lot about moviemaking and that, by the time the 15 to 20 members of the film crew left her home, "they became family."
Filming a movie in Wisconsin? Sure, you betcha.
Even though Wisconsin isn't a common choice for a filming location, there were other benefits to having filming take place there, too.
One was, surprisingly, the weather — Determan said that having "all four seasons in a week" was actually a plus and that the weather changing with the seasons "plays well with the script."
Another was the visuals. Krauss said Sheboygan and Manitowoc are "both beautiful cities" because of their older neighborhoods and proximity to Lake Michigan.
Finally, some actors got to work closer to home.
Filming in Wisconsin "was kind of like popping up north for a little bit," said Stack, who hails from Woodstock, Illinois.
After filming 'Through Eyes of Grace' wraps, what's next?
There's still some pieces of filming left to do this fall, Determan said, such as b-roll shots of Oostburg and some autumn scenes at the church.
The production team hasn't yet made final plans for when "Through Eyes of Grace" will be released, but they hope to start taking it to film festivals sometime in 2023, said Stack, as well as hosting screenings in Manitowoc and Sheboygan.
Stack said the next task is to focus on post-production and raise money to complete it through crowdfunding campaigns. Payton hopes sales of his book will help.
Meanwhile, members of the production had different feelings about ending production and moving into post-production.
Filming the movie was "one of those core memories that will be ingrained in me," Determan said, as this was his first turn as a chief director.
Krauss was "grateful for the opportunity" to be part of the cast.
And for Payton, wrapping filming was "bittersweet."
However, Payton added, he and a co-author are already working on the book's sequel.
Rebecca Loroff covers breaking and trending news for the USA Today Network - Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-907-7801 or at rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RebeccaLoroff.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Movie filmed in Manitowoc, Sheboygan a tale of missing Oostburg girl
