Film in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Located Midway Between Chicago and Milwaukee
Movie Magic In Kenosha
Kenosha has many ties to Hollywood by way of famous directors, actors, and comedians coming from Southeastern Wisconsin. Notable names include vaudeville Don Ameche, Happy Days icon Al Molinaro, and The Hulk himself, Mark Ruffalo. Jim Rygiel, who worked on visual effects for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, filmmaker and actor Orson Welles, and Hill Street Blues hero Daniel J. Travanti, all hail from Kenosha.
In recent years, a film-and-TV production renaissance has been gathering steam in Wisconsin. Key to that momentum is Backyard Dream Productions, a virtual production studio based in Kenosha, working hard with new state policies to bring more filmmaking to the state. Backyard Dream Productions is Wisconsin’s first full virtual production studio. Currently housed in a 2,700 square foot facility, within Herzing University in Downtown Kenosha, the studio features a 10 × 30-foot curved LED wall, in-camera visual effects powered by Unreal Engine, digital backlot capabilities, motion capture, and more.
Founder Alex Kudrna, a Kenosha native, built the company from very modest beginnings—literally from a backyard stage as a child—into a full-service commercial production firm doing video, virtual production, live events, and photography.
The idea is: rather than flying crews to exotic locales, or building elaborate sets and doing post-production green screen work, many scene backgrounds are created live via LED + gaming engine tech, so the illusion of place is created in real time on set. This reduces travel and location cost and gives filmmakers tighter creative control and efficiency.
For years, Wisconsin lacked a robust incentive structure for film, television, or commercial production—one of only a few states in the U.S. without a film office or production incentives. That changed in the 2025-2027 state budget, which allocates $5 million for film & TV tax credits and establishes a State Film Office under the Department of Tourism.
Given the new incentives plus what Backyard Dream offers, there are several reasons Kenosha is increasingly attractive: Cutting-edge virtual production infrastructure — Backyard Dream gives filmmakers access to modern tools like LED walls, in-camera visual effects, virtual backlot, etc., which can reduce or eliminate many costs of physical location shoots or extensive green screen/post work.
Additionally, proximity to major markets with lower costs — Kenosha sits between Chicago and Milwaukee. That means access to equipment, crew, lodging, airports, and other essential production ecosystems, but often with lower costs (permits, locations, labor) than in the big cities. The Kenosha Area also provides a variety of location styles: downtown along Lake Michigan, historical buildings, parks, waterfront, urban + small town looks. Combined with virtual backdrops, this allows for a wide visual palette.
With Wisconsin re-entering the film incentive game and companies like Backyard Dream setting up next-generation virtual production facilities, Kenosha is in an excellent position to attract more commercials, TV episodes, independent films, and possibly larger productions. For filmmakers looking for cost savings, creative flexibility, diverse locations, and growing local support, Kenosha provides a strong and increasingly favorable option.
If you’re considering a project, Kenosha might just be the place where your vision is realized more strongly — and more economically — than you’d expected.
