COLUMBUS, Wis. -- Movie mania has officially arrived in the small Wisconsin town of Columbus.

Universal Pictures crews began their first day of shooting on the movie "Public Enemies" at about 6 a.m. on Monday in the town, which is north of Madison. Crowds totaling in the hundreds began arriving early to catch a glimpse of the film's star, actor Johnny Depp. The onlookers braved the chilly, damp air to catch a glimpse of some Hollywood stars.

Depp was supposed to be shooting a bank robbery scene and chase in downtown Columbus on Monday, Madison television station WISC reported.

Crews have been working for weeks to make the historic downtown look like Greenville, Ind., where the scene is supposed to take place. Last week, the film crew worked to take portions of Columbus' downtown back to the 1930s to fit in with the scenes being shot. They are filming driving scenes in the downtown area, with hundreds staked out at several locations around the set trying to watch the action.

Security is tight on the set, and streets have been blocked off for blocks in numerous directions to keep people out of shooting range. Many onlookers came armed with cameras, but have been told they can only shoot pictures without a flash.

While kept at a distance, many fans said that they could still see director and University of Wisconsin alum Michael Mann behind the camera, shooting Depp as infamous Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger.

David Fulton, a publicist for the movie, said Monday that crowds were larger than usual for many shooting sites, but it was understandable given the statewide interest in the movie. Fulton said even though there were crowds on every corner, most people were being cooperative with the crew's wishes, WISC-TV reported.

"People have been very cooperative; that's one of the things I've noticed today," Fulton said. "We were a little concerned if we had big numbers that people would be unruly, but you know what? Everybody has been really great."

Fans have camped out on just about every street corner outside of the shooting perimeter, especially near the trailers, where Depp fans have been snapping photos.

Julia Pereira and Bruno Cunha, who are Brazilians working at Wisconsin Dells, said that they came to see the filming.

"I'm so in shock right now that the only thing I can think now is, 'Oh my God! Johnny Depp! Christian Bale!" Pereira said.

Cunha said that he hopes to become a film student one day.

"We heard about the film and we came to see to check it out," he said. "We were willing to maybe help, help something, the set, help the crew, but in the meantime, we are just checking out.

"It's priceless to see the equipment, priceless to see the way they are shooting," he said.

Sam Bush, 43, and his stepdaughter Lindsey Kassner, 21, said that they arrived at around 4 a.m. from Portage. Wrapped in blankets, they sat in folding chairs behind a road closed sign -- Lindsey with her binoculars and celebrity magazines, and Sam with his newspapers.

Kassner said that it's not often they get to be so close to a movie set, so the cold is worth it.

Some people came hoping for just a memory, like Debi Guenterberg, of Princeton, who arrived at the set at 5:30 a.m.

"A lot of vehicles moving around," she said of the action. "You think a movie is going to go real fast, but they do it over and over."

However, Guenterberg said that she's watching the filming.

"I'm ready for every kind of weather. I'm staying until there's nobody left," she said.

Monday's shooting schedule contained only daytime scenes, so shooting is expected to wrap up by dusk.

The studio won't say how long they'll be in Columbus this week, but other sites on the schedule for the upcoming months include cities in Wisconsin and Illinois. Set designers have been working in Darlington on the Lafayette County Courthouse. Filming is also expected in Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago, WISC reported.

While Universal Pictures officials won't release their official shooting schedule, Fulton said that they'll be filming parts of the movie in Wisconsin all week. Fulton said that they plan to return to Columbus on Tuesday.