Throughout the week the town's Victorian precinct has resembled war-torn France, where filming has taken place for an installation dedicated to the Anzac forces that will be part of the new Sir John Monash Media Centre, near Villers-Bretonneux, in France, due to be opened on Anzac Day in 2018.
General Sir John Monash led the Australian Corps on the Western front in 1918.
Media company Wildbear Entertainment is behind the production.
Film director Serge Ou said several battle scenes, including a re-enactment of the final stages of the pivotal battle in Villers-Bretonneux in 1918, were filmed on Harbour St, while Tyne St stood in for London in a scene showing Australian soldiers on leave.
A steam train was brought in for a scene showing soldiers being moved to the battlefield.
Other filming took place near Steampunk HQ.
''The wonderful thing about Oamaru is that it doubles for London, about four French villages and a couple of towns. It's such a wonderfully flexible environment to shoot in. It also provides an opportunity to showcase a lot of the elements of the story.''
He said the film focused more on the men involved rather than tactics and planning, which he believed would make the finished product more engaging.
''What I'm trying to do with whole thing is to bring some humanity to it all. We see a lot of the archive maps and tactical stuff, but it's all about the guys: What happened behind the lines? What were their thoughts? What were their feelings? How were they preparing for battle? Those sorts of things are as much part of the idea as bombs and guns.''
After the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust was approached by the centre, the precinct was selected as a filming location due to its diversity, Mr Ou said.
''Oamaru provided this amazing palette to work with. All of the elements I wanted to tell in the story are here.
''The support we've got from here has been phenomenal. We've cast a lot of locals and everyone has risen to the occasion and been incredibly enthusiastic. For me, that makes it a so much richer experience.''
Filming wraps up in Oamaru tomorrow evening.
-By Daniel Birchfield
