As the movie crew filmed, beautiful Juliet of fair Verona stood in the night on the balcony of the Hillcrest Jephson Estate and spoke to her dear Romeo. His cybernetic arm reached up touch her hand, his blue eye glowed before he raced back to the dark, post-apocalyptic wilderness from which he came.

“This is a sci-fi action film with overall adventure that takes the classic tale [of ‘Romero and Juliet’] and spins it around into something fresh and new,” said Matthew A. Peters, director and co-writer of “Romeo 3000” that filmed last weekend in Cazenovia. “This is not your typical Romeo or your typical Juliet.”

Or, as Peters told the website b-movie.com, “The best way to describe it is Shakespeare meets Mad Max.”

“Romeo 3000,” the 15th feature film by independent studio Mad Angel Films of Utica, takes place in a post-apocalyptic/steampunk-type world in which Romeo, the last of his family, is a cyborg bent on revenge.

As the opening narrative relates:

“This be the year 3000. The world has been enveloped within the flames of nuclear warfare, bringing with it a new dark age. In these times, technology can be a rare blessing, or curse, depending on its discovery and / or use. What is left of civilization, of humanity, has been reduced to numerous city states, each fighting to survive the wars between them, as well as from within. This tale takes place after a vile war between two Houses both like in dignity, in what is left of fair Verona. The House of Capulet has claimed victory and believes to have extinguished all within The House of Montague, yet one still lives. This be not the story of star-crossed lovers, but of Romeo, last of the Montague. A cyborg who seeks love, and revenge…”

“Basically, we butchered the hell out of Shakespeare,” co-writer and actor in the film Wayne W. Johnson said jokingly. “It’s telling the same story but in a very different way. … You’ll recognize the basic elements of the story, but a lot of different elements have also been added that a purist may not like. We just hope people approach it with an open mind.”

Peters said the script started as “sort of a joke version for a short film,” that eventually expanded into the current, serious full-length screenplay.

First day of principal photography started July 26 at the ruins of an abandoned hotel up at Overlook Mountain, N.Y. The filming at Hillcrest Jephson Estate on Aug. 1 and 2 was for scenes involving events inside the House of Capulet.

Peters said he found Hillcrest as a film location simply by doing a Google search looking for old-style Victorian homes.

“I thought it looked pretty sweet from the pictures,” he said. “This place is amazing, and it worked out perfectly.”

Hillcrest owners Linda and Brian Osborne said when they were approached by the production staff about filming in their home they thought it sounded like it would be fun, so they said yes.

“I love that this house can be used for so many different things,” Linda said. “It’s so much fun.”

While Hillcrest often hosts charitable events and allows photo shoots to occur on the grounds, last weekend was the first time that a movie shoot had occurred there, Linda said.

“We were extremely fortunate we were able to get this location; it’s perfect for the Capulet household,” Johnson said. “This is a beautiful location — I wish I lived here.”

Nearly all of the members of the cast and crew for “Romeo 3000” live in cities fairly distant from Cazenovia, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Utica, and have never been to Hillcrest or Cazenovia before last weekend.

“It’s so beautiful here, so serene,” said Jennifer Lefsyk, who plays Juliet.

John Mac Schnurr, who plays the lead as Romeo in the film, walked down to the Cazenovia Farmers Market Saturday morning before he had to be on set. “This is such a beautiful town, it’s sort of breathtaking with such a beautiful lake right here,” he said.

Lefsyk and Mac Schnurr said they were attracted to the film because it was such an original interpretation of a classic tale.

“It’s a thrilling take,” said Lefsyk, who lives in Albany, and is a stage and screen actor.

“The characterizations in this film compared to the original play are … very interesting,” Mac Schnurr said. “This is one of the biggest independent productions I’ve ever been a part of and being the lead role is incredible.”

No more scenes for “Romeo 3000” will be shot in Cazenovia, but there will be a huge ballroom party scene filmed at The Landmark Theater in Syracuse on Aug. 15, and the rest of principal photography is scheduled to be completed by the end of August, Peters said. Once filming is done, the film will go into post-production, where the special effects and original score will be added and the editing completed.

Mad Angel Films will shoot a ballroom party scene for its movie “Romeo 3000” on Aug. 15 at the Landmark Theater in Syracuse and is looking for extras to be party guests. Style of dress worn should be steampunkish if possible, if not then normal suits and dresses will be fine. Filming will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at The Landmark Theater, 362 S. Salina St., Syracuse. For more information, visit the Romeo 3000 Facebook calendar page at facebook.com/events/1622583394693834/.

The goal is to have the film released by July or August 2016, with showings in Rome, N.Y., and probably in Syracuse, he said. The movie will be submitted to some film festivals and will be available on DVD on amazon.com and other online stores.

For more information about Mad Angel Films and “Romeo 3000,” visit the Facebook pages at facebook.com/Romeo3000Movie and facebook.com/madangelfilms.

Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].