Thanks again to the Honky Tonk Twisters - a fantastic band who came in and wrote amazing music for us again! Not only did they provide original instrumental music for Brothers, but, they wrote a new acoustic song specifically for the film. Check out their website, live shows, and music.

Sarah Solie created the poster for Brothers and our last film, Tractor For Sale. She is an incredibly talented Wisconsin artist whose collection of work is impressive.

Blake Thomas provided Brothers with two of his new folk rock songs. His music is beautiful and haunting. Check out his myspace page where you can listen to some his amazing work.

Not only can Justin Bricco act - he is in an awesome band that certainly don't need our help in promoting themselves, but... they rule.

Our last film - a honky tonk tale of love, loss... and a tractor.

July 3, 2007
Section: Life
Page: 01B

Film project gets UW-Oshkosh students in the mix
Ivy Farguheson
Post-Crescent staff writer

The Post-Crescent

When Ted Owen, 10, of Neenah gets back to school in the fall, he'll have a great story to tell about how he spent his summer vacation. He was on his first film shoot at his grandmother's house next door.

"Normally, I'd be at home playing with my brother," Ted said. "Sometimes I come over here and help my grandma clean out her fridge."

This summer, Ted and older students from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh were able to spend a week of their summer learning about the filmmaking process not only from each other, but from UWO alumni as well.

One such alum is Troy Perkins, 36, a 1994 UWO graduate and also the writer/director of the short film, "Brothers." It is the story of three brothers who have been given what Perkins calls "the golden offer" to sell their farm to a developer who is hoping to create a subdivision in the area. Despite the moneymaking potential for the family, the decision is a difficult one. If they sell their farm, they'll sell off their memories and their family history.

"I saw this every day growing up in the country and having farmers in the family, and my biggest question was, 'What is happening to the people?'" Perkins said. "A lot of farms have been in families for 100 to 150 years. When you move away from that, what happens to the family?"

To tell his stories, Perkins has turned to filmmaking. Rather than simply making movies with his creative process, he and his wife, Frances, 38, the film's producer, have done something different in the film school world. They have opened up their process to students in the radio, television and film department at UWO.

Frances is excited about this aspect of the filmmaking process. As a former film student at New York University's film school, she would have loved to go out on the set with her former professors.

"We are showing students how to see the whole process. ... If we had gone out in the field with our professors, what would we have learned?" she said.

Shaina Desotelle, 23, a UWO senior from Green Bay, is happy to be working on a fully professional shoot.

"This is a lot different than working with students," she said. "You actually see firsthand what it'll be like when you leave college."

Almost the entire filmmaking crew is composed of students and others from Wisconsin. Justin Bricco, guitarist for local band Blueheels, plays the lead. M. David Livingstone, a UWO student, is the assistant director. Even Ted got to run a camera.

"We are supporting the film scene in Wisconsin. ... He always intended to come back to Wisconsin," said Frances, originally from southern California, of her husband.

Originally from Medina, Troy went to NYU after graduating from UWO.

"I had a unique background," he said. "It took a little bit of a culture shock living in New York City to realize what an amazing place Wisconsin is. The stories I've had in my head had to be shot in this area."

The feed mill that had been in Robert Schneider's family for generations is one such locale.

"It's wonderful," Schneider said about having a movie filmed at his family's old mill. "It's historically going to reflect what used to be."

This is the Perkins' second attempt at working with college students on their films. Their prior film, "Tractor for Sale," was also open to students. That experience was so positive that they both felt they had to allow more student participation on their sets.

"Tractor for Sale," another short film written and directed by Troy, gave students the opportunity to see the entire filmmaking process. Students were involved in the film from the beginning until the actual premiere.

"They got to see the work ethic and dedication it takes and the planning of making films ... to see what happens when you finish a film and see the audience reaction," Troy said.

They also have opened up an industry to students unaware of everything involved in making a movie.

Kendra Sohm, 21, a senior from Oshkosh, said, "If you hadn't worked on something like this, I don't even know how you'd begin."

From Troy's standpoint, you don't need to leave Wisconsin to get to the starting point.

"I have a dream to do a feature film in Wisconsin," he said. "I love making movies. (We) need the support in the state to make this happen. Everything's here. It can happen here."

Ivy Farguheson: 920-993-1000, ext. 243, or ifarguhe@appleton.gannett.com.

Copyright (c) The Post-Crescent. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.

If the trailer for “Brothers” looks familiar, it might be because the entire film was shot in various Wisconsin locales (Neenah, Hortonville, New London and Oshkosh) and almost every person involved with the film is from Wisconsin. From director and screenwriter Troy Perkins, a UW-Oshkosh alumnus, to the music contributors (including Madison-area folk artist Blake Thomas), “Brothers” could best be described as a 22-minute love letter to Wisconsin.

Almost. The plot highlights one of Wisconsin’s growing problems — the changing landscape of agriculture — and analyzes its effects within complex family relationships.

In the film, three brothers face the difficult decision of whether or not to sell their farm — and thereby sacrifice generations of family history — for a considerable payout or to continue struggling for survival in the face of modern-day development. To make matters more complicated, each brother has his own set of problems to overcome. Ultimately, the brothers must come together to decide if they want to preserve the past or look to the future.

While the film festival has a lot to offer, “Brothers,” with its homegrown feel, might be a good place to dive in.

“Brothers” will be screened as part of Short Films: The Saturday Morning Program at the Chazen Museum of Art this Saturday at 11 a.m.