(cheerful music) (triumphant music) - Welcome to TV Film.

I'm Jermaine Wells.

TV film showcases the talents of upstate New York media makers across all genres.

And in this episode, we'll see two films by Capital Region independent filmmakers.

The first film is a drama about two brothers by Troy New York's Chromoscope Pictures, "Highwaymen."

- We started our production company, Chromoscope Pictures in, I think like 2012.

And we, I would say where we really cut our teeth after forming was in music video production.

And most of the relationships and friendships and people that actually came together to make "Highwaymen" were born out of our work on music video productions.

- "Highwaymen" is about two brothers who were separated by some estrangement in their family from a young age and then grew up in completely different lifestyles and were kind of brought together and pitted against each other by circumstance.

It's actually based on a Bruce Springsteen song called "Highway Patrolman," which is a song about a police officer who is forced to kind of chase down his own brother after a unfortunate incident at a bar.

- Growing up in a somewhat rural town, it's definitely inspired most, if not all of our work.

- The story kind of lends itself to that area.

It's kind of like a town that probably is not in the best era of its life.

And I think the character of Frankie really represents that.

And I think the character of Joe really represents either the heyday that's already passed or some kind of maybe hope for the future.

And maybe it's kind of like the conflicting of those two things.

In my mind, when I wrote it, it was really about kind of confronting things within yourself that you don't like and wanna get rid of.

And it's really about being honest with yourself and identifying those things and doing what you can to eliminate them to be a better person on the other side.

- We had a great crew on "Highwaymen."

Mostly our friends, pretty much all of our friends.

And we have mentioned to each other multiple times it's like that post production sadness.

- It's a hangover.

- Yeah.

It's like the high of actually doing something and being on a shoot, and then when you finish and there's not another day to do it, you're kind of like moping around like, well, what do I do now?

- Creative withdrawal.

- Yeah.

- Eventually it gets to the point where it's like, I can't do anything else unless I do another movie, 'cause I mean, it's an addiction.

We say it a lot.

It's like a thing you can't shake, so.

- Once it's in you, it's in you.

- You can't help yourself but do it.

- Yeah.

(soft music) - [Dad] Mind your brother.

- What's dad doing?

- Shh, I'm trying to hear.

- Why are you always giving me a hard time?

- Because you're constantly asking for it.

(animal squeals) - What's that?

- [Older Brother] I don't know.

- It's a deer.

(tense music) (gunshot) (tense music) (tense music fades) (clock ticking) (soft country music) (music stops) ♪ No, by bed don't weigh the same ♪ (soft music) ♪ I check my tools and wash my name ♪ ♪ Does the wind go down below ♪ ♪ Let me breathe and I'll let you go ♪ - Dispatch 3-4, in pursuit of a white sedan on Highway 4 traveling at a high rate of speed, how copy.

- [Operator] 3-4 dispatch, copy.

♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ ♪ You keep coming alive ♪ (soft music) - Dispatch 3-4, I have the white sedan pulled over on Highway 4.

- [Operator] Copy, 3-4.

- Son of a.

- Jesus, Frankie.

- Is there a problem, officer?

- Yeah, idiot.

Pushing 95 back there.

Whose car is this?

- The Jeep's in the shop again.

I'm just borrowing my neighbor's car.

- [Joe] What neighbor?

- Come on, I was getting a pack of cigarettes.

I'm sorry, I'm not used to gas on this thing.

- I bet.

All right, come on.

Get out the car.

- Seriously, Joe?

- Seriously.

Put the keys on the dash, get out of the car.

(door alarm beeping) Let's go, smart.

- Hey, relax.

- You smell like a beer cooler.

How much you had to drink?

- If you're gonna arrest me, just do it.

I'm not gonna play 20 questions with you.

- I'm taking your home.

- It's not my car, I can't just leave it.

- Well, beats wrapping it around tree.

I'll have somebody come and get the car.

- Can I at least get my bag and keys?

- Wow.

(tense music) - So you gonna arrest me or what?

'Cause you know, if a lecture's all we're here for, I'll just take my and walk home.

- You're not going anywhere.

So might as well sit there, shut up, and be thankful it's me who pulled you.

Otherwise you would be going to jail.

- Yep.

Family savior you are.

Pop will give you a gold star and a pinch on the cheek when you tell him about this.

- Believe it or not, I'm actually try to avoid mentioning you all together.

- [Frankie] That so?

- That is.

Besides, old man can barely speak these days.

Still manages to ask about you though.

Every goddamn time.

- Hope he likes that hospital bed.

He had me in one of those every month.

It's about the time he gave it a try.

- Man is dying, Frank.

And you were asking for it half the time and you know it.

- You, Joe.

Maybe if you had some balls, you would've stuck up for yourself and done the same thing.

- Watch your mouth?

- Or what?

- Or I might forget why the hell I'm helping.

- Go ahead.

- Where you been, Frankie?

Huh?

What are you doing?

- I told you what I was doing.

- I know where you buy your damn cigarettes and I know it's on the other side of town where you live.

So what are you doing out here?

Yeah, that's about what I thought.

So I can run the neighbor's plates or you can just tell me what you did.

- I stole it.

- Why?

- I was gonna scrap it.

I owe some money.

I need help, Joe.

- To who?

- Some people downstate, all right.

I got behind on some bills and I'm just trying to get ahead.

- Some people downstate.

What does that even mean?

- People, Joe.

People who come looking for their money when they don't get it, all right?

My back's up against the wall.

Jesus.

- All right, calm down.

We'll go back to the house, we'll figure something out.

But I gotta call in that car.

- Well, you can't do that.

- I don't have a choice.

- I don't want you getting all tied up in this.

Risk your job and all.

Just let me get the car tomorrow and move it somewhere in town, all right?

Somebody will find it.

- That's a terrible idea.

- Just listen, Joe.

- Frankie, I'm calling in the car, all right?

Not exactly in a position to dictate terms here.

- [Operator] 3-4 dispatch, come in.

- Just hands off that.

Dispatch 3-4, go ahead.

- [Operator] 3-4, we have a report of a robbery homicide off Highway 4.

A white male, late twenties, escaped in a stolen vehicle matching description-- (car tires squeal) (gunshot) (tense music) (screams) (tense music) (indistinct) (tense music) - Joe.

- Get up.

- Joe, put the gun down.

- Get up!

- Joe.

- You don't get it, do you?

You can't, you've never even tried.

Our entire lives, you've done whatever the you want, and the rest of us, well, the rest of us just get on and give you chance after chance.

Even now, the only thing dad can say is your name.

Well not anymore, it's over.

I'm done with you.

- So what now then?

- You can do the right thing for once and let me take you in.

- Always the Boy Scout.

Where was your sense of morality when he was pushing me down the stairs?

When he broke my collarbone with your baseball bat.

Was I asking for that?

- You killed somebody, Frank.

Do you get that?

- So if I don't let you take me in, what, you're gonna kill me?

- Yeah, Frankie.

I'll kill you.

- All right, Joe.

(gunshot) (tense music) (heartfelt music) ♪ I let you fall from the darkest of our room ♪ ♪ It gets warmer than it gets in South Texas ♪ ♪ Always, always there ♪ ♪ Calling to the future for redemption ♪ ♪ See you through the spinning clouds ♪ ♪ Through a crawl space constricted like a boa ♪ ♪ I know my (indistinct) ♪ ♪ In blankness I choke ♪ ♪ To warn you ♪ - In our next film, director Charity Buckbee shares her love of westerns in this Dirty Sweater Productions film, "Rustlers Promenade."

- The film is about basically a group of country folk getting together to have just a regular English country line dance.

And then those people get held up.

I had always love westerns.

Westerns are kind of a big part of what I love about film.

"Stagecoach," "Magnificent Seven, "Sheen," "Once Upon a Time in the West."

Where we shot the film was a, the ultimate county fair.

They had a 1800s Dutch barn.

I hired an old friend of mine, Janie Parmenter, to choreograph.

And I told her, you know, there's not gonna be rehearsal beforehand.

We just don't have the money and the time for 18 people to get together and learn this dance.

So it's gonna have to be really simple.

She pulled it off.

They just, they all lined up outside, learned it in 10 minutes, and hop back into the barn to go film it.

So that was awesome to see.

And we shot that all in one day.

One day.

Which a lot of people find crazy.

It was a long 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM day.

Film is sometimes just the struggle of just getting it done despite all of the adversity that just gets thrown at you, even last minute stuff.

So I wasn't supposed to be in it because I am in the short film.

That actress had a last minute, she was sick.

She wasn't COVID positive, but she was like, you know, I don't wanna risk it.

Maybe it's false negative.

So I popped in as the jaw harpist.

Everything's real.

It's not like this fake stuff.

I want people to remember that film can be real and fun and entertaining without all the flashy bangy ooh ah effects.

It can just be what it is.

Just let the story entertain you.

(upbeat western music) (dramatic violin music) (upbeat western music) - Learn more about the films and filmmakers in this season of TV Film at wmht.org/tvfilm and be sure to connect with WMHT on social media.

I'm Jermaine Wells.

(triumphant music) - [Announcer] TV film is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the governor and the New York state legislature.