A shot from the set of It’s You, Not Me. Director Tyler Tronson (standing) gives comments to actors Abbey Loenstein and JT Stocks. All three are students at UWEC.

A pair of high-quality short films are drawing attention to a creative collaborative made up of UW-Eau Claire students and recent alumni.  The flicks – Dry and It’s You, Not Me – were recently unveiled to the world on YouTube under the banner of Brocuz Films. The production company draws its name from filmmaker Tyler Tronson and his cousin Ryan Griffin, who refer to themselves as “brother cousins.”

The short film Dry was directed by UWEC alum Matt Troge, written by alumnus Benjamin Klema, and filmed by Tronson, a UWEC senior. Tronson says the group met in 2010, when they made a feature-length film called Everything & Nothing.

Dry, which was made in Los Angeles and is accompanied on YouTube with the description “Two young adults contemplate life and all it has to offer as their dining room wall dries,” focuses on a pretty heavy concept in a brief time. “Life and all it has to offer” could be an overpowering and silly premise for a short film, but the theme works because the film comes off as self-aware and makes its point simply. Watching paint dry idiomatically implies extreme boredom, a lack of excitement, but often it’s from boredom that epiphanies and realizations occur. Five hours after setting down their paintbrushes, the two characters are still in their black folding chairs, staring at the wall silently. One of the figures stands and carefully draws a finger across the wall before turning to his companion and saying softly, “It’s dry.” Then his full hand caresses the wall. He places the same hand on his companion’s shoulder, and the other figure reaches up and rests his own hand on his friend’s arm.

The film is mildly bittersweet, as we don’t have a context for the events, but it ends with a congratulatory fist-bump between the two men and without leaving the audience with many answers. Is this comedic or serious? Are these young men painting a wall in their new home or apartment? Are they painting a wall as they prepare to move out and go their separate ways? The film doesn’t give us the satisfaction of knowing, but it does give us the pleasure of enjoying the closeness between these two figures, the simple act of being still and watching, together, as their hard work finishes itself before them.

“(The idea) had been concocted as a Facebook joke months prior to being filmed that poked fun at Klema’s writing,” Tronson says. “Matt and I joked around saying Ben’s writing was the equivalent to watching paint dry. So, Klema took the time to write up an entire short film script on a Facebook comment and posted it. ... Having found the perfect opportunity with all of us together in L.A., we couldn’t pass up the chance to make a ‘joke’ come to fruition.”

It’s You, Not Me focuses on the protagonist Anthony’s reluctant but gradual acceptance of what his friend knew in the beginning of the story: that Anthony’s ex-girlfriend just isn’t worth it. The short film follows Anthony and his friend Ezra as Anthony struggles with how he feels about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend after an unexpected breakup. We meet Claire (the ex) and Tony (Claire’s new boyfriend) as the characters lurch back and forth in this funny and awkward tale of a young man struggling to figure out if he wants revenge on his ex or if he wants to win her back (both those concepts are played out in fantasy sequences).

The short film is written by Tyler Tronson’s brother Alex Tronson (a UWEC freshman), directed by the elder Tronson, filmed by Jesse Johnson, and produced by Matt Troge with visual effects by Griffin.

“Really only having one weekend to film, I think we came out with a fun and entertaining product,” Tyler Tronson says. “Projects like this are always for the experience. I got to work with fun and talented actors, JT Stocks, Abbey Lowenstein, Matt Tatone, and Nicolai Ketelsen. Also, I couldn’t have done this film without Jesse. It was the first movie that I actually stepped away from being behind the camera and just focused on directing.”

These two shorts indicate the kind of collaboration that makes the Chippewa Valley a great place to live and work. We look forward to what these guys put together next! Alex Tronson also creates music locally under the name North House. Troge’s production company Whiskey Neat Productions operates independently of Brocuz Films, though the two still collaborate occasionally. Tyler Tronson’s current project is a short film adaptation of J.T. Stock’s stage play Drop, with filming coming up in March with a cast and crew of 12.

Tyler Tronson says making these films “was all about having fun and hopefully creating something entertaining.” They certainly pulled that off.

Both Dry and It’s You, Not Me will be screened at the Volume One Gallery, 205 N. Dewey, on March 7 at 7pm, followed by a discussion with the creators and actors. You can watch the films on your own at YouTube.com/BrocuzFilms.