“Love of the Land” is a short animated film based on the true and tragic story of Vermont farmer Romaine Tenney.
Real Life Inspiration
Romaine Tenney was a Vermont farmer who was born in 1900. His farm was seized by eminent domain in the 1960s in order to build Interstate 91. He deeply loved his land, animals, and way of life. Read more about Romaine Tenney’s story:
- I Will Not Leave – Romaine Tenney Loved His Vermont Farm To Death
- Interstates, Burning Farms & Eminent Domain: Remembering Romaine Tenney
- Goodbye to a Yankee Farmer, the Ghost of Exit 8
Rotoscope Animation
“Love of the Land” is animated using a rotoscope technique. This process was invented by Max Fleischer in 1915 and involved drawing over the top of projected film. Nowadays, rotoscoping is done digitally over the top of video and includes the use of a pen display monitor that allows the animator to draw directly on the screen. For “Love of the Land”, this required almost 3,000 digitally hand drawn frames and over 1,000 labor hours of total animation.
Local Screenings
In the summer of 2024 “Love of the Land” was screened in the Vermont communities of: Essex, Montpelier, St. Albans, Arlington, Middlebury, St. Johnsbury, and Springfield. These local showings were followed by a historical presentation, behind the scenes look at the film, and a question & answer session. More than 400 people attended these shows.
Credits
- Directed, written, and animated by Burlington, Vermont filmmaker Travis Van Alstyne.
- Narration/voice-over by George Woodard, a farmer and filmmaker from Waterbury Center, Vermont.
- Background art designed by Burlington, Vermont artist Julianna Brazill.
- Music performed by Andover, Vermont native Ida Mae Specker.
- Sound design by Vermont-born Alex Knowles.
- Sound effects by Georgie Darling of St Johnsbury, Vermont.
Funding
“Love of the Land” is supported in part by The Made Here Fund.
