Bailey O’Bryant came to the University of Idaho in 2015 determined to become a journalist.
While the 21-year-old Idaho Falls native remained in the School of Journalism and Mass Media, his plans shifted slightly, switching instead to a broadcasting and digital media major.
“I remember taking the intro journalism class and thinking, ‘Oh, this ain’t for me. I don’t think I can do this.’ But then I took the intro broadcasting course, and I just immediately fell in love,” said the now senior, whose degree also emphasizes English with a concentration on women’s and gender studies. “Looking back now, it makes sense because I was always just enwrapped in movies and TV. … I was meant to do this — this is it.”
O’Bryant was recently awarded a $1,000 grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research for his short film project, “Triggered,” which will feature an almost all-female cast.
He said the 10-minute film will focus on violence against women, shedding light on the reality and prominence of this type of abuse, as well as its effects on everyday life.
However, his characters won’t act in a typical fashion — O’Bryant, who has been abused himself, plans to flip the script.
Olivia Heersink | Argonaut
UI broadcasting and digital media student Bailey O’Bryant adjusts the studio lighting in the Radio and Television Center.
“I want to take it to the extreme, you know, like what if the woman reacted in ways men usually act — really flipping it on its head — and what if she just broke down and disregarded the consequences. … I want to shock people,” O’Bryant said. “How things have been executed in the past is always set up to put anything other than a white, cisgender, heterosexual man below, especially women, who have been incredibly disadvantaged and that’s unfair.”
He developed the concept during the first half of his advanced media production course, which is broken into two semesters. O’Bryant will spend the latter half of the class this spring focusing on finalizing his script, preproduction, casting, directing and then editing.
O’Bryant said the $1,000 grant will allow him to purchase wardrobe and have a more elaborate set design, creating a more professional looking film.
He was first approached about the funding opportunity by UI professor Denise Bennett, who teaches several broadcasting and digital media courses.
“I love Denise to death — she’s a huge inspiration to me at the university,” O’Bryant said. “It really warmed my heart that she thought of me for this opportunity.”
Bennett, who hasn’t read the full script yet, said she helped O’Bryant through the process, believing his short film idea provided an interesting perspective and challenged peoples’ representation, which made him a viable candidate for the grant.
“I think he will be very successful,” Bennett said. “He’s one of the good humans.”
She said the premise of “Triggered” reminded her of something director Quentin Tarantino would do, such as in “Kill Bill,” where women fulfil roles typically filled by men.
Bennett said it’s rare for undergraduate students to have funding for their film projects and it allows O’Bryant the opportunity to add production value.
“I want to do something that’s going to say something about who I am and what I want to do, but I want it to be good and something people want to watch and enjoy watching,” O’Bryant said. “I’m really, really excited about it, and having Denise believe in me enough to say, ‘I’ll help you through the whole process,’ and really push me to try, it’s incredible.”
O’Bryant will show “Triggered” during the Kino Short Film Festival May 3 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. After the showing, the audience will have the chance to ask him questions. He’ll do another showing in Boise a month later.
Olivia Heersink | Argonaut
UI broadcasting and digital media student Bailey O’Bryant looks through a camera in the Radio and Television Center.
After graduating next fall, O’Bryant plans to move to Portland, Oregon, where he hopes to work on various production sets. Eventually, he said he will attend film school, allowing him to lay the ground work for him to continue to bring his visions to silver screen and provide a voice to those who have been silenced.
“As a gay man, I’ve lived my life being set back by others, had opportunities withheld from me and faced a lot of discrimination, but that’s common for too many people in this country,” O’Bryant said. “What I want to do with film is shed light on minorities and I want to bring their stories to the forefront and I want to talk about things people tiptoe around, starting a conversation. … I’m excited to do this for the rest of my life.”
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia