From acting in a student based, horror-thriller film to working on production in a short film about backstabbing clones, junior Kayden Bravata is on a roll with no intentions to stop.
Bravata is already building a portfolio and career for himself. Over just the past few years, he has acted in short films Mort and Mary’s Mortuary and Entity; he dubbed as a producer assistant and second camera assistant in DyAD. Apart from acting in and creating the films, Bravata also participates in the Northview Theatre Department. He wrote for 24 Hour Theater both freshman and junior year (COVID put the kibosh on sophomore year) and is playing Gaston in the upcoming spring musical, Beauty and the Beast.
All of this begs the question as to how Bravata got so interested in the film world.
Credit can be given to his grandpa.
“My grandpa was a really big film guy, he got me into a whole bunch of movies when I was young,” Bravata said. “Going to the theater was such an amazing experience and seeing how people react to films, how it can make them cry, laugh, have fun and can be about multiple different themes. It’s a good outlet and way to share an experience with others.”
While Bravata always had a love for films, he didn’t quite have anybody to guide him into the industry and express his ideas. That is, until he met then senior and 2020 graduate Tanner Hamilton his freshman year in Multimedia Production class.
“I worked with him on a project, [and] he liked me so much that [he] keeps on adding me to his other ones. From there, I am building even more connections,” Bravata said.
Hamilton got to know Bravata better through the multimedia class and soon discovered his passion and desire to dive into the industry.
“[Bravata is] a great guy who loves what he does,” Hamilton said. “While Northview is a great place to be if you’re in the arts in any capacity, it’s sometimes hard to find people as passionate as you when it comes to specifically filmmaking and video production. [Bravata] had good ideas and was fun to work with, so we started a sort of partnership.”
This partnership led Hamilton to recruit Bravata to work in production with him on the set of his short film, DyAD.
“Because our crew was so small, we blended a few positions together, so [Bravata] ended up helping out as a production assistant and camera assistant hybrid,” Hamilton said. “He was great to have around, and I got to teach him a few things about lighting and cinematography while we were on breaks.”
More recently, Hamilton, now a film student at Grand Valley State University, directed a drama-horror film entitled Entity in which he said Bravata was an “obvious choice to bring on.”
“This recent project, Entity, was probably the biggest one [I have been in]. It was my first acting gig. I was the most prestigious Technician Number One in it, so watch out, I may be in the Oscars for that one,” Bravata joked.
Acting in Entity was simple but time consuming.
“This would technically be my first acting gig, so I took steps to learn how to prepare before a shoot. I would make audio recordings of other peoples lines and then leave blank spaces for me to say my line as it continued,” Bravata said.
Bravata soon realized how much he had left to learn as the cameras began rolling.
“Even when I got there, I still had to learn a lot. My acting was quite frankly bad in my opinion,” Bravata said. “I believe we had to do a take about five to seven times once so I could get a line down correctly, and, funny enough, I thought I did the best on [that take] when the final product came out.”
Despite playing a minor acting role, Hamilton certainly thinks that Bravata played a big role in the production of Entity.
“[He was] someone I could run ideas with. He was always enthusiastic and dedicated, and helped keep spirits high on set with his lighthearted humor,” Hamilton said.
Aside from the learning experience, Bravata also had an amazing time on set.
“My favorite [film] I’ve worked on so far would probably still have to be Entity,” Bravata said. “It was with a lot of close people. My friend, [junior] Luca Lavis, was in it. He did a great job, and it was a fun time, just a really good experience, even though it was done during the summer, and there were a whole bunch of mosquitos around us. It was great.”
From Entity, Bravata was able to meet director Chris Crandall, who invited him to play a minor role in his slightly comedic horror short film, Mort and Mary’s Mortuary.
“It was the most professional thing I have been on,” Bravata said. “These weren’t students, these were professional actors who were paid to do this. I wasn’t paid [a salary], I was paid in gas money. Experience is the payment.”
These kinds of connections build a supportive network within an industry as cutthroat as film.
“It’s such a large industry, it’s hard to get your cut anywhere,” Bravata said. “But, on the other hand, there are many people out there willing to help you with projects, too.”
This past fall, Bravata was invited to the opening of Josh Sikkema’s Black Pigeon Studio in Downtown Grand Rapids, where he met new faces and connections.
“[Sikkema] opened up this studio downtown to bridge the gap between Michigan and other very big film-making places, like Georgia and California,” Bravata said. “He’s basically trying to give younger people the tools and resources to do these projects, which is just really cool.”
Bravata has intentions to soon use the studio in his upcoming works.
With that said, despite acting in several films, Bravata’s heart lies in creating and writing his own flicks.
“There are days where I don’t have anything in my mind, but I hear a little tune in my head, I think ‘huh, this would be a really great movie’, and the wheels in my head keep turning,” Bravata said.
He continued on to say that he jots down his ideas and then runs the concepts by Lavis. Aside from acting in Entity together, Lavis also starred in DyAD.
“[I] say ‘Hey, is this a good idea?’ and [Lavis] usually says, ‘Kayden, that’s a dumb idea, why’d you write that?’, and I’m like ‘Okay, don’t have to be so mean.’ And then we continue on from there,” Bravata said.
Bravata will also often bring his creativities to Hamilton as well as others that he deems fit for judging.
“Usually, [the process is] just running through the script and how it goes and seeing if there are things that could make the story better,” Bravata said.
Bravata frequently finds inspiration in the big names of Hollywood.
“I like certain aspects of certain directors,” Bravata explained. “Quentin Taratino has really good dialogue; Stephen Spielberg has really good camera movements and is able to actually portray the character. Edgar Wright does a good job, too. I like his whole process of making movies. James Cameron, he has such a great drive to make movies, and I wish I could have that, because sometimes it’s a struggle. He has that ambition to keep on going, which is a really respectable thing.”
Additionally, some of Bravata’s favorite movies consist of Pulp Fiction (1994), Fight Club (1999), The Social Network (2010), Marriage Story (2019) and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005).
“What I find as a parallel in what makes these movies so great are the very subtle messaging within it, which is something I have been trying to portray,” Bravata said. “It’s a really delicate art form, you could say.”
Despite a love for the details, Bravata acknowledges that those don’t make or break a movie for everyone.
“Movies are similar, there are really no original movies, but it doesn’t have to be. As long as you are able to enjoy it, it doesn’t matter, okay? It can be the dumbest movie, but if you enjoy it, that’s completely fine,” Bravata said.
Bravata is in the process of writing and directing several different films himself.
DurlFare is a comedy starring some Northview faces, including junior Jorge Gonzalez and freshman Rory Morter. Filming is slated for sometime in April.
“One of the background gags, it’s going to be Jorge Gonzalez progressively, throughout the background, is going to get more and more injured until the end, where he is in a wheelchair, running down the field,” Bravata said.
On top of the comedy, Bravata is also working on a more serious production entitled The Good People.
“[It’s a] drama mystery about a group of rich elites facing the consequences of their actions,” Bravata said.
Even though Bravata has a lot on his plate, this spring he plays macho villain Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, which is a bit out of his comfort zone.
“I’ve done acting, but I’ve never auditioned for something like this,” Bravata said. “I’ve never really sung, I’ve never really danced. I got the role of Gaston, it was really crazy and also nerve-wracking.”
Bravata holds a cardinal belief that people should approach film with an open mind.
“Support your local creators and don’t judge [them] for it. We all have to start somewhere,” Bravata said. “When you start playing a sport, you aren’t instantly good at everything about it. It takes time and practice.”
His friends can’t wait to see his future successes.
“He’s been a great friend and collaborator, and he has some excellent ideas for films of his own. I hope we can continue to hang out together both on and off set, and I look forward to seeing his career progress,” Hamilton said.
