Spotlight: BADDIE
FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY OF UNDERSTANDING SELF WORTH - “BADDIE” highlights the struggle of understanding one’s self in the most beautiful way. Filled with dance numbers and heartfelt moments amongst friends, “BADDIE” keeps your heart engaged with each minute. Centering around Tris and her struggle with ego and self-worth, the film reminds us “that sometimes we must limp in before we can leap out”. Created by director Ricardo Bouyett, production assistant Daisy Cardenas, and choreographer Hannah Burt, “BADDIE” creates an important coming of age narrative often disregarded. Watch the short film below and read on to learn more about director Ricardo Bouyett’s growth, the making of the film and more.
LUNA: When you first got together the idea for this project, how did the addition of dance come into play?
BOUYETT: Dance was always going to play a part in the story, I wanted a movement piece heightened by narrative from the very beginning. “BADDIE” has gone through more than a dozen rewrites since its original inception and no matter how different the story got, dance was still the backbone of it.
LUNA: You have a great portfolio of films behind you already, what are some of the key ways “BADDIE” reflects your growth as a filmmaker?
BOUYETT: “BADDIE” feels like the senior project to my personal DIY film school graduation if I’m honest. I didn’t go to school for filmmaking although ironically I was at one of the best schools for it, but I was in the photography department and couldn’t afford to make the switch over to film by the time I realized I wanted to be a filmmaker. After graduating in 2015 I decided to figure out the ins and outs of filmmaking for myself. Five years and 17 short films later here I am with “BADDIE”. Every lesson I learned from my earlier work prepared me for the obstacles I faced with this film and BADDIE also reflects a lot of the balance I’ve come to achieve as a director and screenwriter. It feels like the ending of one cycle and the beginning of a new one for me as a filmmaker.
LUNA: “BADDIE” touches on Tris struggling with and understanding her self worth, and highlights very raw, and relatable, thoughts. What message do you hope to convey through Tris’ process?
BOUYETT: With Tris’ process I hope to make my viewers feel seen, heard, and that they matter as much as she does. Very often we get caught up trying to be of service to others in our life to feel meaningful or valuable or like we’re being good people all the while burning ourselves out. On the same note, we can also sometimes be selfish, demand more from others without accepting who they are, and allow our pride to stop us from admitting our vulnerabilities.
Tris is meant to be the vehicle of admission of these vulnerabilities, that it’s okay to have those difficult conversations with the people you spend most of your time with when things get messy and you no longer feel good around them or by yourself. Sometimes our perceived hurts blind us and lens a distortion of the truth and the only way to realign is by stopping and saying “hey, I feel this way, can we talk about it?” and having it be a discussion rather than an argument. I’ve met a lot of people in the last couple of years who have an intense fear about seeming weak for expressing their emotional needs and Tris and I are here to show you that it isn’t weak to be emotional, it’s powerful and honest.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment from the filming process?
BOUYETT: There are so many! I ended up making a behind the scenes making-of-baddie video during the first month of quarantine to share the laughs and goofiness from set. I’d have to say though, before we started filming Daisy (Production Assistant) and I got to Hannah’s apartment and while we were going over the production book Hannah mentioned wanting to try out a scene where Tris would end up walking through the Dunkin’ Donuts Drive-Thru trying to order. We tried it, the people working at that location were very kind to let us film there, and before it was Hayley’s (Tris) time to perform, Hannah did a quick walk-through and played out her own scene with ordering through the drive-thru. Silly, but it was a genuinely lighthearted moment and it was moments like that spread across filming that made the process with production fly by. It helps to not take things so seriously all the time! Another favorite moment was filming at Town Hall in Boystown. Plenty of people looked at me weird while we filmed and who doesn’t love being looked at funny.
LUNA: Tris’ friends play a huge role in supporting her through understanding her worth. What role have your friends played in the creation of this project?
BOUYETT: My friends are my biggest supporters when it comes to my art. I took a hiatus between 2018 and 2019 and I was doubtful about ever being successful as a filmmaker or artist in general. My friends are always the first to slap some sense into me and to remind me why it is that I love making films. It’s been a struggle getting back into things, I started coming back from hiatus with my shorts “Thalia” and “FLWRS” and still felt a little disillusioned. During the Fall of 2019 I started offering a working artists discounted rate for headshots and I met a lot of people. I mean, a lot of people. I had about a lot of new clients overnight and I hadn’t realized how many people wanted to work with me. It had been at least two years since I had done a photoshoot (other than working a wedding in 2019) and in that season of working with all these new people I was asked about films I didn’t think anyone even saw, asked about future films, and so on. It was kind of shocking because I had no idea people cared and then fate happened and I met Hannah Burt. Our shoot went so well and she mentioned wanting to collaborate and so a month later in December we made Gud Gud. We shared a resounding heart-to-heart that really made me feel less delusional and more sure about being a filmmaker so I got back to work on the screenplays I left unfinished and then I got the idea for BADDIE.
So it’s a healthy mix of friends and strangers who I end up meeting. Daisy (Production Assistant) really played an immense role in my life between my inactivity as an artist to now and reminded me of who I was during a time where I felt lost. I’ve always been an openly emotional person so I’m not shy with talking to not only my friends but to strangers as well about some of the heavier topics on my mind and it’s always in those conversations that I find the push or the affirmation that everything is going to work out the way it’s meant to work out.
LUNA: Looking back, what was the biggest lesson you learned from this whole process?
BOUYETT: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that less is more and it’s better to show than it is to tell. “BADDIE” is very different from the rest of my earlier work since it isn’t heavy with Voiceover or explanations of what’s going on, it shows you what I’m trying to say about shared intimacy and perception versus reality more than it tells you.
LUNA: For Hannah - which was your favorite scene to choreograph? Which was the most difficult?
BURT: This whole process was great, Ricardo gave me free rein to create first and then we adjusted based on location and final script edits. There was no scene that I’d consider difficult! In projects like this, there is a challenge of working with people of a variety of dance backgrounds. So if anything was difficult it was accommodating those levels of experience while remaining true to the vision.
I loved how the train platform scenes turned out and that was probably my most fun to create. It was about natural unified movement with the women coming together while clearly still being individuals. Having the open elevated spaces around on the platform with this movement adds a really nice space of possibility to their world. That choreography translated really well to the spaces and Ricardo filmed it in such a captivating way.
LUNA: There some awesome slow motion shots as well as some really pretty and colorful shots throughout the film - which scene / shot are you most proud of?
BOUYETT: I have a whole list but I’ll stick with my top two. The moment when Sar (Liv) picks up Hannah (Aly) and walks towards the camera while Hannah continues performing movement, and the scene where Hayley (Tris) is walking up the ramp to the Wilson Red Line stop and the camera’s turning. Those moments are some of my favorites as they show strength in two different ways: unity & solitude. In one moment there’s a friend lifting another friend up allowing her to flow freely, and in another moment someone who’s tired and feels alone is still putting herself out there. It echoes the message of the film: “limp in leap out”.
LUNA: What advice do you have for young filmmakers who are unsure how to get their start?
BOUYETT: Make what you want to make and do it well. Write down your ideas, flesh them out, watch DIY youtube videos, network, meet other people who share the same passions you do. It takes a village and no one person can get to where they want to go by themselves but you have to start somewhere, somehow. Also, be patient. Longevity is important.
LUNA: 2020 has definitely been a crazy year so far but it’s so important to continue to work on stuff and put this film out! Do you have any upcoming goals/plans you’d like to share?
BOUYETT: Yes, actually I’m also in the middle of post-production on another film called LYT (Living Your Truth) produced by Eleshia Simms-Harris that aims at destigmatizing conversations around mental health issues amongst POC and I’m excited to complete editing soon! We’ve been working on this film for some time now so it’s incredible to finally be at the end of the road for it. Aside from that I have a screenplay I’m revising and looking to pitch it somewhere someday. Hopefully all goes well!
