"Life is something IMAX." ~ Childish Gambino

BRYAN HOULIHAN JOHNSON

FILMMAKING

FILM PROJECTS from my time at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (2018-2022)

My Projects (Directed / Edited)

REPOSE

1. REPOSE (2019) – Rocky is struggling with Social Anxiety and overwhelm at a gathering. He retreats to the bathroom and reflects on how he got here. – I got to screen this First Year, Second Semester final at Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio.

2. LIVING SOUNDS (2018) – Using CD’s from my collection to tell a story about life and art.

3. PASSAGE (2019) – A student overwhelmed with work finds himself caught in a loop. – This was a fun run-and-gun collaboration with friends to tell a trippy-story of cycles, with thrills and action. We got accepted into the Mad Royal Film Festival in 2020. This was being edited as COVID hit.

4. – [just like that] (2021) – A project exploring grief through the media that holds me.

5. vinyl (2018) – A story about choosing art or distraction. My first Midterm Project at OSU.

Collaborations (Co-Directing / Editing)

1. DIGITAL SPACE (2021) – A film about someone struggling with social isolation during COVID shutdowns in College, and what it means to try and connect with others.

2. Close Your Ears (2022) – A story about a producer haunted by a melody. For my Senior thesis, I edited a friend’s project.

3. why film? (2020) – A collaboration with a friend to explore what draws people to film – from our peers to our professors.

Mad Royal Film Society Projects (Co-Directing/Writing/Editing & Production Management)

1. A Real Murder (That Actually Happened) [2019] – Struggling Podcasters begin stirring up controversy and crossing the lines of investigation when they believe a husband killed his wife. – This was the second, semester film project, created with all the club Members of Mad Royal, that I was apart of. I ran production meetings, directed scenes, and helped new members feel like they have creative agency.

2. Mad Royal Film Festival (2022) – I got to edit together the Annual film festival screened at The Wexner Center of Arts, at Ohio State. I also have a film that got selected for the festival! You’ll have to watch to see it.

3. A Wilderness of Terror (2021) – 4 friends go camping into the woods. One is a filmmaker, documenting his rich friends, who soon finds himself surrounded by dark secrets. – Mad Royal hosts a film competition called “4 Weeks of Terror” where members are split into groups and given an OBJECT and a THEME. With those two things, we are then tasked with making a horror film. I edited this one, as well.

4. In Need of Direction (2019) – A director interviewing couples about their relationships finds herself in need of direction when it comes to her own romances. – The first semester project I was apart of when I joined Mad Royal my freshman year. I directed and shot scenes, and worked on the writing and editing team. I also have a role within the film!

5. CUTE AGGRESSION (2018) – Cute aggression refers to the almost overwhelming urge to do violence to an object that we find incredibly adorable, such as a young animal or a baby. – My first ever small group project with Mad Royal, also made my freshman year. I got to film scenes and co-edit with friends.

6. The Rush (2019) – Hanging out with a new group of people for a movie night takes unexpected twists and turns. – My first ever 4 Weeks of Terror project. It was my first time leading a production, and I learned a lot about production management and creating moments for collaboration.

Films I Worked On

1. LOUD (2019) – The world is already overwhelming. Imagine the responsibility of being able hear everyone’s thoughts… – I got to collaborate closesly on this indie short film with passionate peers. I was working closely with the director in assisting camera, set ups, and actors. My mom’s car is a star! I’m grateful to Olivia for inviting me on her set.

2. Last and First Woman (2021) – An astronomy grad student discovers a peculiar artifact coming from deep space. Her credulity is challenged by her colleagues and professors. Her desire to find out more drives her to lose her own humanity as she refuses to accept ignorance as bliss. – Another project I was luckily involved closely with, in helping this director bring their vision to life. It was a ragtag crew of 4-5 people, including actors, trying to make a story feel as big as the universe. I’m grateful to Adnan for inviting me onto his set. My mom’s car makes another appearance!