Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW No charges will be filed in double-fatal crash on Interstate 5 ... Free well water testing for nitrate contamination offered in Central Point ... Our View: Three elections that matter right now ... No charges will be filed in double-fatal crash on Interstate 5 ... Free well water testing for nitrate contamination offered in Central Point ... Our View: Three elections that matter right now ... SOU CAPSTONE PROJECT Crowdfunding will send man back to India He'll return to an orphanage for 'Project Gudivada' Comment By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Sometimes, life takes you places you didn’t even know you wanted to be. Just ask Michael Bryant, a former Southern Oregon University offensive lineman from Salem whose snap decision in the winter of 2014 led to an 8,000-mile, life-changing journey that he plans to repeat very soon. In February 2014, Bryant was browsing the Internet when he came across a blog on Reddit that intrigued him. A Canadian man who had just graduated from high school was working at an orphanage in India. The man, named James Johnson, shared his story, the plight of the impoverished children there and described the orphanage and its inhabitants. As Bryant read, he realized he wanted to do something. When Johnson learned that Bryant was studying communication and digital media at SOU, he had an idea that floored Bryant. If Bryant was serious about helping, Johnson said, then he should come to Gudivada, India, with some video equipment and put his skills to use documenting life at Grace Orphan Home to help get the word out. “I was just kind of thinking, 'Wow, is this a real thing?' ” Bryant said Tuesday, recalling his moment of truth. “I wasn’t sure if it was possible.” It was. He flew across the globe a month later, shot 1,200 digital video clips totaling about five hours of footage, and now he wants to go back to direct a transmedia narrative titled “Project Gudivada” that will double as his senior capstone project. Through a successful crowd-funding campaign that had raised more than $10,000 as of Friday — beating the $8,000 goal — Gudivada appears ready for the planned five-week project. Sponsors will match every dollar donated up to $8,000, and those matched dollars will go directly toward the building costs of Grace Orphan Home, which will serve 80 children in Gudivada once completed, and a community center that will be equipped with sewing machines and Internet access. The most expensive item on the wish list is an Apple MacBook Pro ($1,849); the least expensive is a Pelican Case with padded dividers ($184.53). Before his $8,000 goal was met, Bryant said, “I’d be lying if I said I was 100 percent confident, but I really believe in the power of community. I believe in the power of individual action." A powerful example of both, he says, is Vijaya Babu, the founder of Grace Orphan Home. Babu was an orphan himself, but he escaped the slums of Gudivada and returned years later to lend a helping hand. “(Babu’s) parents didn’t have money to take care of him,” Bryant said, “but a family thousands and thousands of miles away did, and through that he was able to get clothes, an education, a good diet, and he grew up to be a man who wanted to go back to the slums after leaving it, to help. And that was just because of the contributions of maybe one person or a family, or a group of families. But that ripple over 30 years ago made a huge impact.” Bryant’s return journey will begin later this month. “Hopefully between Aug. 19 and Aug. 26 — Aug. 26 at the latest — I can (leave),” Bryant said. “If it is Aug. 26, then that’s only four weeks I can be there. If I wanted to go five weeks I’d have to dip into my first week of class. I think that could be doable, but it really just depends. It really depends on what happens while I’m there.” Bryant’s capstone project is as ambitious as they come. He plans to use transmedia storytelling — videos, pictures, podcasts and blog posts — to broadcast a Dalit community’s efforts to “break free from the unrelenting cycle of poverty” (in Gudivada, 118,000 people are packed into five square miles). Bryant will be producing and posting content daily so as donations come in those who contribute can witness the impact in real time. Bryant has plenty of experience hauling his camera into uncomfortable, stressful situations and capturing the drama that ensues, and not just from his previous trek to India. He also helped produce “Becoming,” a documentary that chronicles the Southern Oregon University football team’s drive toward the 2014 NAIA national championship. For that project, Bryant filmed emotional halftime speeches, mundane player meetings and plenty of game action, including a quarterfinal game in Helena, Mont., during which the subzero conditions were so extreme one player nearly lost a finger to frostbite. “I want to be transparent, I want to be honest,” Bryant said of his filmmaking philosophy. “I’m not looking to be sexy or provocative. I just want to try to tell people something that’s real and authentic. I believe their story is compelling enough.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501