Bradley Hughes discovered his passion for film and media production in the Digital Production program at Frenship High School. After graduating from FHS, he continued to pursue media production at the University of Texas in Austin. Since then, he’s laid down his roots in Fort Worth starting a production company,Tough Draw, and recently completed his first feature film: a documentary about the life of Lane Frost.
The film, "Lane: Life, Legend, Legacy” is centered around the life of Lane Frost, a bull rider champion and cowboy legend who left a legacy on the sport of rodeo and Western culture in several different ways.
Director Hughes created the documentary so that the story of Lane Frost would be told from the perspective of those closest to him. He shares that his inspiration came from watching the movie 8 Seconds as a young boy and crying during the film.
“It's one of the first movies I remember feeling emotion during,” said Hughes. “Growing up, I was always a huge rodeo fan. I was the kid at Gebo’s or Cavender's waiting in line for Tuff Hedeman's autograph. I pinch myself now because I am close with Tuff and have been accepted in such a big way by the rodeo community through video production, it's just humbling and a blessing honestly.”
Hughes knew that the story of Lane Frost was worth telling, and he wanted to share it from a unique perspective.
“When the opportunity arose to have the honor of telling Lane's story, it was an absolute no-brainer for me and my co-director, longtime friend, and business partner, James Trawick. It was a story about being in and around the sport you knew and were inspired by. It was THE rodeo Legacy,” said Hughes.
There are many elements to Lane Frost’s legacy that captured Hughes’ heart. As Hughes began on the filmmaking journey through Frost’s life, he gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the person Lane Frost was.
“The person Lane was and the impact that has been felt 35 years later, is phenomenal. There's no greater place to see or bear witness to it than talking to his widow, best friend, and parents. The way he lived his life and genuinely cared about people, was the main reason why we all still celebrate his life to this day,” said Hughes.
When Hughes spoke with the family of Lane Frost, it was evident that a major aspect of his life was left out of the 8 Seconds film. Lane’s faith and relationship with Jesus wasn’t included, and his family wishes that it would have been told. Hughes knew that this was something he didn’t want to shy away from and leave out of his story.
“Ms. Elsie, Lane's mom, wanted to ensure that ANYTHING done on Lane moving forward would be glorifying of the Lord and of the truth of Lane's story,” said Hughes. “She always takes every opportunity to tell people that Lane wasn't perfect, but he knew Jesus.”
Hughes credits his passion for filmmaking, directing, and storytelling to the Frenship High School Media and Broadcast Program.
“When I was a sophomore at Frenship, there was a student teacher named Andy Penney in my speech class,” said Hughes. “He told me that the next year he was going to start a media class/program at the high school and encouraged me to join. At the time, I had never had an interest in making films or anything like that; however, I always had a passion for watching films and storytelling. I joined the next year with him as my teacher and the rest is history.”
Gaining hands-on experience is something that Hughes believes is very important for high schools to have if they are interested in film production.
“The hands-on experience I had in the class, from the first project I edited, was a game changer. The first time you do something creative and hands-on like that, you find out whether you love or hate it. There's really not an in between. I think having the ability to have those hands-on experiences led me down the amazing path that I've had since high school,” said Hughes.
Hughes wants to encourage students at Frenship High School who are interested in following the media production path to take chances and cling to people who believe in you.
“If you want to pursue the film industry, you must be willing to take chances and most importantly you must be willing to fail,” said Hughes. “I think a big part of any journey in life that can be challenging is having a support group around you that believes in your ability and helps you focus on your goals to stay motivated even when things are challenging or not favorable. Always hanging onto the reason why you're doing it is vitally important.”
Hughes’ favorite part of the entire filmmaking process was forming relationships with those closest to Frost. He feels grateful to play a small role in letting their voices be heard.
“When I think about the process, the one thing that is still awe-striking to me is just the openness and vulnerability of so many people in this industry that knew and loved Lane to believe in us and our ability to craft this story for them. To be able to sit in front of these amazing people and conduct these interviews and be trusted, to me that's such an amazing gift and truly has made every up and down and the roller coaster the process can be worth it.”
When Hughes looks back on his life and his own story, he can’t help but feel filled with gratitude for the impact Frenship has had on him.
“Overall, I'm just grateful for what Frenship ISD and the community did for me from K-12 and the continued support that I always seem to get from the West Texas area. Whether it was being a proud Frenship Tiger playing sports or competing at the State and National levels for SkillsUSA or FBLA. Andy Penney, all my coaches, and my teachers contributed to the man I have become and I'm proud to call Frenship my alma mater.”
Hughes wants to invite the Frenship Community to view the documentary this Saturday, April 20 at the Cactus Theater beginning at 2:00 p.m. For ticket information, CLICK HERE.
To watch a trailer of "Lane: Life, Legend, Legacy”, CLICK HERE.