For millions of people, the Rose Parade is “America’s New Year Celebration.” But some people don’t realize just how much work happens behind the scenes to bring the elaborate floats to life.
Even Bryanna Reynolds had little understanding of what goes into creating the floats — until she decided to document it.
“My understanding of the parade was the (Jerry Seinfeld) ‘Bee Movie,’” Reynolds said. “I did not realize the magnitude of people who are involved and how thousands of volunteers come together.”
Reynolds began filming and directing “The Last Eight,” a short documentary that chronicles the final eight hours of the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association (BTORA) volunteers assembling thousands of flowers and dry materials to the “All Paws on Deck” 2026 Rose Parade float.
Filmed during Deco Week in December 2025, the 18-minute documentary also explores the value of community service and creativity while examining how shared purpose and connection can contribute to individual well-being and mental health.
“The primary focus was those last eight hours,” Reynolds said.
Raised in Melbourne, Australia, Reynolds has held a camera in her hand ever since she was a child. She moved to Los Angeles in 2019 on a Green Card to fulfill her lifelong passion of filmmaking.
“I would ask my teachers, can I make a video essay instead of making a (written) essay and they would let me,” Reynolds said.
In April 2025, Reynolds was playing bingo when she met Terri Coomes with the BTORA. Shortly afterward, Reynolds began volunteering with the non-profit organization at their float site at Burbank Water and Power.
“We do everything on a volunteer basis,” said Coomes, a BTORA board member and chairperson for the decorations committee.
Coomes said BTORA is one of six organizations in California that builds its own floats. During Deco Week, more than 1,000 local and out-of-state volunteers participate in the decorating process.
“Our self-built floats do add a little more and very thankful for our community of volunteers that help do this year after year,” Coomes said.
The “All Paws on Deck” theme also tied into Reynolds’ professional and personal life.
“I had worked on a documentary for the Discovery Channel that was based around treasure hunting and the (Burbank) theme was a pirate ship,” Reynolds said. “I also have a pirate ship tattoo on my arm…it was right time, right place.”
During Deco Week, Reynolds juggled sorting dry materials and filming the last eight hours of the float being assembled.
“I never did an independent documentary,” Reynolds said. “I love capturing stories that are authentic.”
Decorating the float also came with torrential rain. The last time it rained during the Rose Parade was in 2006, according to the Tournament of Roses website.
“If you want to do something no matter what the environment is, make the dream happen,” Reynolds said. “It’s very intense when the judges come in and last year was very hectic with the pouring rain.”
Coomes added that despite the downpouring rain, the volunteers were still in high spirits.
“I was saying, all hands on deck and that would happen at a moment’s notice,” Coomes said. “When our float went down (the route), it looked just as beautiful as when it left out float site.”
By the time filming wrapped, Reynolds had 20 hours of footage to edit into the 18-minute documentary.
“It was hard to cut down and condense,” Reynolds said. “I wanted to create every part every part tells a fascinating story.”
Reynolds launched the documentary through her independent production company, Jurassic Spud Productions.
“I love dinosaurs, Steven Spielberg and potatoes…I need a company name that used everything,” Reynolds said.
The world premiere of “The Last Eight” will take place Aug. 30 at the Angeles Documentary Film Festival at The Broadwater in Hollywood. The documentary is also scheduled to appear at other international film festivals.
“I felt immensely proud also of myself for creating an independent short documentary that is getting recognized in an industry that feels like it is slowing down,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the most important lesson she learned during the documenting process was patience.
“As a television documentary producer, I would interject and this was a step backwards with everything unfolding naturally,” Reynolds said.
Coomes said she is grateful for the film’s exposure so the public can understand the decorating process.
“If we don’t have volunteers, we don’t have a float, even with the last eight hours,” Coomes said.
Reynolds said she hopes that documentary encourages people to volunteer.
“That’s the main message…I would love for people to get back their roots by volunteering,” Reynolds said. “We are connected digitally as a society and volunteering (in-person) connects people in real life.”
Reynolds plans to volunteer with BTORA again for the 2027 Rose Parade.
“I’d love to volunteer around Christmas,” Reynolds said.
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