Freedom
By Rachel Kelly & Lauren Thompson
There are many ways to experience this stunning short film. Close your eyes and listen to Rachel read her poem. Really try to soak up the meaning in the words. Or you can mute the sound and look at the amazing shots by Lauren. Think about how they were carefully chosen and pieced together. If you’d rather have something you can take with you on a piece of paper, try writing down the haiku and reading it to yourself.
Process
While creating this piece, Rachel and Lauren learned how to be flexible. After Rachel’s friend and Lauren could not meet on the designated day, Rachel decided to write a haiku for a different story the night before. Lauren was very excited to film the new idea. Rachel and Lauren felt happy when they completed the project.
Meet the Pair
MENTEE RACHEL KELLY & MENTOR LAUREN THOMPSON
Rachel’s Anecdote: Lauren has transitioned to a new job, and even with increased social responsibilities, she still has made time to meet. We have FaceTimed and met in person. We always meet at least once a week. She loves to share her knowledge of how to build a story and often stops me from jumping too far ahead. She is also very easy to contact and always messages back. Thank you, Lauren, for being an awesome mentor!
Lauren’s Anecdote: Working with Rachel this year has been a true pleasure. We usually meet at Park Slope Public Library in Brooklyn for our weekly sessions. It’s great because there are always new faces and lots of energy to get us going. Rachel is a joy to be around. She is a kind soul, a free spirit, and has a genuine laugh that bubbles to the surface. I really enjoyed learning about podcasting together and cocreating funny haiku. We also had fun collaborating on her multimedia piece about her favorite activity: ice-skating. I can’t wait to see her creativity soar!
Rachel Kelly
Rachel Kelly is a sophomore in high school who loves writing and film. She started a YouTube channel where she likes to show her short films. She also enjoys photography, bullet journaling and ice skating.
