welcome
hello and welcome to my page! my name is bryn kelly, and i am a senior at mountain view high school and freestyle academy where i have been studying digital media and english with a concentration in film.
i have always been interested in art in its different forms, and freestyle has given me the opportunity to really delve into this interest. i have gotten to explore film, visual art, animation, photography, and music production, all while learning the software to do so. the ability to surround myself with so many other artistic and curious people at freestyle these past couple of years has truly been a gift.
when i’m not in school, i can usually be found either in a dance studio or with my nose in a book. i love to hike, do yoga, cook, write, and play word games as well :).
this year, i have gotten the opportunity to work as a PA on a couple of documentary films shooting in the area, one of which is set to premiere on ABC and stream on HBOMax next year! i have accepted and deferred my admission to Northwestern University, and plan to attend in the fall of 2023.
this coming year, i plan to do a combination of film work and travel. in july, i will be working as an intern on Wonderama, a kids TV show shooting in NYC, and then will be traveling to Turkey to work as an au pair in the fall. i hope to film a documentary short while i am there. this coming calendar year, i will be working on another documentary film headed for Tribeca, this time on the editing side.
genuinely, thank you so much for taking the time to review my work. i look forward to meeting you in person very soon!
“smile” zack jot documentary
in the spring of 2021, i had the opportunity to shoot a documentary short on professional dancer and viral TikToker zack jot. i knew zack a little through the hip hop dance community, but getting to sit and talk with him about his ambitions, successes, and passions was a magical experience.
at this point, the pandemic was still in full swing. i drove down to Santa Cruz with my mom and tackled the project head on, scouting locations, preparing interview questions, setting up cameras and microphones, and collecting b-roll. in the end, i had hours of footage to whittle into a 15-minute film. it took weeks of shifting notecards around like a giant puzzle to identify the most compelling story. from there, i wove together the video, audio, music, effects, and graphics to carry the viewer through the narrative. ultimately the film explored the joy that one authentic, creative individual can bring to many, even in dark times.
zack is now in LA working in the dance industry! he is collaborating with my dance idols and has been teaching at the Playground, one of the biggest studios in the city. it has been so rewarding to see him pursue his dream. i am a big fan.
you can watch the film below!
“reflections” a video essay
senior year has prompted a lot of introspection, forced both by the task of writing college application essays as well as my impending departure from home.
in english class this year, we explored lyrical essays, an art form which toes the line between fiction and non-fiction. in reading and writing these essays, we learned that even a traditionally structured form like the essay can be reimagined.
i am fascinated by the concept of creative non-fiction. i think there is real opportunity in blending aspects of documentary and journalism into narrative form. (which nomadland already did! i am excited to see what comes next)
for this video essay project, i had a lot of fun using film language and composition to work with the audio recording of my essay. it’s fun to see the way the tools i’ve learned in film class can be applied to different things.
the video is below :).
“planet her” music video
this project was made outside of the freestyle program, but i wanted to attach it for fun. i produced 3 videos for MVHS’s homecoming court this year, and this was my favorite of them.
the two girls in the video are some of my best friends, and we had the most fun shooting this in just around 4 days. i had less fun editing it in 1 ;).
growth
two years ago, i had never picked up a camera. it’s hard for me to express how grateful i am for freestyle and everything it’s done for me.
when i was little, i always said i wanted to be an author, but i knew that wasn’t quite right. i loved writing and visual art and working with people and creating stories and trying to make people smile. author was the closest i could get. i just knew i wanted to make things.
through freestyle, i’ve discovered so many different avenues to making art, and more importantly, i’ve discovered that i don’t have to do it alone. the process of creation can be lonely. writing is definitely lonely. but at freestyle i found out just how many opportunities there are for collaboration within it.
i am so excited to continue developing the skills i’ve gained at freestyle and seeing where they take me.