Junior Katelyn Lackner had been hard at work producing her own original short film: “The Barefoot Mailman: The Legend.” While most productions have a team to work on them, this film was solely created by Lackner, from writing, to filming, to editing. The film tells the story of two boys investigating a conspiracy theory in their hometown, only to discover the truth. After being in the works for about a year, the film’s debut took place on April 26, showcased in the local AMC theater, and will be released on YouTube this summer, June 13.
The initial idea for the film came up in May 2025. Lackner wished to tell a story about her hometown, spreading awareness of some of its history. With her previous experience in filmmaking, a short film was the perfect choice, and she was very eager to begin. “I [have] always wanted to make a longer short-film than I’ve usually made,” she said. “I had an idea in May, and I had just enough skills to start developing [it], but it was going to be a big take on.” Despite the commitment needed for this project, Lackner was determined to bring her story to life.
The film’s production officially began soon after. Writing the story and script was one of the first steps, and it’s one of the most significant parts in creating a film. “Never overlook writing,” Lackner said. “Writing scripts is so important [because] that’s where everything starts.” Writing out the script is important as it helps lay out your ideas and keep consistency for an engaging story. It also creates a foundation for how the story will be filmed, how characters will deliver lines, and how scenes will play out. Lackner wrote the script throughout the summer of 2025, finishing in the fall. Once the script was complete, she began preparing for filming.
Preparation for filming meant making sure all of the equipment was working properly. This was very important since it would help avoid future problems and reshoots. In addition, characters need to be casted, but Lackner already knew who she wanted for each role. Once everyone was casted and everything was ready, filming began in December 2025. The filming process took about nine days in total. Lackner found filming to be one of the easiest parts of production, calling it the “calm before the storm.”
The next and final step in production was editing. This is when the effects, sound, and recordings are put together to create the film. The first draft of the film was completed in February, and the final version was completed late April. Lackner found the editing process to be the most challenging, as it can be very tedious. “You can always just edit more and more and more,” she said, discussing the process. There are many little details in the film that need to be considered. “You can always recolor, [or] fix little nuances in sound.” Once the finishing touches were completed, Lackner was eager to showcase the end result.
The film’s debut wasn’t just a simple watchparty, it was a private screening at the local AMC theater. Lackner had contacted the cinema and was given the special opportunity to showcase the film on the big screen. Before the big event, she had to make sure everything worked accordingly. Lackner needed to recode the video into a different format suitable for the theater’s projector, and after school she’d go to the theater for a test run. After a successful run-through, Lackner was ready to invite guests for the showcase. Over 100 seats were filled up, and she was even able to invite Emmy-winner and cinematographer Ben Hicks to the screening. Lackner is pleased to see that her film has created a sense of comradery and community while giving people a source of enjoyment and fulfillment..
One of the biggest challenges of creating the film was having to juggle everything around. Besides the actors, Lackner was the only person to work on it– being the writer, director, cinematographer, and editor. It was especially difficult to balance the production with school. “You’re going to school, you wake up at 5 a.m., you get ready, and you leave [for] school at 6:30,” she said. “Sometimes I’d stay up until 3 a.m., wake up at 5 a.m., go to school, have a test that morning.” Another major challenge was limited resources. With everything being paid out of pocket, there was a very limited budget. Despite these challenges, Lackner pulled through and successfully completed the production.
After all of her hard work, Lackner is proud to see her film completed and on the big screen. Her journey throughout the film’s development showcases how passion and determination can go a long way, even if it’s a solo endeavor. To aspiring filmmakers, Lackner says to “Never feel discouraged… if you want to make something, make it, even if it’s hard or even if it’s challenging, [and] don’t give up.”
