He quickly swallows his chewing gum before he starts talking, with a small smile on his face. I pass the microphone to him, interested to know the story of this 19-year-old. Tapping his finger gently against the wooden rest of his chair, he observes the architecture of the Mount Holyoke Library intently before he answers my questions. An interesting fellow, I must say.

Michael Lipton, originally from Portland, Oregon and a sophomore at Hampshire College is a young film-maker blossoming in our Pioneer Valley today. Watching a 30-second trailer of his debut venture into short films, Loose and Away, had left me astounded, wanting to know more.

How did this interest in film-making come about? Why did he decide to come to Hampshire College? And what is it about the Valley that inspires this young film-maker?