On Campus News

Interview with Sara McGuirk, a film student at the University of Notre Dame

By Naomi Laeuchli
posted Nov 6, 2012, 05:20

Sara McGuirk, a student at the University of Notre Dame, filmed the short �Valentrippin� for a class project. McGuirk talks about the importance, during the filming process, of adapting and changing to situations as they occurred.


Can you please tell me a little about your short film �Valentrippin�?
I wrote �Valentrippin� the week before Valentine's Day and was inspired by Amos Lee's song �Sweet Pea�, before anything else. The film hinges upon a young Romeo's quirky quest to make his love known. The object of his affection is totally oblivious to him and, ultimately, it takes a swift kick of fate to bring them together.

Was �Valentrippin� made for a class? Can you tell me about the project and the experience of shooting the film?
I was supposed to shoot a 5-minute non-sync narrative--so basically, no dialogue or diegetic sound. The writing process really took shape around my song and then branched out from there. My leads, Lauren McGrath and Mike Rooney, had actually been going out at the time so it was an easy choice based on their chemistry alone. I shot the whole sequence over 3 days and spent about 24 hours in post altogether. I fiddled with the first 40 seconds for what seemed like eons just to create the feel of his sort of, back-and-forth desperation to articulate his feelings. The kid is frustrated, writing goofy valentine-y type mush--but I really wanted to piece it together so that you feel not only his frustration, but his genuine care for this girl. They each really get their moments when he's writing the letter and she's reading it--and, for two people with zero acting experience, they really came through.
For some behind-the-scenes moments: when Mike was writing the letter, he had to use his left hand (despite the fact that he's a righty) because I'm a left and had storyboarded the whole sequence with that in mind--when it came time to shoot, I couldn't re-frame it for a righty. Also the final trip scene was supposed to be interior, but it had just snowed and I kind of said to myself "Hey what the hell!" and went with it because the setting was too gorgeous not to use. Among the cast, our absolute favorite shot is Mike's googley-eyed, fade-away gaze at about 2:30; he's been endlessly mocked for it, but it was just so puppy-love that I had to leave it in.

What was the biggest thing you learned from the experience?
Being open to change as a filmmaker and adapting to whatever is thrown at you will really make or break a project. I can't say enough about pre-production, visualization and storyboards because, without delving fully into every aspect of your visual story before you go out and shoot, you don't have that 360-degree perspective of what it is you're telling and how you want to tell it. Without internalizing the details of your vision, you won't be able to adapt when you're thrown a curveball--and believe me, you will be! And then, while shooting, make your life easy: shoot a mastershot, give your shots breathing room and always get some safety-net takes.

�Valentrippin� was shown at the 23rd Annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival, which shows student films made during the year. What was it like having so many people watching your finished film? And did the experience offer you any useful feedback and thoughts on how to approach your next short film?
During the festival I found myself watching the people watching my film and that's the cherry-on-top for a filmmaker. Actually creating it is enough of a pleasure--I didn't even have much of an urge to show it--but witnessing its effect on an audience is like nothing else. There's no other medium where you can actually create tangible dreams, where you can fully fashion an idea exactly as you had envisioned it. From the feedback, I learned that one good sentimental piece is enough...wouldn't want to become that fluffy, romantic-comedy girl pining away behind a camera. My next short film promises to be a dark, surrealist bit.