Project Spotlight: 'Pre Face', a Short Film about Self-Discovery
Sarah Gallegos is a writer and filmmaker based in New York. She is passionate about exploring the "grey areas" and challenging traditional storytelling narratives and structures. Through her work, she is continuously delving deeper into investigations of self-discovery. Her short film Pre Face is a dramedy short about the transitional phases young adults feel in their lives. Our main character looks at her life, compares plans with friends and folks in her town, undergoes drastic physical change, and tries to define what she wants her present and her future to be. Finding yourself is a life long journey of authenticity and choices and in this project spotlight we live out one young woman’s experience. As relatable as it is funny and quirky, Pre Face is a beautiful showcase of Sarah’s talent and we were excited to speak with her more about the process!
How did you start your journey in filmmaking?
I started making films when I first moved to NYC in 2016 after graduating from Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the UK, where I studied Acting. In a city where I felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the artistic industries in which I wanted to be involved, writing and making films was a way for me to have some autonomy in my creative expression. When I wasn’t beholden to finding a way “in”, I found freedom in following my creative impulses - which led to incredibly fulfilling artistic experiences. As I continued to build a foundation of work, I discovered a passion for film which to this day keeps me intrigued and excited to learn and do more.
How did “Pre-Face” come to be?
When I first moved to the city, I felt out of place - very aimless and uncertain. I was riding the subway a lot commuting to my many, many side gigs and spent a lot of time reflecting. I realized this wasn’t the first time I’d felt this way - when I first graduated high school I experienced similar feelings of aimless uncertainty about who I was or what I wanted. I was inspired and began writing - it was the first thing I had ever really written, and there were about 20 or more rewrites from the time I began writing it to the time we started shooting. Pre-face was my Intro to Filmmaking Class 101.
What role do you enjoy more? Writer / Director? How do you juggle the two?
I love both roles although I am definitely very intimidated by the technical aspects of directing for film. I do love, LOVE, working with actors though, and am beginning to hone my “voice” as a director as I learn more about the craft, and begin to form aesthetic opinions. Generally though, I am not super interested in directing things that I haven’t written. Along with screenplays, I also write 'play' plays, and recently poetry, so I think at this moment in time, I am enjoying writing more.
What creative decisions are you most proud of in this film?
I am proud of a lot of the creative decisions I made while making this film, but probably the choice I am most proud of is the terrible haircut that Hannah has. The actress who played her, Alexys Hewitt has beautiful long brown hair and it was my challenge to find a wig that fit my very small budget that would look authentic enough to look like Alexys’s actual hair. I had to devise a plan as to how to orchestrate the scenes where her hair is being cut as well as how the wig was “designed” for the aftermath, especially when she is in the bathroom. There was a combination of logistics and wig magic that went into making these moments feel realistic and I was very proud of how that all turned out.
Were there any production challenges while filming that you had to swiftly adapt to?
I shot the first half of the film in November 2019, with plans to raise more money to shoot the second half in 2020. Then Covid hit and I had resigned myself to the possibility that I would never be able to finish the thing. But my DP reached out to me at the end of the summer of 2020 and lit a fire under my ass. There was one magical weekend in September where all the stars aligned logistically and so I leaned in and busted ass to organize a shoot; including some massive rewrites to the script, casting new roles, raising funds - all within the month.
I was extremely nervous because of the Covid of it all (this was before vaccines), and solely shouldered the unpleasant weight of responsibility for the health and safety of the entire cast and crew. Luckily the shoot was outdoors, but four people and I had to travel from NYC to New Hampshire (where we were shooting) in a car and stay the weekend in an AirBnB together. I’ve never been so nervous for an entire weekend. I was juggling trying to run the shoot as well as make sure we were maintaining proper Covid protocol. It was extremely intense but we pulled it off - safely!
How did you decide on this title?
I see this film as the preface to the origin story of the main character, Hannah. She is a lump of clay, barely a shell of a human being, and the moments in this film are her first moments of twitching existence as an autonomous resident of Planet Earth. When I was younger, I always mispronounced the word preface, and felt the title PRE face was a nod to childish naivete. So in sum, pre-face is a play on the word preface - emphasis on the PRE before the face, you dig?
What message do you hope audiences get from this film?
This film is a love letter to that awkward in-between time that happens in the midst of life transitions. My hope is that audiences can see a little of themselves in this painfully cumbersome moment - maybe they can recall a terrible haircut, a naive conversation with friends, or the first realizations of a world larger than one’s immediate view. This film is an affirmation that nothing is forever, fugly haircuts grow out, and there will always be a sunrise on the horizon.
Any advice for other rising women and nonbinary filmmakers?
My best advice is to get specific about what kind of artist you want to be - what kind of art you want to make. What lights your fire? I believe having a strong connection to this inner truth is an invaluable guide to navigating life in general, and especially how we ‘rise’ within the film industry. I constantly have to remind myself about this. It can be scary to live in such a constant state of uncertainty with questions like “am I good enough?” or “what if this doesn’t work out?” and I have definitely caught myself just slapping out applications for any gig/residency/fellowship/film festival out of sheer desperation and FOMO. This is such a waste of energy! I’m trying to be a little more mindful and meditative with how I use my energy, and making sure the things I am shooting for truly align with what I am passionate about. Trust the process and follow your heart. I believe in you :)
Keep up with Sarah’s work on her website: https://www.sarah-gallegos.com/