Associate Professor, Dr. Sara Ross, has taught in Dingle, Ireland multiple times and was captivated by the talent of the locals. Inspired by this, she wrote “Whiskey: The Musical,” her debut short film.
“The area is spectacularly beautiful, and there is so much talent packed into this small town, including filmmakers, actors, musicians and dancers. So I was inspired to write something that would reflect that community,” said Ross.
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Behind the scenes of “Whiskey: The Musical” in Dingle, Ireland.
“Whiskey: The Musical” is about a woman who enters a whiskey-making contest, and travels to Dingle to compete.
“I started working on the script and other aspects of development in early 2023, and Prof. Todd Barnes joined me as the producer,” said Ross.
As a professor at Sacred Heart, she focuses on women in film, as well as film aesthetics and storytelling.
Also serving as Sacred Heart University’s (SHU) Film and Television Master’s Program (FTMA) Co-Director, Ross wanted to give students a new opportunity.
“We wanted to give our students an opportunity to be part of a film production on a professional level,” said Ross. The crew filmed overseas in various locations around Dingle, working in collaboration with students at Kerry College.
It added a degree of difficulty, but it was very fun. The fact that we were able to work with Kerry College students added so much to the experience,” said Ross. “I think one of the things that is very valuable for students is to have some intercultural experience and learn how to work with people from different backgrounds. The faculty and students from Kerry College were amazing to work with.”
The crew worked with American, Irish and Ukrainian citizens over the course of five days of filming.
Sacred Heart alumna Steph Patella played supporting role Lacey, whom she described as a “fun loving character, but also very driven.”
“I was first drawn to Lacey when I read the script. I was able to take past roles; I played Sharpay in ‘High School Musical’ in high school, and a character called Emily in another short film, and just blended those character experiences together to create Lacey,” said Patella.
Despite being an alumna, Patella was still on the email list for casting calls. After being forwarded a casting call by the FTMA, she saw it as a new opportunity.
“I never got the chance to study abroad in my undergrad, so I saw this as an opportunity to do a short film in a completely new place,” said Patella.
Only having known Ross previously as a professor, Patella was excited to work with her in another light, through the screenwriting and directing lens.
“I really admire her a lot. I love how much passion she had for this project, and it was really cool to be a part of her debut,” Patella said.
Patella worked with other members of SHU faculty as well, including Barnes as producer, Ally O’Brian as the production manager and Zeke Hawkins as the assistant director.
Filming overseas, the cast and crew had new experiences and met new colleagues.
“One of my biggest takeaways was working with Kerry College. They got to learn from us and we got to learn from them,” said Patella.
Rain and international travel both added challenges to the filming process. “There were a lot of challenges, but it amazed me how successful we were with just rolling with it when things got complicated and we needed to update our plans,” said Ross.
Now that filming has concluded, the film has entered the post-production phase, where editing takes place.
“We have had students involved in every phase of the process. We had them involved in pre-production and on the shoot, and now they’re helping with post-production as well as with marketing and promotion, so the project involves students from a variety of disciplines at every level,” said Ross.
As the film begins to come together, the image that Ross created in her mind is coming to fruition.
“This was my first time as a director, and it was a thrill. It’s challenging, and fun, and exhilarating, and exhausting all at the same time,” said Ross. “I had a really clear idea of what I wanted to accomplish, but it takes a team to make that happen.”
The FTMA focuses on a collaborative environment for students to create with one another. “Whiskey: The Musical” is an opportunity for graduate students to experience overseas filming and producing.
The short film will be entered into film festivals, but not before allowing the cast and crew to premiere their film for their community.
“We will definitely premiere the film and make sure the SHU community has a chance to see it,” said Ross.
