CooPURRation
Sarah Cartlidge
CooPURRation is a short film telling this story of a teen girl who thinks she has it easy when her aunt hires her to cat-sit, but said cat isn’t about to put up with being ignored, and so he makes it his mission to get this girl’s attention.
![At the top is the word "CooPURRation" in a bubbly bright red font. The background is a gradient, dark purple at the bottom and fading to white at the top. A blonde girl and an orange and white cat stare at each other, their faces inches apart. At the bottom is the name "Sarah Cartlidge" in the same font as the title, but in white.](https://2021.theshow.ecuad.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/poster_coopurration_sarahcartlidge-662x1024.png)
Artist Statement
This film was directly inspired by my own cat, Snickers. Snickers can be a rather demanding cat, and if she wants your attention she makes sure that you know it. Although it can be annoying, it always makes me smile. With the Covid-19 pandemic going on, things have been rather depressing, and so I wanted to focus on something that was not only upbeat, but also without any huge worries. I wanted to make something cheerful and light-hearted, to be a short escape from the far more complicated real world.
![](https://2021.theshow.ecuad.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/snickers-242x300.jpg)
Snickers, the inspirational cat in question.
The Process
This film was a lesson in taking feedback and making version upon version to find what worked best. I started planning this film during a scriptwriting course I took in the summer of 2020, and it has changed so much since then, to the point that at least 2 minutes of screen time and an entire character have been cut. This film has gone through so many changes, but ultimately that process of working with whatever critiques and feedback were given has really improved it from what it started out as. And because of that, I am so very grateful to all my professors and classmates, for giving me the advice I needed to make this film the best it could be.
Film Stills
The cat stares up at the girl in indignation The cat demonstrates how to use the laser The girl pets the cat