One-Marriage Pic Pact

Outtakes, the column with a heart, got this scoop from a friend and passes it on, even if Valentine’s Day is a week off:

Brian Thorvilson, 23, of Seattle wanted to surprise lovepal Terri McConnell, 21, with a marriage proposal. So the U of Washington English major, a video hobbyist, secretly shot a 2 1/2-minute film for about $25.

It starred himself, proposing marriage. He asked Seven Gables Corp. of Seattle if they would screen “The Proposal” at the company’s university district theater while he and Terri were on a date to see “My Life as a Dog.”

Seven Gables, known for supporting offbeat and quality films, agreed. The short, “amateurish in execution but creative in its style” and “heartwarming,” according to Dale Nash, assistant to the prez, appeared just after the coming attractions. It showed a headless man with an engagement ring rehearsing marriage proposals before a mirror.

Then, head attached but shot from behind, he heads for Terri’s house, where her mother tells him she’s at the movies. “What movie?” asks Thorvilson. Mom points to the camera. Thorvilson turns around, offers the ring, and asks, “Will you marry me?”

Out in the audience, Terri exclaimed, “Oh, my God! Yes!” The house lights came up, he slipped the ring on her finger and they left to cheers and applause.

(The couple still hasn’t seen “My Life as a Dog.”)

Said Thorvilson, “In our relationship, we try to do things out of the ordinary. I thought it (the film) would be fitting.”

Now, joked Seven Gables’ Nash, the company is waiting for the sequel--”The Divorce.”