I NOW REMEMBER WHY I GAVE UP THE FILM BUSINESS...-- IT WAS INTERESTING and an advertising video........WE GOT THE SHOTS ( TEH CRITICAL PART) BUT I WAS VERY HAPPY TO GET IN THE CAR AND GO HOME. MEATY STEVE WENT WITH ME-- HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH FILMING AND WAS AMAZED TO SIT FOR 20 MINUTES WHIULE A WOMAN CARVED UP A YELLOW HIGH HEALED SHOE-- THAT WAS TEH PROP FOR TEH SHOT WITH BENTLY-- WHO WAS HAPPY TO LIE UNDER TEH DINING ROO0M TABLE AND TRY AND GET THE PURINA CANNED FOOD OUT OF THE TOE OF IT.-- HE HAD TO CHEW-- THEN RAISE HIS HEAD-- NOT TOO DIFFICULT.. BUT THEN... THE DIRECTOR THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A SIMPLE MATTER TO HAVE A DANE WALK UP TO A KITCHEN COUNTER WITH HOT DOGS ON IT AND HELP THEMSELVES TO ONE OF THEM- WELL NOT FOR A DOG LIKE SIZZLE WHO HAS BEEN TOLD EATING OFF THE COUNTER IS A NO NO-
THE DIRECTOR WAS SHOCKED TO THINK I NEEDED ONE HOT DOG TO TRY AND GET HER TO EAT THEM- APPARENTLY THEY HAD ONLY 6 HOT DOGS/WITH ROLLS... AND WANTED 5 OF TEHM IN THE SHOT-
TEH SHOT WAS SPECIFIC AND TEH DETAILS WERE HORRENDOUS. ALONG WITH NO HOT DOGS FOR PRACTICE,,,,,,,
THIS WAS AN OLDER HOUSE-- GEORGEOUS ---NEXT BUILDING TO IT WAS IN ENGLAND-- HUGE-- HAD A WONDERFUL ANTIQUE BATH TUB WHICH I KNOW I NEEDED TO FIND ONCE IN MY PAST CAREER
I ASSUMED BEING SO OLD THE KITCHEN COUNTERS WOULD BEteh lower 28-29 INCHES TALL-- WELL THIS PLACE WAS MEANT FOR THE LARGER/TALLER BECAUSE ALONG WITH 4 FOOT WIDE DOORS, THE COUNTERS WERE 36 INCHES-- AND ONTO THAT HTEY PUT ON E OF THOSE WOODEN CUTTING BOARDS ON "FEET" WHICH ADDED ANOTEHR 2 INCHES... NO WAY COULD SIZ REACH THE HOT DOGS WITHOUT PUTTINGHER FEET ON THE COUNTER-- BUT THAT WAS NOT THE" REQUIRED SHOT... " SINSE HER FEET WERE NOT IN THE SHOT, I CALLED FOR And got "an apple"
an apple in teh film business is a very storong box of reeguloation size with handle holes maybe 8 x 12 x 20 maybe-
sizzle had no trouble stepping up on th at box and certainly looking at th hot dogs-
here is where i got bad...-- with much encoughment she knocked one onto teh floor-- now the director in an effort to preserve his 6 hot dogs grabbed it away from her- she looked at me like.. "i thought..." so after that , she was really confused--- she would run up and get on teh apple and look at me... not the hot dogs right in front of her nose.. so we smeared tehm with purina canned food on teh off camera side and she did slightly better-- but still avoiding teh hot dog and roll. finally she ate one- swallowing it whole ( so teh director did not take it from her???)
technically-- i was also the problem... because as she did teh first opart of coming around the tale and headding for the hot dog counter,, i said "good girl"-- i shoujldhave said nothing-- because she got inthe habit of stopping where ihad said good girl. looking back.... i think if i had just called her and said
"ok" it would have released her from her "under command" type behavior..a nd she might have decided it was ok to eat the precious hot dogs.
mean whiloe jimminey and stitch had a fun car ride and lots of people talking to them out the back window-- we never did them- they certainly were puppies.. but they were bigger than the jack russell who likve there-- and teh neighbor's pug who happened in.
steve and i ate some of our earnings at the next mcdonalds where i got 4 plain hambergers so we could feed the 4 "working dogs" teh meat patty and save teh rolls for peanut butter sandwiches fo r my next lunch.
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in retrospect.... on a movie set ( union job) no one is ever allowe to touch the animal or any of the animal props-- directors can get very focused on teh needed shot and forget---- this guy was very lucky- with both siz and teh hot dog and bentley with the shoe full of canned food - he grabbed tehm away from each dog-- he coudl hav lost his arm,-- and it would have been the dogs fault. !!
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i did a job once for houghlin mifflin school text book-- with a corgi-- and the director wanted to move the corgi over an inch- and did not ask her first so she bit his thumb badly ! it certasinly was not her fault--- i knew that dog-- wonderful dog -- did many great jobs with 'connie the corgi" i learned early with her-- you told her what was going to happen an asked her to do things- if yuo behaved - she did-- otherwise she bit you.. not a nip.... a bite. i had no problem with her... i learned
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FYI-- an apple is that sturdy box-- and a 1/2 apple is 4 x 12 x 20 --- a 1/4 apple is 2 x 12 x 20 and there is a pancake. 1 x 12 x 20 an absolute necessity on any film job .. along with a funny duct tape (? gaffer's tape?)that does not pull pain off where ever you stick it/-- and a kraft table for everyone has doughnuts coffee bannanas, tyelonol cream cheese and bagels.
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it is rough work even if it is alot of sitting around.
