3. Internet/Search engines
I was first introduced to the Virgin Media short, Rocket, when I was still unsure of what I
wanted to make for my short film.
However after watching the short I realized that I was also capable of doing something
similar (to a certain degree).
This was one of the only films, that were similar enough to match the brief that we had been
given, that I ended up finding.
Unfortunately after doing some research, I was unable to find any articles/interviews with
Jennifer Sheridan, the creator of the short film, where she talked about the filmmaking
process e.g., how she came up with the idea and executed it, how she was able to get her
dog to behave whilst filming simultaneously (since I thought that this would be important to
my own project because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do the same with my own dog).
It was difficult to find much information about the short film (I had to
filter the search engine by using specific words overwise nothing
would come up). I think that this is because it was from such as long
time ago compared to now (almost 10 years exactly) and since I had
already come up with an idea similar to premise of this already
existing short film, I was unable to find anything similar to evaluate.
4. A Man & His Dogs (Documentary) + Others
(Info taken from: 6 Great Dog Documentaries to Watch on Netflix - Puppy Leaks )
This is a two episode documentary on Netflix hosted by comedian and director Martin Clunes who looks to discover and
analyse the relationships between man and dog.
The documentary is unfortunately no longer on Netflix so I had to rely on clips from YouTube for this bit of research.
This documentary focuses on the relationship between dogs and their owners.
It shows us the behaviour of dogs and how that can be effected depending on their owner.
There are a number of shows related to dogs that also feature dogs in training (e.g., Crufts).
Crufts is a sort of talent show for dogs where owners and their dogs are tested to see how well behaved and trained they
are.
Comparing my dog to the ones seen of Crufts, my dog is not very well behaved and/or trained.
This could be a potential issue during filming since I may not be able to make him stay in a certain position e.g., there is a
scene in the film where I will need him to stay sitting down by the back door in my kitchen.
However I realized that one of the only ways to get my dog (and most dogs in general) to behave and/or get their
attention is to use treats.
This means that during the filming process I will need to make sure I have something to keep my dog in position or
distracted for long enough for me to finish my filming.
5. Personal Experience + What I intend to do
I do not have any personal experience with filming with dogs or even making any
form of product based around dogs in general.
The idea of creating my short film based around my dog was pitched to me during our
last day of brainstorming for ideas (since I couldn’t think of an idea that would 1. fit
the brief that we had been given and 2. was interesting enough for me to want to
create it).
I think that in the end the idea I have come up with is simplistic but matches well with
the brief (since no dialogue is allowed having a dog as my main actor means that I
don’t have to worry about dialogue or writing a full fledged script).
I intend to film my short film during the days we had been given (between 21st – 29th
March I believe). However since, during my time outside of college, I also have a part-
time job it means that I won’t be available on weekends (on weekends I would only
be available during the evening but since I want my short film to be shot during the
day it means that I have to do the filming during the weekday instead).
Since I have already finished writing my script, I am now able to focus on the planning
phase of my short film e.g., creating a filming schedule, finishing any other written
theory work.
8. INTERVIEW 1
Question 1: What do you think of short films in general? Do you like or dislike them? What sort of themes/genres
would you want to see?
Answer: I do like short films quite a bit. I don’t watch films too often since I don’t usually have spare time to watch a
2 to 3 hour film so short films are a lot better for me. I don’t really have a specific theme or genre that I like but
would prefer to watch a comedy or something light hearted over something serious like a documentary.
Question 2: What do you think about dogs in film? Do you enjoy films that feature dogs?
Answer: I enjoy watching dogs in film. They end up making films a lot more enjoyable since I love dogs in general.
Question 3: What do you think about a film that is about a dog or centred around a dog trying to do something?
Answer: I think that it’s a good idea. As I said before having a dog in a film makes it more enjoyable because you
don’t have to worry about things like bad acting or odd narratives.
9. INTERVIEW 2
Question 1: What do you think of short films in general? Do you like or dislike them? What sort of themes/genres
would you want to see?
Answer: I like any type of film to be honest. However I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch a short film specifically.
Question 2: What do you think about dogs in film? Do you enjoy films that feature dogs?
Answer: I think dogs can add more humour to films and improve the film in general.
Question 3: What do you think about a film that is about a dog or centred around a dog trying to do something?
Answer: I like the idea of a film being centred around a dog since you don’t see them so often in cinemas.
10. INTERVIEW 3
Question 1: What do you think of short films in general? Do you like or dislike them? What sort of themes/genres
would you want to see?
Answer: I wouldn’t go out of my way to see a short film to be honest however I don’t exactly dislike them.
Depending on what the film was about I would consider watching one.
Question 2: What do you think about dogs in film? Do you enjoy films that feature dogs?
Answer: I liked A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey, I thought that they both had a heart-warming message.
Question 3: What do you think about a film that is about a dog or centred around a dog trying to do something?
Answer: As I said before I liked films around dogs with a heart-warming message compared to depressing films.
