Dogs in films and TV commercials

Having worked in film and commercial productions, I have to admit that's one of the most challenging jobs I have experienced.

The level of professionalism, the high standards and requirements that are part of the process are very demanding.

That applies to actors and supporting teams.

 

As for dogs; this can be amplified a lot.

For a TV commercial where the dog appears for a few seconds, the scenes must be repeated tens of times to get the right angle, the expressions etc.

 

For a film, that's long hours for many days.

In order to get the scenes, the director wants, the dog needs to be ready during the shots at any time.

Meaning that we need to shoot a scene 10–15 times (maybe 30 minutes), then wait for a couple of hours and back again for another scene, and all these multiple times per day for many days in a row.

 

For FLUX, the shooting took place for 7 days, 9–10 hours average per day.

To have a dog ready and in high motivation for such a long period needs superb management from its trainer.

        

 

For the TV series Tholos Vithos, we had only two scenes, but it took us a full day due to the fact that the actor in the scene with the dog was a 10 years old boy.

                                                                 

For a live TV program, I only had one shot.

 

All in all, for a well-trained dog, the shooting part is nothing more than another series of exercises that he has done before several times.

So the trainer's job is to try to simulate shooting conditions in training scenarios to get the dog to perform at its peak, just as it does with all the individual routine exercises.

All this, of course, with care for his well-being. Just as I wouldn't put my dog to work for search and rescue in a dangerous field, the same way I make sure all conditions during the shooting comply with the high standards I have for my dogs.