It may have escaped your attention, but this month is National Pet Month. Yep, those little balls of fluff and feathers have a whole month dedicated to celebrating them and their numerous achievements – things like making a right racket when the postman comes, or scratching your dear ol’ nan when she tries to pet little Buttons.
Ok, in all seriousness though, as it’s National Pet Month, we thought it’d be a great time to look at how best to capture those perfect pet moments. After all, they’re a part of the family, right? So you want to show them in their best light! With that in mind, here are our top tips for turning Sylvester into a star.
Plan Your Movie
Your beloved furball has a set routine, right? And the more time you spend with them, the more predictable they’ll become – and that’s when you strike! Like a panther (A panther with a video camera, that is)! If you know your pet will always give you a certain look after trotting in through the back-door, or always-always-always bounces when the doorbell rings, then take advantage of that to get shots you want.
Use Natural Light
The last thing you want is to blind your pet with some fancy lighting set up – it’s not Rachel McAdams or George Clooney you’re dealing with here. Not only that, they may get distracted by all the extra gubbins you’ve set up, and anyway, pet videos should be simple and straightforward, so you can capture them the way they are when there aren’t any cameras pointed at them.
Have Patience
Hey, you there, you’re not a performing seal, are you? Well, neither is your pet – unless you’re a seal trainer, of course. Just take your time with your pet. Keep your camera at the ready for when they do exactly what you want, but don’t get mad when they don’t. Simply wait, bide your time and pretty soon they’ll do the very thing you’re trying to film.
Get on Their Level
Unless your pet’s a six-foot mountain gorilla, you’re going to want to hunker down to their eye-level. And there are a few good reasons to do this: you’ll be able to show them off far better if you’re low and close; your film will have more impact by entering their world; and it makes the movie more interesting than just lumbering over them.
Bribe Them
Ok, so shoving a purse full of tenners won’t cut it, but if you really want your pet to do what you need them to do, don’t be above bribing them with treats. It’s the ol’ carrot and stick routine – only instead of a carrot, you’ll be using dog biscuits or cat-food. Unless it’s a rabbit, in which case you’ll probably want to stick with the carrot.
Show That Personality
Everyone’s got a personality (Well, usually!), and it’s no different for your pets. That’s the whole point of filming them, isn’t it? So you can let people see your pet as they are around you – whether it’s a surly kitten or a rabbit that thinks it’s a dog. Shooting the moments that best exemplifies your pet won’t only let others discover who they really are; it’s also perfect for reminding you of all their fab ways when you watch the movie back in years to come.
We’ve all heard the old saying: Never work with animals or children. Well, with any luck, these tips will mean that working with animals is a total cinch. Of course, you may well be yearning now to watch some of your old home movies featuring your pets. If so, we can help. We’re pros at transferring video to DVD, so you can watch it in a modern format on your TV today. If that’s what you need, all you have to do is contact us on 0800 592 433 and we’ll be utterly delighted to help.