Pup-arazzi!
CELEBRITY SNOOP DOGS How a ‘pawsome’ new show offers a dog’s-eye view of celebrities’ homes
NEW FRIDAY / C4 / 8.30PM / EP 1 of 4 / FACTUAL behind the dog’s head, and we send him or her off into three or four rooms that help to define or characterise the owner.
Are any other cameras used during the making of the programme as well as the ‘doggy-cam’? Yes, because you need different vantage points in order to give an understanding of the home’s style, and to see the dog itself. So there are remoteoperated cameras in each room, and the owners also do some filming on some hand-held cameras.
What have you learnt about working with dogs?
You can’t ask a dog to take a break! They get terribly excited and, like humans, have their peaks and troughs. Particularly after lunch!
What mishaps occurred thanks to your canine camera operators? Bowls have disappeared off breakfast tables, shopping bags have been tipped over and their contents strewn across the floor, and the insides of wardrobes turned upside down! Also, some dogs just walk into a room, lie down and go to sleep – and that’s all you’re going to get from them!
What research did you do into working with dogs?
A friend of mine knows an animal expert who worked on Game of Thrones for many years. He advised me on doggy welfare, behaviour triggers, the role of the owner, and how to motivate a dog and maintain its interest level. So I’ve got a couple of tricks up my sleeve!
Can you tell us what sort of dogs we will be seeing?
We’ve had a Lhasa apso, a Labrador cross and a pug – so a selection of large and small dogs. They didn’t look like their owners – whether or not they behaved like them, I don’t think I can say! But they all ruled the roost.
How has lockdown affected the production?
With all the restrictions we faced, it’s been a learning curve. The crew dropped the equipment outside the property and the owner had to bring it inside, position it and check it worked. With the filming they do as well, they’ve had a lot of work to do! But I think they’ve loved doing it.
Were the dogs generally well-behaved?
In some homes, the dog was well-trained, and would come into and leave a room as instructed by the owner. On other occasions, they ignored what they were told to do – often to the surprise of the owner. They’d tell us, ‘He’s never normally like this!’
Did you have to remove obvious clues about the owners?
Yes! But we’ve tried to make it fun for the viewers, so if you’re familiar with a celebrity, you’ll spot a few clues lurking in the back of the shot. We also tried to include a few things you might not know.
How do you convey a sense of the dogs’ personalities?
At the beginning of each tour, you need to establish who this dog is by showing their domain – gardens, fields, anywhere they feel at home.
What was the worst piece of doggy behaviour you filmed? One dog wolfed down a bowl of pasta – that was one of the naughtiest things, for sure!
You ignored the adage about never working with kids or animalsé
I suppose in some ways children and animals are quite similar
Top dog: This canine
camera operator shows us how it’s done
in that they don’t absorb the information you’re giving them! You always face new challenges as a director, and this is the first time that I had worked with animals, but I would definitely do it again. It’s been an unusual experience, but it’s been great fun!