I'm sitting here with a goat that's eating my shirt, today on the Slanted Lens.
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Hi this is Jay P. Morgan.
Today on The Slanted Lens we're going to talk about shooting animals on set.
Some tips that I've learned over the years from shooting every kind of animal you can
imagine.
From tigers and lions and bears, literally, to horses and dogs and cats and even a goat,
who was just eating my shirt.
He is eating my shirt.
Let's get started and see what we can do.
Number one, design your shot around the animal.
What that means is leave a place for the trainer to be, so they can see the animal.
Get your lighting out of the way so that there's a clear view to the trainer, so that the animal
has a clear view to be able to work with the trainer.
This goat is eating my arm.
Like he's just really excited about licking my arm.
Number two, the secret to good animal photography on set is the look of the animal.
Where is the animal looking?
Where's the animal looking?
Is he looking at the camera?
Do you want him to look at the camera?
If you want the animal to look at the camera you've got to get the trainer or the owner
as close to the camera as possible.
I mean as close as possible.
That's the only way you're going to get the animal to look back at the camera.
If you want them to look at an object or something else on set, you've got to get the trainer
or the owner on the line of sight of that object on set.
So as they look at the trainer, it looks like they're looking at the person or the object
that you want them to look at in set.
It's a strange kind of pedicure, elbowcure [SP].
Just get your elbow kind of worked on there, feels good.
So a good animal trainer is a fabulous ally when you're working on set.
They understand the animals, they understand the pace of the animals.
Talk to them when they arrive on set.
What's going to happen here, this is where we're going to be.
What do you suggest?
How can I get this look I'm looking for?
Make them your friend.
Make them your ally in that process because they want their animal to work as well, they
want their animal to do well, so if you work with them and follow their lead they'll help
you get the shot that you want to get.
I think he's bathing my other arm.
When we went out to shoot hippos on set one time, we wanted to have a shot where the hippos
had their mouth open.
Well we weren't sure how we were going to get that shot.
So we took our dog trainer with us, and he, on a stick, tied a string, with a little bit
of straw on it and he would hang it out in front of the cage, in front of the hippo's
nose, when the hippo'd go to take a bite of the straw, he would throw half an apple in
the hippo's mouth.
Well after 10 minutes those hippos stood there ... with their mouths wide open.
You know, we couldn't get them to close their mouths.
Number four, for video keep the shot as simple as possible.
Don't have the cameras moving and all kinds of stuff going on.
Keep it very, very simple so you can concentrate on the animal, their look, and their performance.
When we shot Playology it was a very difficult shot because the animal wants to be looking
at the camera but the camera's moving as well.
So we've got several things happening at once.
We've got a trainer, and a dog trying to look at the camera, and so you've got all those
things trying to happen at one time.
It makes it very, very difficult.
Number five, use a treat, they love a treat, they hang around for a treat.
When the animal's on set, be laser focused.
Even wild animals that are supposedly trained, which means they basically won't kill anyone,
you don't ever want to turn your back on a predator.
Always face them, be looking at them, make sure that they know you are there and that
you are not going to surprise them, or that you're not going to look vulnerable as you
turn away from them.
One of the times I was shooting a tiger on set, the trainer told me be careful because
if you're not paying attention to the tiger, the tiger will basically turn around and it
will spray you which is like getting peed on.
So I'm pushing the cages and trying to get the tiger into place because the other tiger
wasn't working, and I look up all of a sudden and there's the tiger's rear end, and he's
spraying me right in the face and down my shirt.
I mean it was gross, I stunk, our cat was scared to death that night when I went home
wondering who in the world...what animal just moved in.
So you've got to be careful around animals.
Number seven, be patient and work on the animal's time frame.
They're gonna want to move around, they're gonna not want to work, you're going to have
to give them time to rest, get a drink, and come back on.
Just be very, very patient.
But...
Number eight, be ready.
I can't tell you the number of times I've missed a great moment because I'm not concentrating.
The animal's there and I'm thinking well they're not really doing the right thing and then
all of a sudden they snap to and they do something really cool and I missed it because I'm not
concentrating.
If you can get your strobe set and be all bop, bop, bop so you can do several shots
in a row you're going to get much better shots for your animals when they're on set as they
move, as they do things, they get great expressions.
Shoot on bursts and for video keep the cameras rolling.
So number nine, probably the most important one of this entire list is get rid of every
single distraction.
That means people walking in the room, people talking, cars driving by, anything is going
to distract the animal if they're not used to it.
Animals want to protect themselves so they're very attuned to the noises and the things
going on around them.
So when someone walks or drops something or picks up something or whispers over in the
corner, they become very kind of focused on that.
So you've got to get everyone to settle, stand still, even for a still shoot, be very quiet,
and then you can work with the animal and start to get the things you want.
You'll be amazed how much more focused the animal gets when the room becomes very quiet
and very controlled.
You get their attention and things work much faster.
This goat is now eating my pants.
So there's some tips on how to work with animals on set.
You know, I learn every time I shoot with an animal I learn something new, every single
time.
I love working with animals, I don't mind the patience it takes to work with them.
I think they're a lot of fun and when you get the right shot they are just absolutely
amazing, very sweet.
So keep those cameras rolling.
Keep on clicking.
Our Stop Motion download from Trisha Zemp has been one of the most popular downloads
we have ever done and Tricia is back with a longer two and a half hour workshop, Advanced
Stop Motion Techniques.
You'll love the things she talks about, a tasty video, the B&H logo, some great techniques
on how to light, and how to use Dragonframe, so get over to theslantedlens.com and check
it out.
You did a great job Woody, you did a great job Woody.
Number three, if you want your goat to stand here, you've got to scratch him on the head.
Come over here, come closer.
Come closer.
Really feels good.
He did eat my shirt.
You did eat my shirt.
I have a really good friend named Woody.
Woody, this goat's named Woody.
My two best friends.