{"product_id":"how-to-work-with-animals-and-hire-an-animal-trainer-for-your-independent-project","title":"How to Work with Animals and Hire an Animal Trainer for Your Independent Project","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42c2cb; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: teal;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/15.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAny filmmaker who has worked with animals on set even once knows things can get complicated fast. Even actions as simple as walking a dog or petting a cat get tough when the animal is uncooperative or overwhelmed by crew, equipment, and multiple takes. No matter how small or independent your production is, it’s often worth it to bring on an animal trainer or handler when dealing with your furry (or scaly or feathery) castmates. And whether you have a trainer or not, it’s critical that you understand some key protocols and strategies to get the performance you’re looking for and keep the animal, cast and crew safe, comfortable and happy.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGetting a great animal performance for your project can be a huge boon, but there’s a lot that goes into this and a number of considerations you need to make ahead of time. Yet this side of filmmaking can feel fairly niche—it’s not something a lot of people in the industry are adept at, and it’s certainly not usually taught in film school. So where do you even start? Do you hire an existing animal actor or can you bring on your own pet? How do you find a good animal trainer or handler that doesn’t use adverse training methods? And what do you need to do to keep everyone safe and comfortable but still get the animal performance you’re hoping for? There’s a lot to consider, but knowing general safety preparation, protocols and strategies can make all the difference.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheresa Carroll is an accomplished animal trainer and coordinator with over 15 years of experience and credits on projects like THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, ANNIE and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.\u003c\/strong\u003e Starting her career by providing pet therapy at children’s hospitals, Theresa has since provided animal acquisition, training and set coordination for countless films, TV shows, theater productions and commercials. Her other recent credits include \u003cstrong\u003eMR. ROBOT, HIGH MAINTENANCE, THE LEFTOVERS, BILLIONS, POWER, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MYERS\u003c\/strong\u003e, and commercials for \u003cstrong\u003eAMERICAN EXPRESS, BLUE BUFFALO\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eNICKELODEON\u003c\/strong\u003e, among many others. \u003cem\u003eTheresa’s deep experience working with animals on many different projects of varying budgets and requirements has made her an expert in this field and given her a passion in ensuring animals and the cast and crew around them are safe and have positive experiences.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheresa will teach you how to safely and effectively work with animal actors for your independent production and bring in animal trainers or handlers to get the performance you’re looking for and keep everyone safe and happy.\u003c\/strong\u003e She will first explain h\u003cstrong\u003eow you should find and bring on an animal trainer\u003c\/strong\u003e, including when you need one, where you should look, what aspects you should focus on, and how much you should expect to pay. She’ll also outline \u003cstrong\u003ewhat you need to do ahead of production\u003c\/strong\u003e to prepare for shooting with animals, including \u003cstrong\u003esetting safely guidelines\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003einsurance\u003c\/strong\u003e, and proper \u003cstrong\u003edocumentation and paperwork\u003c\/strong\u003e. Theresa will then dive into\u003cstrong\u003e how to actually navigate the shoot day\u003c\/strong\u003e with animal actors and will show you \u003cstrong\u003ehow cast and crew should interact with animals\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ewhere to hold them,\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ehow to acclimate animals\u003c\/strong\u003e, and much more.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: teal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/18_11.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stage 32","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48056103502131,"sku":"","price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0700\/7728\/4659\/files\/image_65c5a82dae5d0.jpg?v=1707452464","url":"https:\/\/stage32.myshopify.com\/products\/how-to-work-with-animals-and-hire-an-animal-trainer-for-your-independent-project","provider":"Stage 32","version":"1.0","type":"link"}