Dogs, dogs and more dogs! In 2019, three Camera Ops and one Sound Op traveled to Palm Springs to shoot and audio-mix the live-streamed 4-1/2 hour American Kennel 2019 Dog Show. I manned Camera #2.
It was quite a fascinating experience. This was my first dog show. The number of canines was impressive. Over 7,000. Also, when you think of Palm Springs, you picture lots of sun. What are the odds that it would be cold and rainy? It was a good idea to place pop-up tents over that expensive equipment. Also, good thing we packed down vests along with down jackets, warm hats and gloves.
We camera ops spent 4-1/2 hours in our director’s chairs shooting every imaginable type of dog. I’m sure I missed some of the nuances, why the judges would choose one dog over another. But I noticed how handsome and poised the Best of Show winner, a Wire Fox Terrier, was. How fitting that his name was “King.”
If I had it to do all over again, I’d alert the judges to be more aware of where the cameras were positioned (to avoid the proliferation of “butt shots”), insert 15 minutes of time every hour and a half for the crew to take “bio-breaks” or have some water and snacks, and position lighting so there would not be the deep shadows that arose when the sun slid behind the mountains.
