About a year ago, I made the questionable decision to write and direct a short film featuring a dog, clearly, underestimating the perils of trying to get the canine on film. They wander out of frame. They don't hit their marks. They display the "backside" view. They get tired and lose their concentration. I did get through it without having to use anti-depressants. Or a tranquilizer gun. But I did go over-budget and nearly nuts. Determined not to make this same mistake again, I talked to some experts in the field, who gave me some invaluable tips on how to film dogs, cats and various other animals. I now pass them onto you. Does this mean that, someday, we'll all be ready to remake the Incredible Journey? Only time will tell.

A Pro Comes To The Rescue!

Ellen Goosenberg has been directing dogs for a number of years, often for HBO, sometimes for PBS and their Nature series. When it comes to directing the canine set, she's been there, done that.

"One of the first things I could tell you about working with dogs, is, 'Be Alpha!'" says this longtime pro. "Just as in the home, you must forge a relationship with your dog that establishes you as the unquestioned leader. That's where a lot of directors working with animals fail. If the dog doesn't know you're the boss, you won't get a decent day's work out of him. In other words you can have a professional or slacker. The choice is yours." Ms. Goosenberg adds, "Don't bond! If your dog (or potbellied pig for that matter) becomes your friend, you won't be able to get them to do what you want. They'll cuddle. They'll sit down at the wrong moment. As with human actors, be tough but fair. You need to be a general on the set and generals don't make friends with the troops!"

Arguably, the thing I wish I'd known before filming, Ms. Goosenberg told me after I was done. It sure would've saved me a bunch of gray hairs and my temporary dependence on anti-anxiety medication.

"I always tell filmmakers, to 'Stay Wide!'" she says, as serious as a Bergman film. "Don't start with your close-ups. Get all your master shots first. If you need reaction shots, close-ups of eyes, smiles, nostrils, get them when you're done with your masters. You cannot believe how much easier it makes your day."

Time, as you probably would agree, is so often your most lethal enemy on the set. It's also the most precious commodity you have. And that's just with humans. So, try to imagine dealing with animals. They have as elastic a sense of time as a physics major. Ms. Goosenberg sympathizes with your plight and has some good ideas about time and how to minimize its overuse.

"If I've learned anything about working with animals," she says, "it's that they don't really have notions of linear time. And they don't care how much they're costing you if they don't behave. So, here, you need to give up the idea of control a bit. With dogs and other creatures, everything takes 2-3 times longer than with humans. This means everything from working with them on the set, to the other parts of the day. Meaning, the picking-up and dropping-off, taking breaks when they get hot, thirsty or tired, that sort of thing. If you can allow for that much more time during your shoot, you won't be such a frustrated basket-case by the end of the day."

More than working with humans, Goosenberg also reminds filmmakers of one of the cardinal rules of dealing with animals on the set.

"No sudden moves, if you can possibly help it," she says. "That means everybody, from the director, to the man who holds the boom. You think people get spooked when there's a sudden movement or noise? Wait till you see how it affects a dog or a cat."

Finally, there's the imagistic stuff to think of. Goosenberg addresses this, too. To add some variety in your film? Flip The Dog!

"I know it sounds like a Yoga move, but it's important for filming, too. Directors can get used to having an animal behave well when they're filming him from behind. But when you get into the editing room, you're going to have a preponderance of rear-ends! Remember to flip the dog. Shoot your animal from various angles, just as you would a person. You really want to go into editing with a wide variety of shots to choose from. If not...oh the monotony."

And, as simple as it may seem, Goosenberg also suggests that filmmakers keep "wiping the lens," between takes. "Animals tend to lick it. So keep it clean, so you don't get any smeary footage."

Work Around Your Animal's Idiosyncrasies

Dale Launer is something of a legend in the film world. The man who scripted Blind Date, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny, among others. He's also directed several superb comedies, Tom's Nu Heaven and Love Potion Number Nine, featuring one of Sandra Bullock's best, early performances. In this movie, Launer had the unenviable task of having to direct several breeds of animals. And I mean, all sorts.

"I had written a scene for my film that involves a chimp," says Launer. "He's supposed to imbibe this potion and then come through a wall. I had trainers there, who told me the monkey could do this all in one shot. I had a very flimsy wall and we set everything up. But as we tried to do a take, it was clear the chimp just couldn't be coaxed to do what was written. So, after some thinking and discussing, I realized, if I broke up the shot into pieces, a hand here, a leg there, I could make it appear as though the chimp came crashing through this wall. Still, it was a fairly complicated scene. I had two trainers working on either side of the monkey and it took a while."

Launer did, however, learn a crucial idea about filmmaking during this difficult day. All about how to work on the fly. Or, chimp.

"I did find out that the chimp could smile broadly, on command, at any time. So I wrote a scene that could use his smiling gift to maximum effect."

"One of the things you'll find out on a set," Launer says, "is how to work around an animal's ability. Maybe your dog or cat can't do a scene as written. But he or she might be able to do something else even better. You need to sort of lay back, when you're directing animals. See what they're capable of doing. Don't be so married to a certain scene or moment, that you can't do something else, something that works well. Flexibility is the key here."