Leyton discussed the style for his new show over two plates of bacon and eggs. I nodded intently, taking mental notes, imaging the episode unfold in my mind. The footage was in the can, and I needed to make something of it. I felt like a real filmmaker. As Leyton sipped his coffee, my thoughts drifted to hopes of making a gripping episode. This was my chance to show what I could do, develop my portfolio and gain respect in the filmmaking world. This was my introduction to reality TV...
...Barking. Dogs stacked on top of each other in several cages. This was the sight at the reservation dog rescue 10 minutes outside of the sanctuary. Leyton was on a mission to take six rescue dogs to the vet to be neutered. I frantically chased him around, re-framing the camera each time he tried to leash a dog or a new fence or beam of light threatened the quality of my shots. It was hard work, a totally different type of filmmaking, with several new stories emerging as we shot. To Leyton's surprise, the dogs weren't social, and one in particular growled all the way to Gallup. Leyton also made a discovery. One of the dogs was one he had previously lost, and we decided that this would make a great B-story for the show. We trekked an hour and a half there and back, and took lots of great footage. We even went the following day to pick up the dogs and took some head shots for narration. It was amazing fun. I was so lucky to do something film related. If I can get it all edited nicely, I'll have a 40 min episode of a TV show to add to my portfolio.
I've actually had a stint in the editing room. I'm using Adobe Premiere 3.0, so not the most advanced system, but I actually know how to use it which is a good thing! Leyton used a bizarre way of capturing. Everything was lumped into one file so I spent my entire time cutting and exporting clips! I've got a lot of work to do to make it interesting, but I'm most excited about making the 20 second show introduction!
As for my animals, I've had a breakthrough! Romeo let my stroke him! I held my hand out flat and allowed him to have a good sniff. He seemed relaxed so I pushed my luck and started wiggling my fingers to stroke him. He stayed still, so I stroked some more, and soon had my hand on the back of his neck, having a good old cuddle. Red foxes are surprisingly soft to the touch. This was a one in a life time experience that I would hopefully experience again.
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