The hardest thing to direct

You know the saying, “The hardest thing to direct are kids and dogs?” Well, the ChristianScience on YouTube video team proved half of that true (times two) when we filmed “Christian Science: Dogs, yes. Dogma? No way.” So, what does that equal? Unpredictable comedy.

This was one of the first scripts I got to work when I joined the YouTube video producing team back in May, and this was definitely one of the most fun shoots we’ve done. I mean, anytime you can bring some cute, lovable animals into your day should result in a positive experience. (Although, I guess that depends on your toleration of said cute, lovable animals and if you expect them to actually work the way you envision.)

Speaking of not working the way you envisioned, while dogs may be very obedient animals, they don’t always sit and perform the way the script says they should. What can you expect, right?! Here’s a collection of some bloopers from the day we filmed the “dog-ma” video:



Alright, let’s meet the stars! The dog that played the dog’s ma is named Audra and the other one is Buddy. They’re owned by Phil Davis, the media and legislative spokesperson for the Christian Science church. By the way, they’re not actually related. They’re rescue dogs. (Audra was one day away from being put to sleep.)

The other star (the non-dog one) is Dan. He and Buddy had to become quick friends since Dan was holding Buddy for most of the filming. At first Buddy was hesitant to be held, but Dan soon figured out a way to pick him up:



One other comedic obstacle was the dog hair. Make-up! Hair department! Come on, where are you?! Even though the dogs were brushed prior to their performance, after minutes of petting by many cast and crew members, there were little tumbleweeds of furballs blowing in the studio wind:



We have no plans yet for any future animal actors in the video series, but perhaps we’ll have to get Audra and Buddy back – as long as this instant stardom hasn’t already gone to their heads!

Check us out on YouTube: http://youtube.com/christianscience