In response to Sukie's question about "the rapid and repeated stair
running"..

My guys and I were filmed for the stair running and ferret luge
sequences - and no, my guys are no more motivated or energetic than
anybody else's ferrets are :-)

We spent between 4 and 5 hours filming in the stairwell. Misty, my 1.5
pound black roan mitt was the stair runner. Over the course of several
hours, we got 10 or 11 takes of her. She got lots of treats, loving and
encouragement, and rest between takes. There were ferret wranglers at
both the top and bottom of the stairs to snag her before she went off
on some other ferrety adventure. She loves the stairs and the
attention, and she let us know when she had had enough. We respected
her wishes.

At that point, Oreo,my black sable solid hob took over. The film crew
actually set up a dolly on the stairway. Max the sound guy sat at the
top of the stairs to control the speed as the camera moved down the
dolly's track (FYI - if you've ever seen the term "dolly grip" in a
film's credits, that's the guy that controls the dolly like Max did.)
Oreo was passed up the stairs by the ferret wrangler, then joyfully
slid down the tube multiple times - again, with treats, praise and
care and concern about his well-being.

I was extremely impressed with the director, Mark Lewis. My house was
the first place they filmed, and none of them were really familiar with
ferrets. One of the first things we did was to get everyone comfortable
around the furguys - and the ferrets were very happy having new people
to play with. We talked about how to keep the ferrets safe during the
filming. Mark has done enough work filming animals that he really
understood how to get the ferrets to cooperate, and that it had to be
fun for them or it wouldn't work. And he listened if I told him that
the way he was setting up a scene was not the way a ferret would do it.

It really was a collaboration - each of us added our ideas, and Mark
shared what his creative vision was, and directed. (When Mark and
Paul, the camera guy, talked about how to shoot a sequence, they kept
referring to "the talent" - that was the ferrets and me!)

Over the course of two days filming at my house, there must have been
at least 14 hours on film. I was interviewed/filmed for a solid hour.
Mark indicated that getting two usable minutes out of each days filming
was considered "very successful". I'm sure it was the same for others
who were filmed. I'm guesstimating around 140 hour of film was edited
down to the one hour documentary.

So, what you saw was little pieces seamlessly and creatively edited
together - the "magic" of Hollywood, and not what really happened. The
same goes for what was said - the sound track was recorded separately -
again, about 140 hours worth, and bits and pieces were tied in with the
film. I know there was talk of the old, the sick, shelters, and so many
abandoned ferrets - I spoke about those in my interview, and I suspect
others did too.

I think the documentary turned out great! We each did our best to
explain our passion for these wonderful guys. I hope you enjoyed it -
for Misty, Sid, Oreo and me it was a once in a lifetime experience!

Peg Francisco and Sid, Oreo and Misty, who will be giving
"pawtographs" at the Buckeye Bash

[Posted in FML 5679]