Trailer for Sniff the Dog Movie
Film Production Snapshots
Making a movie is hard work, and a lot of great fun, too. We hope you enjoy some of these behind the scenes moments of the stars and crew.
Labels: snapshots
Diary of a Film-Maker's Wife
A note from Kim: Scroll down to the end if you want to read this in chronological order. (Recommended, but not strictly necessary…)
Labels: diary
Harley the River Dog
May 13, 2010
We got news this morning that dear Harley passed away last night. For all the joys of making the film, and hearing updates about our "stars," it is sad to learn of their passing. We've had many endearing encounters with Harley over the years since we first met him and the wonderful Holter family - mostly up on the Klamath River, or in nearer-by Ross, California. Barry used to throw the ball for Harley almost as addictively as Harley would chase it, and when day was done, Harley would patiently let Barry tousle his floppy ears, as good pals do.
We got news this morning that dear Harley passed away last night. For all the joys of making the film, and hearing updates about our "stars," it is sad to learn of their passing. We've had many endearing encounters with Harley over the years since we first met him and the wonderful Holter family - mostly up on the Klamath River, or in nearer-by Ross, California. Barry used to throw the ball for Harley almost as addictively as Harley would chase it, and when day was done, Harley would patiently let Barry tousle his floppy ears, as good pals do.
Labels: diary
July 29, 2010 Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Benefit Event
Elmwood Rialto Cinema
2966 College Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
Join the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society at a premier benefit event to help rebuild their shelter following a fire in May.
Thursday, July 29 at 7:15 pm (Doors open at 7:00)
$20 admission includes raffle prizes and a screening of SNIFF! All ticket proceeds go to the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society.
For tickets and more information about the event click here.
__________________________________________________________________
Labels: screenings
July 31: Four Points by Sheraton, San Rafael, CA
A Free Screening to Wind Up Guide Dogs' Annual Fun Day Celebrations!
Sunday, July 31, 2010
4:00 pm (show starts at 4:15)
Four Points by Sheraton
Napa Room
1010 Northgate Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903 Tel: (415) 479-8800
Thanks to the generosity of the newly renovated Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in San Rafael, we're going to show Sniff for the folks who've come to town to participate in Guide Dogs' Fun Day. The event is open to the general public too. Voluntary contributions will be collected for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
We'll have DVD's for sale and Sniff t-shirts - and there will be lots of puppy-raisers, guide dog users and Guide Dogs staff there to answer questions after the film. It's a great opportunity for anyone interested in becoming involved with the Guide Dogs' community. Barry and Kim will be there too for a Q and A. You might want to stay for dinner at the hotel's restaurant and make a night of it!
An audio description of the film will be available on I-Pod shuffles on request.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 31, 2010
4:00 pm (show starts at 4:15)
Four Points by Sheraton
Napa Room
1010 Northgate Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903 Tel: (415) 479-8800
Thanks to the generosity of the newly renovated Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in San Rafael, we're going to show Sniff for the folks who've come to town to participate in Guide Dogs' Fun Day. The event is open to the general public too. Voluntary contributions will be collected for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
We'll have DVD's for sale and Sniff t-shirts - and there will be lots of puppy-raisers, guide dog users and Guide Dogs staff there to answer questions after the film. It's a great opportunity for anyone interested in becoming involved with the Guide Dogs' community. Barry and Kim will be there too for a Q and A. You might want to stay for dinner at the hotel's restaurant and make a night of it!
An audio description of the film will be available on I-Pod shuffles on request.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labels: screenings
August 2 to 5, 2010 Albuquerque, NM The Guild
Monday August 2 to Thursday August 5 at 6 pm
The Guild Cinema
3405 Central Ave. Northeast, Albuquerque (505) 255-1848
$7 General Admission, $5 Seniors 60+/Kids 12 and under/Students with ID
Cash only.
Participating dog groups include the Tales of Joy R.E.A.D. program and others to be announced.
Bring the family!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labels: screenings
August 22, 2010 Missoula, Montana Benefit
Home-town of Mikey the Guide Dog and George Kerscher who are featured in the film!
Sunday, August 22 at 7 pm
Free Gala Screening
Roxy Theatre
718 S. Higgins Ave., Missoula, Montana
Doors open at 6:30. Film starts at 7:00
Voluntary contributions will go to Guide Dogs for the Blind, San Rafael, CA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 22 at 7 pm
Free Gala Screening
Roxy Theatre
718 S. Higgins Ave., Missoula, Montana
Doors open at 6:30. Film starts at 7:00
Voluntary contributions will go to Guide Dogs for the Blind, San Rafael, CA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Labels: screenings
Sept. 15-26 Wine Country Film Festival
Dates and times to be announced - stay tuned for updates!
This popular roving film festival takes place outdoors in spectacular setting and in select theaters and venues in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, CA. Perfect for Sniffers and other film-buffs to whine and dine ;)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This popular roving film festival takes place outdoors in spectacular setting and in select theaters and venues in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, CA. Perfect for Sniffers and other film-buffs to whine and dine ;)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labels: screenings
On the Road in the Southwest
March 18, 2010
We’ve successfully finished screenings in Phoenix and Tucson. Yesterday Barry and I went to see the cliff dwellings at Gila National Park and I even took a few minutes to sketch a view from the river. Spectacular! (The view, I mean.) Last night we drove to Santa Fe well in time for tonight’s screenings, but not without incident.
In his research for the New Mexico leg of our journey, Barry discovered that there is a train (the Rail Runner) that runs from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Barry loves a train ride, and the price was right at $6, so we decided that I could drop him off at the train in Albuquerque and then meet him at the station in Santa Fe.
According to our GPS though, we weren’t quite going to make the connection in Albuquerque, so we phoned up and found out what other places the train would stop along the way. I set the auto cruise to 80mph and we were making good time – 15 minutes to spare if we went to Rio Rancho. We noticed though, that the sun was getting low in the sky, so we decided to try to get to an earlier station (Los Ranchos de Albuquerque), so that Barry would get in as much daylight train-riding as possible. According to Garmin (our GPS) we had about four minutes to spare. So we got off the highway at the Los Ranchos exit and… traffic was held up. The train would leave the station at 6:45. I called and the cheerful woman assured me it was running on time. (Darn!). Garmin began changing its mind, saying we’d get there at 6:43, then 6:44, then 6:45, then a break in the traffic and we were back to 6:44… Pedal to the metal, we charged around the last corner and could see the arm of the level crossing rise up. The train was at the platform! We wheeled into the parking lot. Barry slammed the car into park and flew out the door, with his blue bag of Sudoku and train snacks flying horizontally behind him. 5 yards to go and the train started to move. I looked on as Barry leapt into the air and hauled himself up on to the ladder between the engine and the passenger car, disappearing from sight. A moustachioed man on the platform raised his fist and pulled it down vehemently toward his upward-rising knee as he grinned and shouted “Yessssss!” in my direction. With something between a grimace and a smile, I acknowledged his enthusiasm and then noticed that the train had come to a halt only a few feet from where my husband had so valiantly flung himself.
“Curious,” I thought with a mixture of concern and relief as I noticed a few other late-comers board the train in the conventional manner. I waited, but the train remained stationary. Eventually I inched out of the parking lot and began the drive toward Santa Fe. Then my cell phone rang. It was Barry. “They’ve kicked me off the train. You’ll have to come back.”
I felt so sorry that he had missed his train-riding opportunity, but once we were re-united, I learned that the plot had thickened … as with most good adventures. Apparently once Barry had arrived on the train's ladder, he faced a chain at the top barring him from climbing onto a tiny platform above the coupling. Concerned that he'd have to hang on until the next station as the train gathered speed, he decided to straddle over the chain so he could stand on the little platform and then push the bar on the coach door to enter into the passenger seating area. Once he'd done this, the train had come to a screeching halt. Trying to look non-chalant, Barry found a seat and feigned fascination with his Sudoku puzzle as the train attendants scurried up and down the aisle looking for the culprit. Eventually one of the uniformed men asked Barry if he had just gotten on the train – to which Barry answered “why, yes!”
“Get off my train,” demanded the Conductor, to which Barry responded that he was terribly sorry. Gathering angry momentum, the Conductor said “It's too late for sorry. As a matter of fact, stay right there. I'm going to call the head office. What's your name? Where are you from? I may even call the police.”
By this time, Barry was more than willing to exit the train, and as the Conductor made calls on his cell phone, a woman piped up from behind him and asked quietly, “Are you from the film?” To which Barry, confident that any publicity is good publicity, responded affirmatively.
“I thought so,” the lady replied with admiration. “When I heard you were from California, I just knew you must be a stunt-man.”
I’m not sure what film she was referring to, but presumably it wasn’t Sniff. And I'm not exactly sure how Barry extricated himself from the train situation either. But we both felt sheepish rolling into Santa Fe, thinking that at any minute the police might cuff him … the geriatric train hopper caught at last! I would have thought a little train-riding bravado would be well-received in cowboy country. I guess the spirit of the Wild West doesn’t extend to commuter choo-choo’s.
We’ve successfully finished screenings in Phoenix and Tucson. Yesterday Barry and I went to see the cliff dwellings at Gila National Park and I even took a few minutes to sketch a view from the river. Spectacular! (The view, I mean.) Last night we drove to Santa Fe well in time for tonight’s screenings, but not without incident.
In his research for the New Mexico leg of our journey, Barry discovered that there is a train (the Rail Runner) that runs from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Barry loves a train ride, and the price was right at $6, so we decided that I could drop him off at the train in Albuquerque and then meet him at the station in Santa Fe.
According to our GPS though, we weren’t quite going to make the connection in Albuquerque, so we phoned up and found out what other places the train would stop along the way. I set the auto cruise to 80mph and we were making good time – 15 minutes to spare if we went to Rio Rancho. We noticed though, that the sun was getting low in the sky, so we decided to try to get to an earlier station (Los Ranchos de Albuquerque), so that Barry would get in as much daylight train-riding as possible. According to Garmin (our GPS) we had about four minutes to spare. So we got off the highway at the Los Ranchos exit and… traffic was held up. The train would leave the station at 6:45. I called and the cheerful woman assured me it was running on time. (Darn!). Garmin began changing its mind, saying we’d get there at 6:43, then 6:44, then 6:45, then a break in the traffic and we were back to 6:44… Pedal to the metal, we charged around the last corner and could see the arm of the level crossing rise up. The train was at the platform! We wheeled into the parking lot. Barry slammed the car into park and flew out the door, with his blue bag of Sudoku and train snacks flying horizontally behind him. 5 yards to go and the train started to move. I looked on as Barry leapt into the air and hauled himself up on to the ladder between the engine and the passenger car, disappearing from sight. A moustachioed man on the platform raised his fist and pulled it down vehemently toward his upward-rising knee as he grinned and shouted “Yessssss!” in my direction. With something between a grimace and a smile, I acknowledged his enthusiasm and then noticed that the train had come to a halt only a few feet from where my husband had so valiantly flung himself.
“Curious,” I thought with a mixture of concern and relief as I noticed a few other late-comers board the train in the conventional manner. I waited, but the train remained stationary. Eventually I inched out of the parking lot and began the drive toward Santa Fe. Then my cell phone rang. It was Barry. “They’ve kicked me off the train. You’ll have to come back.”
I felt so sorry that he had missed his train-riding opportunity, but once we were re-united, I learned that the plot had thickened … as with most good adventures. Apparently once Barry had arrived on the train's ladder, he faced a chain at the top barring him from climbing onto a tiny platform above the coupling. Concerned that he'd have to hang on until the next station as the train gathered speed, he decided to straddle over the chain so he could stand on the little platform and then push the bar on the coach door to enter into the passenger seating area. Once he'd done this, the train had come to a screeching halt. Trying to look non-chalant, Barry found a seat and feigned fascination with his Sudoku puzzle as the train attendants scurried up and down the aisle looking for the culprit. Eventually one of the uniformed men asked Barry if he had just gotten on the train – to which Barry answered “why, yes!”
“Get off my train,” demanded the Conductor, to which Barry responded that he was terribly sorry. Gathering angry momentum, the Conductor said “It's too late for sorry. As a matter of fact, stay right there. I'm going to call the head office. What's your name? Where are you from? I may even call the police.”
By this time, Barry was more than willing to exit the train, and as the Conductor made calls on his cell phone, a woman piped up from behind him and asked quietly, “Are you from the film?” To which Barry, confident that any publicity is good publicity, responded affirmatively.
“I thought so,” the lady replied with admiration. “When I heard you were from California, I just knew you must be a stunt-man.”
I’m not sure what film she was referring to, but presumably it wasn’t Sniff. And I'm not exactly sure how Barry extricated himself from the train situation either. But we both felt sheepish rolling into Santa Fe, thinking that at any minute the police might cuff him … the geriatric train hopper caught at last! I would have thought a little train-riding bravado would be well-received in cowboy country. I guess the spirit of the Wild West doesn’t extend to commuter choo-choo’s.
Labels: diary
Guide Dogs for the Blind
From Joanne Ritter, Director of Marketing
Guide Dogs for the Blind is thrilled to be a part of this playful and informative film. We'd especially like to thank Barry and Kim for their commitment to making the film accessible to people who are blind; they've gone the extra mile and created a descriptive version. The two of them are now part of our Guide Dog family, and we sincerely hope this film will inspire others to get involved with us -- as puppy raisers, volunteers, and clients, and to help spread the word about our services that are offered free-of-charge. Our sincere thanks to everyone who was involved in this film. Congratulations and "Woof!" (November 5, 2009)
Guide Dogs for the Blind is thrilled to be a part of this playful and informative film. We'd especially like to thank Barry and Kim for their commitment to making the film accessible to people who are blind; they've gone the extra mile and created a descriptive version. The two of them are now part of our Guide Dog family, and we sincerely hope this film will inspire others to get involved with us -- as puppy raisers, volunteers, and clients, and to help spread the word about our services that are offered free-of-charge. Our sincere thanks to everyone who was involved in this film. Congratulations and "Woof!" (November 5, 2009)
Labels: reviews
Bay Woof, December 2009
"A Buddy Movie Goes to the Dogs"
Barry Stone's first film was a short called "Dog," four minutes of doggies wandering around doing doggie things as a voice-over puts words in their mouths. At the Grand Lake Theater on November 5, lucky viewers got to see it, followed by Stone's latest effort, a dog lover's dream of a movie called Sniff...
Over the course of 87 minutes, we meet Labrador Retrievers Gabby and Mikey, two pupils at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael; Zoe a Jack Russell Terrier who happens to be a champion surfer; and numerous other cute, courageous and thoroughly captivating dogs.
They all play themselves to perfection and threaten to steal the show, but the human characters are engaging too, as they take in the delights of the Bay Area while suffering the stresses of low-budget film making. We find ourselves rooting for all the dogs and most of the people, even ditsy Juliette (played by film veteran Amanda Plummer) and her stuffy jealous husband Derek (dittto Maurice Godin).
The film is not all fun and games. Serious segments include a touching monologue by a man contemplating the the death of his long-time furry friend and blow-by-blow training sessions with real working dogs.
Sniff manages to entertain and educate at the same time ...
Sniff is alternately funny, amazing, moving and just plain silly. It all adds up to a must-see for dog devotees...
Barry Stone's first film was a short called "Dog," four minutes of doggies wandering around doing doggie things as a voice-over puts words in their mouths. At the Grand Lake Theater on November 5, lucky viewers got to see it, followed by Stone's latest effort, a dog lover's dream of a movie called Sniff...
Over the course of 87 minutes, we meet Labrador Retrievers Gabby and Mikey, two pupils at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael; Zoe a Jack Russell Terrier who happens to be a champion surfer; and numerous other cute, courageous and thoroughly captivating dogs.
They all play themselves to perfection and threaten to steal the show, but the human characters are engaging too, as they take in the delights of the Bay Area while suffering the stresses of low-budget film making. We find ourselves rooting for all the dogs and most of the people, even ditsy Juliette (played by film veteran Amanda Plummer) and her stuffy jealous husband Derek (dittto Maurice Godin).
The film is not all fun and games. Serious segments include a touching monologue by a man contemplating the the death of his long-time furry friend and blow-by-blow training sessions with real working dogs.
Sniff manages to entertain and educate at the same time ...
Sniff is alternately funny, amazing, moving and just plain silly. It all adds up to a must-see for dog devotees...
Labels: reviews
Launch Day
Update November 5, 2009
Flowers just arrived too! The excitement mounts....
In the midst of the madness of preparing our thank you's, organizing our volunteers and trying to find a cheap red carpet within driving distance - I just got this from my gardening clients Lisa and Gia Rinella:
"Look what we saw on our way to school"
Labels: diary
Speak!
Now that you've seen Sniff, tell us what you think! Critics, fans, well-wishers and hecklers are all welcome to leave comments here.
Note: Comments posted on this forum are moderated to ensure that no offensive content appears on our site.
Go to bottom of list for most recent comment.
Note: Comments posted on this forum are moderated to ensure that no offensive content appears on our site.
Go to bottom of list for most recent comment.
A Three Letter Word
Update: October 16, 2009
I was never allowed to say the word “bum” when I was a child, and still consider the word unworthy in comparison to “bottom”, or perhaps “rear-end”, the continental-sounding “derriere” or even “tush” (never tushie, though.) But Barry, with ever-different sensibilities, has indeed used the word “bum” in our film, in the context of what dogs do when they greet each other. So now, I have produced a film with the questionable word featured! What a bummer… (did I say that?)
We’ve had an audio description of the film made for blind people to hear a description of the action in addition to the dialogue, so that they can imagine the visuals on-screen. One night this week I stayed up all night to (among other things) listen to the audio description and check for errors. Today I wrote the following to Jill Jacobson at CaptionMax who has been so helpful in guiding us through the process of getting the closed-captioning and audio description onto the DVD master:
"Hi Jill!
Now that all the technical insecurities have been assuaged, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much of a kick I got in the middle of the night on Wednesday listening to the audio description delicately avoid using the word "bum"! Please thank your copy-writer ... I just played it for Barry and we both had a laugh! Kim"
(What was their choice, you may ask? I believe it was ... "rear end". Provincials unite!)
I was never allowed to say the word “bum” when I was a child, and still consider the word unworthy in comparison to “bottom”, or perhaps “rear-end”, the continental-sounding “derriere” or even “tush” (never tushie, though.) But Barry, with ever-different sensibilities, has indeed used the word “bum” in our film, in the context of what dogs do when they greet each other. So now, I have produced a film with the questionable word featured! What a bummer… (did I say that?)
We’ve had an audio description of the film made for blind people to hear a description of the action in addition to the dialogue, so that they can imagine the visuals on-screen. One night this week I stayed up all night to (among other things) listen to the audio description and check for errors. Today I wrote the following to Jill Jacobson at CaptionMax who has been so helpful in guiding us through the process of getting the closed-captioning and audio description onto the DVD master:
"Hi Jill!
Now that all the technical insecurities have been assuaged, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much of a kick I got in the middle of the night on Wednesday listening to the audio description delicately avoid using the word "bum"! Please thank your copy-writer ... I just played it for Barry and we both had a laugh! Kim"
(What was their choice, you may ask? I believe it was ... "rear end". Provincials unite!)
Labels: diary
Evidently Blondes Do Have Fun ...
Update: October 14, 2009
In another response to our e-mail announcement, I found out some news about Rogan – a statuesque Irish wolfhound who features prominently in Sniff:
From Ann Gould:
Oh ... Rogan had a litter this past year so he is a very proud papa. We kept 3 of the litter ... so that means I have 5 of the blondes running around my property. Thanks again ....
Rogan (standing) with his lounging mate and son.
In another response to our e-mail announcement, I found out some news about Rogan – a statuesque Irish wolfhound who features prominently in Sniff:
From Ann Gould:
Oh ... Rogan had a litter this past year so he is a very proud papa. We kept 3 of the litter ... so that means I have 5 of the blondes running around my property. Thanks again ....
Rogan (standing) with his lounging mate and son.Labels: diary
A Blast from the Past
Update: October 13, 2009
We sent out a big email last night and responses have been coming to us in an encouraging volume. Among these, I heard from (conservatively) septuagenarian Mili Rosenblatt who I haven’t seen in years. She wrote to tell me that she and her husband Bill are great friends of Laurie Lewis who will be playing at the Nov. 5th gala at the Grand Lake. So I wrote to Laurie to tell her Mili and Bill were coming to the show, and she asked me how I knew them. Taking a welcome break to think about something unrelated to the film, this is what I wrote to Laurie:
Hi Laurie:
I'm not sure that I've ever met Bill, but I met Mili through an artist neighbour when we first moved to California and became Mili’s "project" for a while, as she tried to get my glass work in to the New Leaf Gallery. It was quite the adventure, going there in our electric bus with Mili talking a mile a minute, and one of my glass sculptures (a giant pea pod) rolling around in the back.
I seem to remember that we ran out of electricity in the van and had to pull over at some stranger's house to plug in! Poor Mili - what I put her though!
It was somewhat mutual though: the New Leaf Gallery was completely uninterested in the work, and in Mili and me. But we had a nice lunch together, and I immortalized the experience by having one of my fairy characters sign a tiny glass flower with the moniker "Mili Pillywiggin". (I don't think I ever told her that!)
xo Kim
We sent out a big email last night and responses have been coming to us in an encouraging volume. Among these, I heard from (conservatively) septuagenarian Mili Rosenblatt who I haven’t seen in years. She wrote to tell me that she and her husband Bill are great friends of Laurie Lewis who will be playing at the Nov. 5th gala at the Grand Lake. So I wrote to Laurie to tell her Mili and Bill were coming to the show, and she asked me how I knew them. Taking a welcome break to think about something unrelated to the film, this is what I wrote to Laurie:
Hi Laurie:
I'm not sure that I've ever met Bill, but I met Mili through an artist neighbour when we first moved to California and became Mili’s "project" for a while, as she tried to get my glass work in to the New Leaf Gallery. It was quite the adventure, going there in our electric bus with Mili talking a mile a minute, and one of my glass sculptures (a giant pea pod) rolling around in the back.
I seem to remember that we ran out of electricity in the van and had to pull over at some stranger's house to plug in! Poor Mili - what I put her though!
It was somewhat mutual though: the New Leaf Gallery was completely uninterested in the work, and in Mili and me. But we had a nice lunch together, and I immortalized the experience by having one of my fairy characters sign a tiny glass flower with the moniker "Mili Pillywiggin". (I don't think I ever told her that!)
xo Kim
Labels: diary
A Red Letter Day!
Update October 12, 2009
We finished the sound mix with Dan Olmsted at Berkeley Sound Artists yesterday and Barry went golfing to celebrate! I stayed home looking at Oprah's site with Awele, a new friend who was full of ideas for marketing our film.
We were all set to send a finished master to CaptionMax for the addition of a descriptive audio track, when Barry serendipitously discovered a 2 second hole in the audio! So I raced off to the studio in Berkeley and Jim LeBrecht made us another audio file so we could meet still meet our captioning deadline. Phewff! As Barry says, those files are all just ones and zeroes ...
Credits to be added next... and there are loads of them!
We finished the sound mix with Dan Olmsted at Berkeley Sound Artists yesterday and Barry went golfing to celebrate! I stayed home looking at Oprah's site with Awele, a new friend who was full of ideas for marketing our film.
We were all set to send a finished master to CaptionMax for the addition of a descriptive audio track, when Barry serendipitously discovered a 2 second hole in the audio! So I raced off to the studio in Berkeley and Jim LeBrecht made us another audio file so we could meet still meet our captioning deadline. Phewff! As Barry says, those files are all just ones and zeroes ...
Credits to be added next... and there are loads of them!
Labels: diary
The Sniff Dramatic Cast
Neil Morrissey (Neil)
Neil Morrissey is one of Britain’s most popular television actors. Having also acted on stage and screen, he has become a well-known and well-loved personality.
On graduating from the Guildhall School of Drama, Neil went on to make his name in numerous TV programmes. They range from Boon to Roll Over Beethoven, and Gentlemen and Players to My Summer with Des.
Neil also took the part of Tony in the BBC sitcom, Men Behaving Badly. With seven series behind it, it’s clear the show and it’s characters became a part of television history, as viewers took them to their hearts.
Good at raising a laugh, Neil has appeared with many of the country’s top comedians, in series which include Reeves & Mortimer and ITV’s Monkey Trousers. Latterly Neil has also been known to viewers for Paradise Heights, Murder in Mind and Carrie and Barry.
Neil also had a starring role in Waterloo Road for two seasons, for which he’s received a Best Actor nomination by the TV Quick awards, and last year Channel 4 followed Neil and Richard Fox in their brewing adventure, Men Brewing Badly.
In the last few years, Neil trod the boards in the West End with the stage version of Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques, followed by the role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. This autumn Neil is touring Britain with Rain Man, playing the role made famous by Dustin Hoffman.
Richard Huw (Richard)
Richard trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has worked extensively in repertory theatres across the UK. TV credits include Inspector Morse, Van der Valk, Silent Witness, The Bill, M.I.T., Midsomer Murders, The Buccaneers, Family Ties, Casualty, Eastenders and Holby City.
Films include The Four Minute Mile (playing Roger Bannister), Splitting Heirs, She’s Been Away and Stormbreaker.
He currently runs a company called dramalab with his wife, Janice. Dramalab provides theatre workshops for young people and is based in South London.
He has two daughters – Carly and Lucy, and one grand-daughter, Chaya Star. He has two cats, Tango and Tizer, but no dogs. Yet! (He fell in love with a pug called Jack Black during the filming of “SNIFF”.)
Amanda Plummer (Juliette, Owner of the Infinite Paws Hotel)
Amanda Plummer has appeared in a wide variety of films, including: The Fisher King by Terry Gilliam (British Film Academy Award nomination for her performance as Lydia); Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarrantino (American Comedy Award nomination for her performance as Honey Bunny), Butterfly Kiss by Michael Winterbottom as Eunice; My Life Without Me by Isabel Coixet; Pax by Eduardo Guedes; Daniel by Sidney Lumet; Ken Park by Larry Clark; and recently "The Making of Plus One" and "Inconceivable" both by Mary McGuckian.
Her highly acclaimed work on Broadway has garnered her a Tony award and two Tony Award nominations as well as the Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award. Amanda has been honored with three Emmy Awards, one Emmy nomination, a Saturn Award, DVDX nomination, Cable Ace Award and Golden Globe nomination. She is the recipient of the Anti-Defamation League Award for Woman of Achievement.
Maurice Godin (Derek, Juliette’s Husband)
For over thirty years, Maurice Godin has been acting in theatre, television and film. His theatre career has taken him from coast to coast across Canada where he has starred in the major theatres of almost every province, including the prestigious Shaw Festival and the Stratford Shakespearean Festival as well as on Broadway. His film career has taken him around the world and he has appeared on television in dozens of guest star, recurring and series regular roles. Maurice had so much fun playing with the dogs on this film he almost forgot he was working.
Eileen Page (Richard's Mum)
Eileen Page is an accomplished British theatre actor, known recently for her award-winning portrayal of Eleanor of Aquitaine in Mother of the Pride. She has appeared in films such as The Secret Garden and Remembrance, and a variety of British TV shows including Absolute Hell.
Elizabeth Daly (Commercial Director)
Beth Daly holds a degree in theatre from California Institute of the Arts. She has appeared in the film Dream with the Fishes, and she has performed with numerous theatres in the Bay Area. She currently teaches drama and film at San Lorenzo High School.
Jay Lopez (Car Salesman)
Bay Area's Jay Lopez has been acting since the age of 7, starting in theatre and slowly migrating into film. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including Sister Act, Mercury Rules, The Amazing Mr.Excellent, Unfamiliar Waters, and now, Sniff the Dog Movie!!! Jay has appeared on stage in Rivets (where he met Barry and Kim), Grease, A Raisin In The Sun, and MotherLand. This summer Jay toured with Disney Theatre starring as “Chad” in High School Musical 2: Live on Stage.
Labels: team
The Crew Who Made it Possible
Written and Directed by: Barry Stone
Produced by: Kim Webster
Original Music Score: Jon Herbst
Original Documentary Music: Ken Kearney
Directors of Photography (Drama): Frazer Bradshaw and Barry Stone, C.S.C.
Editors: Barry Stone, Eric Sullivan, Hypatia Porter
Assistant Editor: Susan Berger Law
Production Designer (Drama): Schuyler Robertson
Consulting Art Director (Drama): Andrew Lewis
Sound Design: Berkeley Sound Artists
Producers: Barry Stone, Eric Sullivan, Joe Lachoff, Jeff Marvin
Story Consultation
William Farley, Robert Gardner, Richard Levien, Bob Phillips, Eric Sullivan, Finn Taylor
Technical Advisors
Rick LeCompte, Richard Levien, Chris Martin, Frank Salvato, Eric Schultz, Jesse Spencer, T.J. Kearney, Video Arts Team, David O. Weissman
Production Consultation
Jonathon Barker, Debbie Brubaker, Michele Dennis, Norm Hunter, Wendy MacKeigan, Vivian Moens, Starr Sutherland, Johnny Wow
Dramatic Film Crew:
First AD: Bradley Marshland
Second AD: Mark Runnels
Camera: Timothy Kerns
1st Assistant Camera: Cisco Riviera
2nd Assistant Camera: Anne Lee
Jib Operator: ColinDucey/Film Motion
Key Grip: Gary Gill
Grips: Andrew Clark, Justin Malone
Additional Grip: Ernest Kunze
Sound Mixer: Bob Gitzen
Mask Designer: Angela Thomas
Mask Painter: Clelia Scala
Mask Hair Dying: Alice Norton
Mask Jaw Mechanics: Chris Clifford
Costume Designer: Angela Thomas
Props Design: Angela Thomas
On-Camera Drawings: Patti Garrett, Schuyler Robertson
Set Decorators: Jane Altaffer, Peter Altaffer, Stacey McKusker, Greg Runnels, Evan Yu
Hair and Make-up: Sparky Jaxsun
Production Stills: Tara Gill
Production Manager: Emily Pierceall
Production Assistants: Easton Grainer, Evan Yu
Animal Trainers: Francis Metcalf, Gregg Holland
Second Unit Film Crew (Oakland)
First AD: Curran G. Engel
Camera Operator: Steve Buckingham
Gaffer: Ben Casias, Justin Malone
Production Manager: Emily Pierceall
Production Assistants: Max Borge, Evan Yu
Second Unit Film Crew (London)
Director of Photography: Ian Clark
Sound: Martin Scanlan
Locations: Martin Scanlan
Production Stills: Brigitte Cavanaugh
Documentary Film Crew:
Camera: Barry Stone, Kim Webster, Eric Sullivan, Easton Grainer, Dianne Griffin, Cynthia Gill, Steve Ford, Elijah Lajmer, Steve Friedman
Sound: Dan Gleich
Boom Operators: Eric Sullivan, Kim Webster, Jessie Audette
Production Assistant: Miranda Orich
Intern: Jimmy Armentrout
Making-Of Camera: Diane Griffin, Kim Webster, Eric Sullivan
Post Production
Audio Post-Production: Berkeley Sound Artists: James LeBrecht, Patti Tauscher, Dan Olmsted, Alex Wilmer, April Rodriguez, Jamie Branquinho
Post Sound Effects: Elijah Lajmer, Babe and Rick
Video Post Production: CaptionMax, Spy Post, Video Arts
Motion Graphics Designer: Jeremy Martin
Motion Graphics/Transition Animation: Frank Salvato
Consulting Colorist: Heather Lyon Weaver
Music Supervisor: Kim Webster
Attorneys: Richard Lee, Daniel Riviera
Accountant: Patel and Associates, Oakland
Book-Keepers: Lindy Steele, Kim Webster
Insurance: Chuck Whelan Insurance
Publicity: Tara Gill, Alison Huetter, Heidi Kearsley
Location Appreciation
Z-Space Studios, San Francisco
HFH Ltd., Emeryville
Every Dog Has its Day Care, Emeryville
Anderson Motors, Alameda
KPIX/CBS 5 Studio, San Francisco
Absinthe, San Francisco
The Old Dairy, London
Gevertz Jewelry and Loan Company, Oakland
Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland
Labels: team
Toe-Tapping Music Cast
You're Going to love the Music - and the People who've made it!
Original Score: Jon Herbst, Kensington, CA
Original Documentary Music: Ken Kearney, Berkeley, CA
Lawrence Blatt: “Standing in the Rain”
Dick Dale and His Del-Tones: “Night Rider”
Andrew Edlen and Steve Edlen: “St. Patrick’s Day”, “Tell Me Ma” with Louise Moore
Jon Herbst, Coventry Studios: “Family Fun/Old Home Movies”, “Country”, “Back Porch”
Ken Kearney: “Bubba Risks It”, “King Surfs!”, “Experiment in E flat”, “Dr. Dog”, “Good-Bye Gabby”
Dessie Kelliher: “O Deas, Paddy Fahys”
Jim Kimo West: “Popoke Lolo”
Kitka Womens Vocal Ensemble: “Pol Polju”, “Shen Khar Venakhi”
Laurie Lewis: “Hills of My Home”, “The Maple’s Lament”
Bobby Mc Ferrin Jr: “Baby”
The Mighty Chiplings: “Blackberry Blossom”
Outback (Graham Wiggins and Martin Cradick): “Cuban Connections”
Sam Paglia: “Sweet Lavalamp”, “Strip Tease Organ”
Sharon Shannon: “Blackbird”
Leonard Shaw: “Experiment in E flat”
Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quintet: “Old Timey Dance Party/Kangding Qingge”
Western Aerial: “Whores and Housewives”
Andre Williams with The Diplomats of Solid Sound: “Thunder Thighs”
Sarah Wilson, Sasstone Music: “Fiddle at Macy’s”
Zydeco Flames (Lloyd Meadows, Bruce Gordon): “Zydeco Sont Pas Sale”
Next: Film Production Snapshots…
Original Score: Jon Herbst, Kensington, CA
Original Documentary Music: Ken Kearney, Berkeley, CA
Lawrence Blatt: “Standing in the Rain”
Dick Dale and His Del-Tones: “Night Rider”
Andrew Edlen and Steve Edlen: “St. Patrick’s Day”, “Tell Me Ma” with Louise Moore
Jon Herbst, Coventry Studios: “Family Fun/Old Home Movies”, “Country”, “Back Porch”
Ken Kearney: “Bubba Risks It”, “King Surfs!”, “Experiment in E flat”, “Dr. Dog”, “Good-Bye Gabby”
Dessie Kelliher: “O Deas, Paddy Fahys”
Jim Kimo West: “Popoke Lolo”
Kitka Womens Vocal Ensemble: “Pol Polju”, “Shen Khar Venakhi”
Laurie Lewis: “Hills of My Home”, “The Maple’s Lament”
Bobby Mc Ferrin Jr: “Baby”
The Mighty Chiplings: “Blackberry Blossom”
Outback (Graham Wiggins and Martin Cradick): “Cuban Connections”
Sam Paglia: “Sweet Lavalamp”, “Strip Tease Organ”
Sharon Shannon: “Blackbird”
Leonard Shaw: “Experiment in E flat”
Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quintet: “Old Timey Dance Party/Kangding Qingge”
Western Aerial: “Whores and Housewives”
Andre Williams with The Diplomats of Solid Sound: “Thunder Thighs”
Sarah Wilson, Sasstone Music: “Fiddle at Macy’s”
Zydeco Flames (Lloyd Meadows, Bruce Gordon): “Zydeco Sont Pas Sale”
Next: Film Production Snapshots…
Labels: team
Become a Sniff Affiliate
How it Works
Anyone can join our affiliate program. Signing up is FREE. As an affiliate, you earn 10% on Sniff DVD sales generated by links from your web site.
Anyone can join our affiliate program. Signing up is FREE. As an affiliate, you earn 10% on Sniff DVD sales generated by links from your web site.
Tracking Your Earnings
You receive an email notification every time you earn a commission. You can also log into your Sniff affiliate account at any time to review your earnings.
Getting Paid
Monthly: Affiliates who sign up with a PayPal address are paid via PayPal on 15th of every month for the preceding calendar month's earnings.
Quarterly: If you prefer to be paid by check, (or if you don't provide a paypal address when signing up) we write checks four times per year, on the 15th of January, April, July, and October, for the preceding 3 months. So, for example, on January 15th you will receive payment for sales commissions earned from October 1st - December 31st.
Quarterly: If you prefer to be paid by check, (or if you don't provide a paypal address when signing up) we write checks four times per year, on the 15th of January, April, July, and October, for the preceding 3 months. So, for example, on January 15th you will receive payment for sales commissions earned from October 1st - December 31st.
Exclusions
As an affiliate you cannot earn a commission for products that you purchase.
To Get Started
- Click here to join our affiliate program, hosted by e-junkie.com.
- Once you have signed up, copy the link code provided by e-junkie and use it on your web site.
- The link code will uniquely identify buyers who come from your site and buy Sniff DVDs on our site.
- Any time a referral of yours buys a Sniff DVD within 90 days of clicking your link, you will earn a commission on that sale.
Premium Sniff Content
The best way to motivate your visitors and earn commissions is to place your Sniff affiliate link code on our premium content - videos, photos and articles that you can use free of charge, as long as they contain legitimate, discoverable affiliate links back to our web site. Check back soon for this premium content!
Non-Profit Affiliates
We love non-profits! Your non-profit organization can earn a higher affiliate rate! If your website promotes dog well-being or service dogs, and maintains a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization status, then you will likely qualify for the 15-25% affiliate percentage on all DVD sales through your site. After you sign up just contact our affiliate marketing specialist and we will complete the non-profit qualification for the 30% rate.
Become a Sniff PartnerContact our affiliate marketing specialist to learn more about partnering with Sniff.
Labels: affiliate
Update October 3, 2009
A Note of Encouragement
This came to us yesterday from Joanne Ritter, Director of Marketing at Guide Dogs for the Blind:
"Barry -- I finally had a chance to watch Sniff last night, and I was thoroughly charmed. Kudos to you, Kim and the gang. Very creative, funny, and poignant. I believe it will be successful. Nice job!"
Barry's been walking on air ... even while sitting at the computer.
This came to us yesterday from Joanne Ritter, Director of Marketing at Guide Dogs for the Blind:
"Barry -- I finally had a chance to watch Sniff last night, and I was thoroughly charmed. Kudos to you, Kim and the gang. Very creative, funny, and poignant. I believe it will be successful. Nice job!"
Barry's been walking on air ... even while sitting at the computer.
Labels: diary
Update October 1, 2009
Counting Down!
Barry and I came up with a song this morning called "not enough hours in the moment" following a just-waking-up discussion of a new script for the trailer and wondering how we’re going to organize the massive number of credits.
Jim LeBrecht, our sound mixer, asked us to get some audio of a skateboard for our story of Oggie. Our neighbour Elijah Lajmer was happy to oblige. Here he is, flying through the air while Barry chats to Joe in the background:
We’ve hired Caption Max at work on doing a descriptive audio track so that blind audiences can enjoy their home DVDs. They’re also working on closed captioning. We want everyone to be able to enjoy Sniff!
Late last night Motion Graphics Designer Jeremy Martin delivered a great animation to accompany Dr. Ian Dunbar’s description of who chooses the mate, the male or the female?
Joe Lachoff is making great strides organizing our website affiliate marketing program and preparing for DVD and ticket sales through our site.
We’re having a “Community Gala” screening at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland on November 5 at 6:30 and 9:00 pm. We'll also have screenings at the Smith Rafael Film Center on November 7 and December 12 at 4:15 pm. Kitka might even perform at the gala!
Signature release copies of the DVD (with a few “extras”) will be available after each screening. Be there, or be square.
All Sniff systems are go!
P.S. This just in … Gus the Bird Herder, one of our star dogs, is featured in a new magazine Coastal Canine. He’s evidently multi-talented!
Barry and I came up with a song this morning called "not enough hours in the moment" following a just-waking-up discussion of a new script for the trailer and wondering how we’re going to organize the massive number of credits.
Jim LeBrecht, our sound mixer, asked us to get some audio of a skateboard for our story of Oggie. Our neighbour Elijah Lajmer was happy to oblige. Here he is, flying through the air while Barry chats to Joe in the background:
We’ve hired Caption Max at work on doing a descriptive audio track so that blind audiences can enjoy their home DVDs. They’re also working on closed captioning. We want everyone to be able to enjoy Sniff!
Late last night Motion Graphics Designer Jeremy Martin delivered a great animation to accompany Dr. Ian Dunbar’s description of who chooses the mate, the male or the female?
Joe Lachoff is making great strides organizing our website affiliate marketing program and preparing for DVD and ticket sales through our site.
We’re having a “Community Gala” screening at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland on November 5 at 6:30 and 9:00 pm. We'll also have screenings at the Smith Rafael Film Center on November 7 and December 12 at 4:15 pm. Kitka might even perform at the gala!
Signature release copies of the DVD (with a few “extras”) will be available after each screening. Be there, or be square.
All Sniff systems are go!
P.S. This just in … Gus the Bird Herder, one of our star dogs, is featured in a new magazine Coastal Canine. He’s evidently multi-talented!
Labels: diary
Update September 4, 2009
Galloping
My friend Tara Gill (fellow gardener, fellow artist and stills photographer for Sniff) sent me a new word from Merriam Webster’s dictionary: “Tantivy” – a noun meaning “a rapid gallop” or “an impetuous rush”. Why, you might ask, did she think to send me this? Here goes…
In the last month, we have locked the picture and thanks to Berkeley Sound Artists Jim LeBrecht and his team, the sound elements are being smoothed-out. Composer
Jon Herbst is making wonderful transition music.
I’m clearing music rights for music by Laurie Lewis, Bobby McFerrin, Dick Dale, Sharon Shannon, Outback (with Martin Cradick now of Baka Beyond and Graham Wiggins now Dr. Didg), Kitka, Zydeco Flames, etc., etc. Our dog stories are delightful and the music rocks! But so much is involved in getting it all together, jeesh!
Barry is using the One-to One tutoring classes at Apple to create some wacky transitions between scenes using Final Cut Pro.
We met local musicians Andrew and Steve Edlen who are going to record a piece specially for our Search Dog story. They came to our place and over my home-made rhubarb crisp (starve a fever, feed a musician), we watched some of our out-takes, just for fun. The Edlens single-handedly rescued our surf dog montage set to Dick Dale’s “Night Rider” from the cutting room floor, with shouts of “Are you crazy? You can not cut this!”
So, having re-established our sanity, with a little help from our friends, the surfing dogs are back in, and we can tap our toes to “Night Rider” (if I can get the license finalized, of course).
My friend Tara Gill (fellow gardener, fellow artist and stills photographer for Sniff) sent me a new word from Merriam Webster’s dictionary: “Tantivy” – a noun meaning “a rapid gallop” or “an impetuous rush”. Why, you might ask, did she think to send me this? Here goes…
In the last month, we have locked the picture and thanks to Berkeley Sound Artists Jim LeBrecht and his team, the sound elements are being smoothed-out. Composer
Jon Herbst is making wonderful transition music.
I’m clearing music rights for music by Laurie Lewis, Bobby McFerrin, Dick Dale, Sharon Shannon, Outback (with Martin Cradick now of Baka Beyond and Graham Wiggins now Dr. Didg), Kitka, Zydeco Flames, etc., etc. Our dog stories are delightful and the music rocks! But so much is involved in getting it all together, jeesh!
Barry is using the One-to One tutoring classes at Apple to create some wacky transitions between scenes using Final Cut Pro.
We met local musicians Andrew and Steve Edlen who are going to record a piece specially for our Search Dog story. They came to our place and over my home-made rhubarb crisp (starve a fever, feed a musician), we watched some of our out-takes, just for fun. The Edlens single-handedly rescued our surf dog montage set to Dick Dale’s “Night Rider” from the cutting room floor, with shouts of “Are you crazy? You can not cut this!”
So, having re-established our sanity, with a little help from our friends, the surfing dogs are back in, and we can tap our toes to “Night Rider” (if I can get the license finalized, of course).
Labels: diary
The final shot of the movie, and hopefully the first shot when we actually release.Labels: snapshots
Does any one know who owns this dog?
We filmed this dog in St.Mary's Park in San Francisco and would love to use it in the film. What a great sniffer.
Labels: clips
All Ways Welcome
This was the first film that Barry and Kim made together. In fact, it's where they met ...and fell in love. It was produced for the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation and was designed to help staffers make their services more accessible to people with disabilities.
Labels: clips
Update August 1, 2009
Midnight Madness
Making a film becomes an obsession. I’ve seen it in others, and now (mea culpa) I’ve noticed that even our most sociable conversations quickly turn to the topic of “Sniff”. It is really all Barry and I are capable of discussing at any great length; our immersion is that great. And with dogs as our subject, every passing canine is inadvertently auditioning for us. When we’re driving to the grocery store, or taking a few minutes to walk around the block, there they are: dogs of all sorts, looking cute, or smart or “breedy” and inevitably we stop to talk to the owner and tell them about our film. (We used to ask for names and phone numbers in case we needed participants, so I suppose just talking about the film is an indication that we’re on the road to obsession-recovery.)
Still, I was a bit alarmed last night when I woke at 4 a.m., jet-lagged from a trip to Toronto, to discover our house guest Robert Gardner, thirsty in the middle of the night, sipping his self-serve ice-water out of a mixing bowl I’d left on the counter. A bowl! As a glassblower, I can assure you there is a plethora of perfectly functional drinking glasses in our kitchen. But here was Robert, ice cubes a-tinkling, swilling his water from a bowl! Perhaps we have a bit too much dog energy in our home?
Despite my concern, I took child-like pleasure in finding that all three of us were wide awake in the wee hours, and Barry and I crept back to our bedroom to whisper sweet film-things to each other until eventually we turned our backs on sleep and fired up the computers for another day.
When Robert re-emerged at 9:30 am, we ate breakfast (I was sure to serve coffee in cups and juice in glasses), and then sat down to watch the “locked” picture together. Robert is a talented script writer and we have valued his encouragement and insights as our script was taking shape. He had never seen the documentary sections, so we wanted to have his fresh eyes see the fully integrated film and make comments.
At the end of the viewing, mimicking newscasters of old, Robert laughed and quipped in his basso profundo voice: “In a world gone crazy, Barry and Kim have dared to make a film about dogs”, and we were off on a new creative tangent: writing a script for a much-needed trailer for “Sniff”. By mid-afternoon, we had Robert posing in front of a video camera, Fedora on tête, doing a Walter Cronkite voice-over for our suddenly blossoming trailer. Barry and I then each took a turn with the script (being sure to don the Fedora), and finally all three of us could be found crowded in front of the camera singing an improvised and shockingly tuneless madrigal version of “In a world gone crazy…”
Our particular world has certainly gone crazy. But it's fun!
Tomorrow we meet with one of our composers Jon Herbst to “spot” the film. I think we’ll keep the madrigal under wraps…
Making a film becomes an obsession. I’ve seen it in others, and now (mea culpa) I’ve noticed that even our most sociable conversations quickly turn to the topic of “Sniff”. It is really all Barry and I are capable of discussing at any great length; our immersion is that great. And with dogs as our subject, every passing canine is inadvertently auditioning for us. When we’re driving to the grocery store, or taking a few minutes to walk around the block, there they are: dogs of all sorts, looking cute, or smart or “breedy” and inevitably we stop to talk to the owner and tell them about our film. (We used to ask for names and phone numbers in case we needed participants, so I suppose just talking about the film is an indication that we’re on the road to obsession-recovery.)
Still, I was a bit alarmed last night when I woke at 4 a.m., jet-lagged from a trip to Toronto, to discover our house guest Robert Gardner, thirsty in the middle of the night, sipping his self-serve ice-water out of a mixing bowl I’d left on the counter. A bowl! As a glassblower, I can assure you there is a plethora of perfectly functional drinking glasses in our kitchen. But here was Robert, ice cubes a-tinkling, swilling his water from a bowl! Perhaps we have a bit too much dog energy in our home?
Despite my concern, I took child-like pleasure in finding that all three of us were wide awake in the wee hours, and Barry and I crept back to our bedroom to whisper sweet film-things to each other until eventually we turned our backs on sleep and fired up the computers for another day.
When Robert re-emerged at 9:30 am, we ate breakfast (I was sure to serve coffee in cups and juice in glasses), and then sat down to watch the “locked” picture together. Robert is a talented script writer and we have valued his encouragement and insights as our script was taking shape. He had never seen the documentary sections, so we wanted to have his fresh eyes see the fully integrated film and make comments.
At the end of the viewing, mimicking newscasters of old, Robert laughed and quipped in his basso profundo voice: “In a world gone crazy, Barry and Kim have dared to make a film about dogs”, and we were off on a new creative tangent: writing a script for a much-needed trailer for “Sniff”. By mid-afternoon, we had Robert posing in front of a video camera, Fedora on tête, doing a Walter Cronkite voice-over for our suddenly blossoming trailer. Barry and I then each took a turn with the script (being sure to don the Fedora), and finally all three of us could be found crowded in front of the camera singing an improvised and shockingly tuneless madrigal version of “In a world gone crazy…”
Our particular world has certainly gone crazy. But it's fun!
Tomorrow we meet with one of our composers Jon Herbst to “spot” the film. I think we’ll keep the madrigal under wraps…
Labels: diary
A Stone Webster Production
This film has been on the brew for 30 years since director/producer Barry Stone made his first short film called “Dog.” The short was picked up by Canada's Cineplex Odeon to play ahead of their feature length films.
When he first set out to make “Sniff” (April 2006) Barry had the idea of using puppets to host the documentary portions of the film – to tell us about how dogs see, how acute their senses of smell and hearing are, and how they’ve evolved to serve mankind. In talking to his friend Neil Morrissey about the great dog stories Barry was collecting, Neil got all excited and offered to dress up in costume to host the film.
As our research progressed, it became clear that there were so many great stories right in California that Neil was going to have to come to us (to which Neil responded: “bummer!”). We asked him who he’d like to play his “partner”, and he immediately suggested his friend from drama school, Richard Huw.
As the idea for the back story of the characters started to gel, Barry called up Amanda Plummer who he had worked with on a Toronto film “Triggermen” (2002), also starring Neil Morrissey. Amanda was delighted to reunite with Barry and Neil and to participate as the charming Juliette, owner of our fictitious dog hotel “The Infinite Paws” where Neil and Richard do their day-job. Maurice Godin, a friend from our days in Toronto and a fine stage and film actor now living in LA, also agreed to play Derek, Juliette’s husband. And so the zany plot was hatched and cast!
Many months and several script drafts later, the foursome converged in Oakland. By this time, Barry and his wife Kim had filmed all of the documentary segments and had edited them in sequence so that Neil and Richard could be seen on screen with the footage as the serendipitous “makers” of Sniff. Through their eyes, we see a mixture of fun and bizarre dog stories (surfing, bird-herding, bubble-blowing) as well as more informative segments about the training of two working dogs.
The development of the documentary parts of the movie was nothing short of a gift from the universe. As we’d hear about one dog story, another would emerge. Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California were immensely helpful and gave us free reign to follow the training of one of their star Guide Dogs, Mikey. Through them, we found out about Gabby, a Guide Dog puppy who wasn’t quite suitable to train as a guide, so she had a career change to become a Search and Rescue dog.
In gratitude for the all the magic and the help that we’ve received, Scrap and Taffy Productions plans to donate 10% of proceeds from DVD sales on our website to charitable canine organizations like Guide Dogs for the Blind, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and the American Humane.
Next: Diary of a Film-Maker's Wife…
Labels: production
Update June 2009
London Calling
We’ve just gotten back from London where we filmed our actors Neil Morrissey and Richard Huw in their real and fictional home town. As a result of our test screenings, we wrote a couple of extra scenes – to better set the stage for their collaboration on the documentary.
We decided to give Richard a “Mom” – played wonderfully by British stage actress Eileen Page (Eleanor of Aquitaine in Mother of the Pride, The Secret Garden) Eileen came to us through Sonya WIlliams a friend of Barry’s Mom, Sara Gregory, herself a soubrette of London’s West End in the 40’s and 50’s. Eileen, a vibrant octogenarian, is an intelligent, wiley force with dancing blue eyes and a spritely step. As we walked to Neil’s local for lunch, she told me of her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine and cited Eleanor’s history and speeches as though she was channeling the historic queen herself!
Neil was a brick as he returned home on the first night of our arrival to discover that Barry and I had completely switched the furniture in two of his guestrooms to transform one of the rooms into a set for Richard’s “bed-sitter.” He just glanced at the chaos and suggested we pop out to the pub. So we did, and enjoyed a delicious pint of bitter (or two) – all jet-lag aside!
We put the kids to bed while we hit the pub.
Neil wields the camera while...
Barry and Kim act like dogs.
We’ve just gotten back from London where we filmed our actors Neil Morrissey and Richard Huw in their real and fictional home town. As a result of our test screenings, we wrote a couple of extra scenes – to better set the stage for their collaboration on the documentary.
We decided to give Richard a “Mom” – played wonderfully by British stage actress Eileen Page (Eleanor of Aquitaine in Mother of the Pride, The Secret Garden) Eileen came to us through Sonya WIlliams a friend of Barry’s Mom, Sara Gregory, herself a soubrette of London’s West End in the 40’s and 50’s. Eileen, a vibrant octogenarian, is an intelligent, wiley force with dancing blue eyes and a spritely step. As we walked to Neil’s local for lunch, she told me of her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine and cited Eleanor’s history and speeches as though she was channeling the historic queen herself!
Neil was a brick as he returned home on the first night of our arrival to discover that Barry and I had completely switched the furniture in two of his guestrooms to transform one of the rooms into a set for Richard’s “bed-sitter.” He just glanced at the chaos and suggested we pop out to the pub. So we did, and enjoyed a delicious pint of bitter (or two) – all jet-lag aside!
We put the kids to bed while we hit the pub.We’re grateful to our British friend and camera-man Ian Clark and his gracious colleague Martin Scanlon for scouting locations in London and arranging to augment our video camera with various pieces of equipment that were too bulky for us to bring over on the plane. Richard came up from Beckenham armed with a funky collapsible bike he’d borrowed from his neighbour. Cast and crew spent a whirlwind day on and off the London tube following Barry around like the Pied Piper of Hamelin; tripods, bicycle and camera equipment on each of our shoulders. (No permits either, but the London bobbies just nodded and turned a blind eye – as we held our collective breath.)
Our photographer friend, Brigitte Cavanaugh, joined us from Paris to shoot some publicity stills too. Next morning, when our serious filming was through and we’d gotten Neil’s house back in order, Barry and I donned the dog masks and Neil took up Barry’s video camera to shoot some “making of” while Barry and I posed for Brigitte. I’ve decided that it’s not so easy being an actor – dog’s head or no. It was hot in there, and after a while I ran out of ideas for ways to embody a dog having a conversation with his ‘mate over a paper and a cup of tea … Turns out Neil’s camera footage wasn’t so hot either. So much for switching it up.
Our photographer friend, Brigitte Cavanaugh, joined us from Paris to shoot some publicity stills too. Next morning, when our serious filming was through and we’d gotten Neil’s house back in order, Barry and I donned the dog masks and Neil took up Barry’s video camera to shoot some “making of” while Barry and I posed for Brigitte. I’ve decided that it’s not so easy being an actor – dog’s head or no. It was hot in there, and after a while I ran out of ideas for ways to embody a dog having a conversation with his ‘mate over a paper and a cup of tea … Turns out Neil’s camera footage wasn’t so hot either. So much for switching it up.
Neil wields the camera while...
Barry and Kim act like dogs.Labels: diary
Dog
"Dog" (1979) was Barry's first film, and the inspiration for Sniff. It played in theaters as a short ahead of Odeon features.
Labels: clips
Synopsis
Sniff is a serious documentary wrapped in a fictional comedic story. Two British concierges of a high-end dog hotel collaborate on a documentary about dogs. The trouble is, they’re not quite making the same film!
Neil (British star Neil Morrissey: Bob the Builder, Men Behaving Badly) wants to regale us with a host of heart-warming stories of unusual dogs. But his dour partner Richard (Richard Huw: The Four Minute Mile, Splitting Heirs) is bent on investigating the life and times of working dogs.
Juliette (Amanda Plummer: Pulp Fiction, The Fisher King) is Neil’s former love-interest and the co-owner of the Infinite Paws dog hotel along with her slightly conservative husband Derek (Maurice Godin: House, Monk, Working).
Through the dueling lenses of these two serendipitous film makers, Sniff follows in detail the lives of dogs at work and at play:
Next: Production Notes…
Neil (British star Neil Morrissey: Bob the Builder, Men Behaving Badly) wants to regale us with a host of heart-warming stories of unusual dogs. But his dour partner Richard (Richard Huw: The Four Minute Mile, Splitting Heirs) is bent on investigating the life and times of working dogs.
Juliette (Amanda Plummer: Pulp Fiction, The Fisher King) is Neil’s former love-interest and the co-owner of the Infinite Paws dog hotel along with her slightly conservative husband Derek (Maurice Godin: House, Monk, Working).
Through the dueling lenses of these two serendipitous film makers, Sniff follows in detail the lives of dogs at work and at play:
- Meet Mikey, a yellow Labrador Retriever, who completes his training to become a working Guide Dog.
- Meet Gabby, a black Lab who is socialized at Guide Dogs but switches careers mid-stream to become a Search and Rescue Dog.
- Take a romp in the ocean with Zoe, a Jack Russell, at the Coronado Bay Surf Dog Competition.
- Run on the beach with Gus, a McNab herd-dog, who has taken to rounding up sea-gulls for want of a good sheep.
- Marvel at Retriever Harley as he and water-shy Rover tag-team ball retrieval from the Klamath river.
Next: Production Notes…
Labels: synopsis
Mask Designer Angela Thomas gets Neil ready to go on
Amanda Plummer and Neil Morrissey having a chat
Trainer Francis Metcalf gets a kiss from Chomskie
Neil gets a kiss from a yoga dog
Extras relax in the afternoon sun
Director Barry Stone scratches an itch for Richard Huw
A classy combo comes to the hotel
Another classy combo
Rick - you lucky dog!
Neil plays hard to get
Queen Flea-wea. One of our more glamorous cast members.Labels: snapshots
SCREENINGS PAST
Labels: screenings
July 9 and 10, 2010 at The Screening Room Tucson, Arizona
The Screening Room
127 E. Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 882-0204
Friday, July 9 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 10 at 6:00 and 8:00 pm
Admission is $6. Part of the ticket proceeds will benefit Hope Animal Shelter.
_________________________________________________________________
Labels: screenings
Sat. July 3, 2010 Alameda, CA at Autobody Fine Art
Autobody Fine Art will host a screening of Sniff for the benefit of Alameda Animal Shelter, Berkeley East Bay Humane Society and the Northern California German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue.
Saturday July 3, 2010, 7 - 10 pm
1517 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: 510.865.2608
Email: info@autobodyfineart.com
Ask for Ayne or Merci, the art hounds.
This is a meet-the-film-makers fund-raising event, complete with cocktails, yummy hors d'oeuvres served up by gallery owner Jacqueline Cooper, and a chance to enjoy a wonderful selection of Northern California art before seeing Sniff with your fellow dog-lovers. Steve and Andy Edlen will be there to serenade us before the film starts.
For details and advance tickets, please click here. Hope you'll join us and benefit three great organizations at the same time.
Descriptive audio available on request.
____________________________________________________________________
Saturday July 3, 2010, 7 - 10 pm
1517 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: 510.865.2608
Email: info@autobodyfineart.com
Ask for Ayne or Merci, the art hounds.
This is a meet-the-film-makers fund-raising event, complete with cocktails, yummy hors d'oeuvres served up by gallery owner Jacqueline Cooper, and a chance to enjoy a wonderful selection of Northern California art before seeing Sniff with your fellow dog-lovers. Steve and Andy Edlen will be there to serenade us before the film starts.
For details and advance tickets, please click here. Hope you'll join us and benefit three great organizations at the same time.
Descriptive audio available on request.____________________________________________________________________
Labels: screenings
We got the last shot!
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Grand Lake Theatre for the finale shot. We had the big letters up on the marquee and they looked great!
Casey's almost done ...
We attracted a classy crowd, don't you think?
Barry's editing the end of the film, Jon Herbst and Ken Kearney are writing music, and the sound design starts at the end of August. So far so good.
Here's the first letter going up...
Casey's almost done ...
We attracted a classy crowd, don't you think?
June 2010 Portland, Oregon: Clinton Street Theater
By popular demand following the Hotel Monaco screening in Portland, the Clinton Street Theater is hosting Sniff for 5 nights! Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Bring your Dog to the opening!
Friday, June 18, 2010 at 7 pm
More screenings just for people:
Sunday, June 20 to Wednesday, June 23 at 7 pm
(NB: no screening on Saturday June 19)
Sunday June 20th will include folks from Portland's about-to-open Sniff Dog Hotel (yes - you got it - a dog hotel with the same name as our film - how crazy a coincidence is that? Definitely the stuff of a DVD extra - we'll release a new version soon!)
Monday June 21st is a celebration of the Oregon Humane Society - there will be adoptable dogs there as greeters - so you might find your canine soul mate - courtesy of OHS and SNIFF! DO let us know...
2522 SE Clinton St., Portland, OR 97202
Events phone - 503.238.8899 or Message: 503.238.5588
ADMISSION PRICES:
$6 for Adults
$5 for Students w/ID
$4 for Seniors, Tuesdays / matinees
$3 kids 12 and under
CASH ONLY PLEASE
____________________________________________________________________________
Bring your Dog to the opening!
Friday, June 18, 2010 at 7 pm
More screenings just for people:
Sunday, June 20 to Wednesday, June 23 at 7 pm
(NB: no screening on Saturday June 19)
Sunday June 20th will include folks from Portland's about-to-open Sniff Dog Hotel (yes - you got it - a dog hotel with the same name as our film - how crazy a coincidence is that? Definitely the stuff of a DVD extra - we'll release a new version soon!)
Monday June 21st is a celebration of the Oregon Humane Society - there will be adoptable dogs there as greeters - so you might find your canine soul mate - courtesy of OHS and SNIFF! DO let us know...
2522 SE Clinton St., Portland, OR 97202
Events phone - 503.238.8899 or Message: 503.238.5588
ADMISSION PRICES:
$6 for Adults
$5 for Students w/ID
$4 for Seniors, Tuesdays / matinees
$3 kids 12 and under
CASH ONLY PLEASE
____________________________________________________________________________
Labels: screenings
Thursday April 29, 2010 Portland, Oregon at Hotel Monaco
Hotel Monaco, Portland's pet friendliest place to stay, is hosting SNIFF as a benefit for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Thursday April 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Admission: Free!
Hotel Monaco Portland:
506 S.W. Washington at Fifth Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
Toll-Free: 866.861.9514 | Local: 503.222.0001
You can bring your dog, snack on popcorn, see the movie and make a generous contribution to Guide Dogs for the Blind - all courtesy of Hotel Monaco. (There may even be a musical presentation by one of the bands whose music is in the film - we're still working out the details!) Barry will be there, so you can ask questions about how the film was made - or have him sign copy of the DVD for you to take home to your family.
Click on the logo below to read about the Hotel Monaco's many pet-friendly amenities.
Descriptive audio available on request.
Thursday April 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Admission: Free!
Hotel Monaco Portland:
506 S.W. Washington at Fifth Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
Toll-Free: 866.861.9514 | Local: 503.222.0001
You can bring your dog, snack on popcorn, see the movie and make a generous contribution to Guide Dogs for the Blind - all courtesy of Hotel Monaco. (There may even be a musical presentation by one of the bands whose music is in the film - we're still working out the details!) Barry will be there, so you can ask questions about how the film was made - or have him sign copy of the DVD for you to take home to your family.
Click on the logo below to read about the Hotel Monaco's many pet-friendly amenities.
Descriptive audio available on request.Labels: screenings
Update April, 2009
Rough Cut
The good news is that we now have a completed rough cut of the entire film! It is about 95 minutes in length and quite enjoyable if we do say so ourselves. Barry is continuing to make refinements, and I’m researching temporary music to complement the content, but at least now we know we have a structure that works, and that our beloved dog stars are soon going to be endearing themselves to a wider audience! Barry is anxious to have a screening for a select number of colleague directors, writers and editors to get their input and suggestions.
Local Oakland musician Ken Kearney has been very helpful in providing his musical input and suggestions, many of which we’ve popped into place in the film. And this past weekend we showed the rough cut to Berkeley singer/song-writer Laurie Lewis because we wanted to get her approval to use one of her songs. She came to our place (I was so excited – she’s won Grammy awards!) on her bicycle (wow!) and sat down with us to watch… Barry stopped the film to get her reaction to the spot where we’d used her song and she immediately asked him to keep it running, and watched with enthusiasm right to the end! She told us she’d “be thrilled to be part of the project” – a phrase which Barry repeats to me periodically like a mantra of affirmation.
And so it goes, here in our little Oakland aerie. A film well on the way, and a garden that’s bursting with roses, despite my inattention to pruning this winter.
The good news is that we now have a completed rough cut of the entire film! It is about 95 minutes in length and quite enjoyable if we do say so ourselves. Barry is continuing to make refinements, and I’m researching temporary music to complement the content, but at least now we know we have a structure that works, and that our beloved dog stars are soon going to be endearing themselves to a wider audience! Barry is anxious to have a screening for a select number of colleague directors, writers and editors to get their input and suggestions.
Local Oakland musician Ken Kearney has been very helpful in providing his musical input and suggestions, many of which we’ve popped into place in the film. And this past weekend we showed the rough cut to Berkeley singer/song-writer Laurie Lewis because we wanted to get her approval to use one of her songs. She came to our place (I was so excited – she’s won Grammy awards!) on her bicycle (wow!) and sat down with us to watch… Barry stopped the film to get her reaction to the spot where we’d used her song and she immediately asked him to keep it running, and watched with enthusiasm right to the end! She told us she’d “be thrilled to be part of the project” – a phrase which Barry repeats to me periodically like a mantra of affirmation.
And so it goes, here in our little Oakland aerie. A film well on the way, and a garden that’s bursting with roses, despite my inattention to pruning this winter.
Treats for our test audience.Labels: diary
March 21, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Meet film-makers Barry Stone and Kim Webster.
Bring the Family!
(Part of a dog double header with MINE screening at 12 noon)
The Guild Cinema
3405 Central N.E.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87106
Tickets $8 General/ $5 Children Under 12 and Seniors 62+
Tickets are available at the door.
Descriptive audio available on request.
10% of proceeds from Sniff DVDs sold at the screening will benefit Assistance Dogs of the West.
Labels: screenings
March 18, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 5:30 and 7:30 pm
Meet film-makers Barry Stone and Kim Webster. Bring the family!
The Screen
1600 Saint Michaels Dr.
Santa Fe, NM 87505-7615
Tickets $10 General/$8 Children Under12/ Seniors 62+
Tickets are available at the door.
Descriptive audio available on request.
10% of DVDs sold at the screenings will benefit Assistance Dogs of the West.
Labels: screenings
March 13 and 14, Tucson, Arizona
Saturday March 13 at 7:00 pm
Sunday March 14 at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Meet the film-makers Barry Stone and Kim Webster.
Bring the family!
The Screening Room
127 East Congress Street
Tucson, AZ 85701-1707
(520) 882-0204
Tickets $8 General/$5 Children under 12 and Seniors 62+
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR!
Descriptive audio available on request20% of proceeds from DVDs sold at our Saturday screening will benefit Hope Animal Shelter, Tucson's only no-kill animal shelter for dogs and cats.
20% of proceeds from DVDs sold at our Sunday screenings will benefit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.
Labels: screenings
March 12, Phoenix, Arizona
Friday, March 12 at 7:00 pm One Screening only.
Meet film-makers Barry Stone and Kim Webster.
Bring the family!
MADCAP Theaters
7300 South Mill Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
Tickets $10 General/ $8 Children and Seniors
To buy advance tickets click here, or purchase at the door (if we're not sold out!)
Descriptive audio available on request.20% of proceeds from DVD sales at the event will benefit Phoenix Guide Dog Raisers, Inc. and the Foundation for Blind Children.
Labels: screenings
February 28, Salinas California
Sunday, February 28 at 10:00 am
Meet film-makers Barry Stone and Kim Webster.
Bring the family!
Maya Cinemas
153 Main Street
Salinas, CA 93901
Buy advance tickets below, or purchase at the door on the day of the event (if we're not sold out!).
Descriptive audio available on request.20% of producers’ profits from ticket sales and DVDs sold after the event will benefit
ARIEL Theatrical Inc., Salinas, CA and
Animal Friends Rescue Project, Pacific Grove, CA
Labels: screenings
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
