View the short:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuOCeJSQCTs![]()
Max and Shawn
My name is Max. I'm a white yellow lab, and my interests include belly rubs, tennis balls, and jumping. For years now my dad, Shawn, has been photographing me and my brothers, Bolt and Ranger, to try to capture our essence. Lately, he has wanted to immortalize the relationship between us and our humans in the form of film. He says he wants to honor us by trying to show you what unconditional love looks like without saying a single word. Even though us dogs communicate with body language and various barks. Can you imagine what we would say if we could talk to you, what thoughts we would express?
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Why we need the bones:
We need your help to make this movie happen. We have to make our actor happy. And boy is he a demanding one. He has to have his water bowl at exactly 73 degrees. All of his dog treats have to be wrapped in bacon. Every tennis ball that he plays with has to be brand new. (Just kidding. Max is a really good boy. And he likes his tennis balls EXTRA-slobbery!)
On top of all of that we need your help to rent a Canon 4K EOS C500, lighting and audio equipment, pay for our actors (both 2-legged and 4), food for the actors (again, both 2 and 4-legged), location fees, hair, makeup, wardrobe, props, travel and lodging, grip gear and truck, crew fees.
The Film
Cinematically, this film will be shot in the perspective of the dog. How he sees the family, how he holds the family together, and how he shows unconditional love. It's his story, and the family's story. Through his eyes, and with his words, we try to imagine what he would tell us, if he could.
We will be using state of the art drones and top of the line underwater cameras to best be able to showcase a dog's perspective to the fullest extent.
The finished Short Film "If I Could Talk" (8 minutes) will be premiering at WorldFest - Houston International Film Festival 2015, the oldest fully independent international film festival in the United State and the third-oldest independent film festival in the country. It is the cumulation of two years' work for Shawn, but it can be the start of something even bigger - If I Could Talk: The Movie (90 minutes).
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Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you cannot afford to contribute to this project. Please just go home and give your a dog a big ole hug. Or if you're a cat person, please go hug your cat, if you can.
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