We recently chatted with Keith Hopkin, the creator of Savour Every Moment to get some “behind the scenes” information about the making of the film. You can read the interview below!
Who are the stars in the film + how’d you meet them?
All of the stars in the film are companions of friends and family. The two White German Shepherds at the beginning are my in-laws’. Mia, the female was the initial inspiration to “Dogs in Cars”. She was such a star that I kept working with her on follow up pieces. Her and Boo together are just perfect.
What is your favorite part of the film?
There’s something really magical about the opening slow motion shot when Boo and Mia come running out of the front door. You can just see how happy they are to get outside and play. We also got really lucky with the snowfall, it really helped add to the visual effect of the dogs moving in slow motion.
What is your favorite memory of the making of the film?
I had a lot of fun working on this. Who doesn’t want to spend their day playing with cute animals all day?! Our stay with Jeff and Lisa at the Red Robin Song Guest House in upstate, NY was probably the best part. They were really helpful and excited to have their family of animals on camera – in addition to the 6 cats and 3 dogs they have goats, sheep and chickens. There’s even a short shot of Teddy looking at a chicken riding one of the goats!
The pool shoot was also really fun and I didn’t really know what to expect. Working with Seth Casteel was a great help since he has had so much experience shooting dogs in water.
Any good road trip stories in the making of the film?
It was really great to see some of my friends while shooting. If the reason I have to visit my friends is because they have pets well then so be it! Everything went really smoothly, thankfully there are things like GPS and Yelp to find your way around and to eat well!
Do you have any pets?
I don’t have any pets right now but have friends and family all around me with dogs and cats. I did grow up with plenty of pets in my house though. My family would take in the pet store “rejects” that they couldn’t sell; a hamster born with one eye (“One Eyed Willie”), a Chinchilla that wouldn’t eat (“Bones”). Other pets included a parakeet, iguana, mice, more hamsters and a losa apso named Ollie.
What made you start making videos about pets?
I enjoy making videos of all kinds, whatever is inspiring me at the time. When my in-laws adopted Mia the White German Shepherd she really touched everyone around her. There are plenty of pet videos online but I don’t think there are enough that really try to capture their soul and what we love about them.
What does Savour Every Moment mean to you?
Savour Every Moment is an attempt to really capture what we love about our pets. We like to escape into their world and imagine a simpler life. Animals are a beautiful thing on this planet that we sometimes don’t appreciate as much as we should. This is a reminder of that.
What do you do when you aren’t making YouTube video sensations?
When I’m not shooting or editing I am enjoying the outdoors or building websites. I’d prefer the outdoors and shooting video. One of the things I love about working on video projects is that it starts with an idea or a simple sketch that finally turns into a finished piece that I can watch and share with the world. I might also be working on a YouTube non-sensation. You never know sometimes how the world might react to something you’ve made!
If you haven’t yet seen Savour Every Moment you can watch it below:
“When I found GO! DAILY DEFENCE™ Chicken recipe, and saw it was made in Canada, I bought the bag and have never looked back. The first thing I noticed was the change in Bailey’s coat, it had a softness and shine to it that wasn’t there before. Her teeth are in great shape.”
- Pauline
