Max (2015)

Throughout the film, the main character has a pet dog seen performing such mild action as sitting/standing/lying/sniffing, being held or petted, and walking/running on or off leash. For all of these scenes, trainers used hand signals and verbal commands to cue the mild action, which the trained dog was accustomed to performing. The barking/growling was also a trained behavior.

In the opening sequence where we see Max walking through a town in Afghanistan with soldiers, dogs were kept in air conditioning until needed and there was a cooling tent on set, and umbrellas were used in-between takes to keep dogs cooled off. Dogs were also given water between takes. The explosions that were used to simulate bombs while the soldiers passed by were nowhere near the dogs. Dogs were not in the vicinity during the simulated explosions. When we see Max sniffing for bombs, trainers were off-set guiding him to different areas using a stick with food stuck on the end of it. The smoke we see on set was a non-toxic formula.

In the scene where we see the soldier take the dog out of the van and remove the muzzle, trainers had the dog put the muzzle on before filming to get him used to it. The van was air conditioned for the whole scene.

In the scene where Max barks and jumps in the dog kennel, all the dogs in the kennel were given water between takes. The kennel itself was air-conditioned. The trainer was located outside the cage giving the dog commands during the scene.

In the scene where the dog is in the backyard, on a chain, running in circles and barking, the trainer was in the house, and on action called to the dog to speak. The dog reacted to the trainer’s call and barked and ran in circles. Trainers continued to cue the dog to act unruly. The dog was rewarded with treats between takes. The leash and chain were checked for safety and comfort.

When the girl takes Max off the chain, puts him in a leash and has him walk in a circle, trainers prepped the dog on this scene prior to filming. The kids and the dog spent time before filming the scene so the dog was acquainted with them.

In the scene where Max encounters the soldier coming back from the war and freaks out, barks and lunges towards him so the stake comes out from the ground, the scene was shot in many takes. A screw type dog anchor was used as the stake in the ground. Trainers made sure the dog anchor was loose enough for the dog to pull it out of the ground without any issues. Trainers were off set cuing the dog to bark. Trainers also were off-camera holding the chain and taking in the slack to make it look as if the dog were pulling on it and making it tighter.

In the scene where we see the Chihuahuas sitting at the window of the girl’s house barking, the barking and scratching the window was cued by the handlers outside using verbal and hand signals. Windows were closed or cracked slightly open during action. The dogs were familiar with the actress prior to filming the scene.

In the scene where the kids race their bikes and Max follows them through the woods, trainers and AHA Reps checked the area prior to filming this sequence. Visual effects were used to make the ravine appear much deeper than it actually was. The trainers and the dog visited the location two days prior with the stunt rider to introduce them to the terrain and to have the dog practice running alongside the bike rider. The sequence was broken up into many shots where the trainers were off-camera and cued the dog to run alongside the bike riders from point A to point B. Towards the end of the scene as the camera rushes forward, passing over Justin and Max to reveal a deep canyon waiting a short distance ahead, with a dizzying drop to the forest below. Justin pedals right to the edge of the canyon, jerks up on his handlebars at the last moment and he takes off in the air but Max pulls to a stop at the last second, refusing to follow Justin over the edge and Justin sails through the air on his mountain bike and lands safely on the other side of the canyon. The edge of the hill that the dog stops at was actually only a few feet deep.  CGI will turn this ravine into a canyon.

In the scene where Max is in a cage in the backyard and reacts barking to the fireworks and the boy comforts him, the fireworks were added to the scene in post-production. A trainer was off-set cuing the dog to bark at the sky.

Production provided the AHA with documentation on the taxidermy deer head. The American Humane Association requests receipts or documentation from productions for deer heads or any other taxidermy animals to prove that the animals were not harmed for the production itself, but were already in that state before shooting the film.

In the scene where the father gets frustrated with the dog and points a gun at him, the gun was a fake. And the dog was trained to react to the actor in this scene.

In the scene where the main actor and friends watch the military video of Max on an obstacle course, the trainer in the video was an experienced military dog trainer. Trainers for Max were just off-camera and familiarized him with the course prior to filming the scene. The dog was on an obstacle course going over four jumps. The dog was on a long leash and Kyle ran beside the dog as it went over high jumps.

In the scene where the kids and Max encounter the thug and Max growls, Max was placed on mark by the handler using training collar and leash, which were then removed. The handler stood on an apple box using vocal and hand signals to get the dog to look up at her past the actor (Emilio) and growl/snarl. The dog was responding to the handler, not the actor. In the same scene when the boy places a wad of money under the dog’s nose and subsequently the dog runs off in the distance, the wad of money actually had food inside of it to pique the dog’s attention. After the dog sniffed the cash, a trainer called to him from off-camera to run to him.

In the scene where the boy and Max sneak up on a group of hoods with their Rottweilers, and they hear the boy and unleash their dogs on them, and the Rottweilers run after the Max and the boy in the forest, trainers and AHA Reps made a clearing in the forest for the dogs to run through. Also a foam padding was taped down on the tailgate of the truck where the Rottweilers were standing. On action, trainers cued the dogs to run into the forest. The trainers familiarized all the dogs with their marks in the grassy field before shooting the scene.

In the subsequent sequence where the Rottweilers chase Max and the boy through the woods, trainers were off-camera and each scene was shot individually. In the scene where the Rottweiler approaches the boy and Max appears out of nowhere and knocks the Rottweiler down, this was a simulation. The dogs did not actually fight. This was filmed on green screen. And production made it look as if dogs were in the same scene fighting, when they’re actually filmed separately on green screen. Trainers placed a tug on the Rottweiler’s leg and had him walk to make it look as if he was injured. The dogs then get into a fight. The dogs never really fought, they were play fighting and held by their trainers on leashes. The leashes were eradicated by CGI in post.

During the fight scene with the Rottweilers, one of the Rottweilers falls down a gully, the dog never actually fell down a gully. The dogs play fought with each other with trainers cuing them with hand signals off-camera. And they made it look as if the dog fell down a ravine with quick shots and editing. For the injured dog, production put fake blood on her leg.

In the scene where animal control opens the back of the van and the boy puts Max in the van, there were crates inside the truck and a mat on the floor to prevent slipping. One of the men playing Animal Control officers was a trainer. On command, the dog jumped into the van.

In the subsequent scene where Max is taken to the kennel and led to a cage by an animal control worker with a harness on his neck and he bites the harness, jumps on the guy and escapes, production placed carpeted mats on the ground for better traction and safety. Trainers placed the catch pole loop loosely over the dog’s neck and removed his collar.  On action, the trainer walked with the dog and encouraged him to play fight/bite the pole. On film this will look like “Max” is fighting to get away.

In the same scene where the dog jumps on the control worker, in one take the trainer had the dog playfully jump on the man. In the next take, the man was lying down with the dog on top of him. When Max escapes the kennel and runs through the hallway, trainers were off-camera cuing him to run from point A to point B. When Max jumps over a fence to escape the animal control facility, the trainer placed the dog in a stay position in front of the gate. The dog was prepped for this scene weeks prior to shooting it. One trainer sat with the dog while the other waited for him on the other side of the gate. On action, the trainer released the dog who easily jumped over the gate to the other side.

In the scene where Max follows Justin on his bike, production cut off the streets to public traffic, and trainers were off-camera cuing the dog to run behind the bike.

When Justin and Max get to the storage unit, Justin gives Max a toy to sniff and Max runs off, trainers placed a small treat in a hidden place to the dog would search for it.

In the scene where Max saves Justin from drowning as they cross the river, water safety personnel found the safest path in that particular river. Three trainers and safety personnel were on set for all scenes when the dog was in or near the water. In order to film the scene with Max crossing the river, he actually only crossed from the halfway mark. Trainers brought the dog to the halfway mark on a hard-bottomed raft. On action, they put him in the water, and trainers called to him from the river bank. Furthermore, production prepped the area of the river where the actor and dog were to be placed. They used sandbags covered in plastic and rocks to raise the water level of the river so it would be safer for the dog to cross from the halfway mark. After the scene the dog was rewarded with food and dried off.

In the scene where Justin and Max come to the top of a ridge and see below them the bad guys with the Rottweiler sitting in the back of a truck, the boy and the dog were never close to the ridge. In the same scene, when Justin’s cell phone rings, thereby alerting the antagonists and they send the Rottweiler after them, trainers were off-camera and cued the Rottweiler to run into the forest.

Production was able to successfully portray Max and the Rottweiler getting into a vicious fight without the animals actually fighting or the dogs being harmed in anyway through a combination of props, precisely timed shots, masterful editing and CGI. For example, when we see a quick shot of Max biting the Rottweiler in the rear leg, trainers used a fake dog head (which looked exactly like Max’s head) to simulate Max’s head bending down to bite him. Additionally, both dogs were filmed on green screen so CGI could fill in the blanks and really make it look as if the dogs were biting and fighting heavily. In the shots where we actually see the dogs jumping on each other and “connecting,” the dogs were trained to “play fight” with each other. Trainers would bring the dogs to their marks and on action they would cue the dogs to “play fight.” The two  dogs would play with each other. Each take would last 45 seconds of the dogs “play fighting.” After each take the dogs were rewarded with food and water.

When we see Justin hit the Rottweiler with his bike, the actor was positioned so that the bike was a safe distance away from the dog when he swung it. The trainers placed a nylon line around the dog’s hips and around his shoulders so they could pull him sideways as the bike was swung in his direction.  The camera was positioned behind and to the side of the dog so that it’ll appear as if he was hit by the bike.

When we see Max and the Rottweiler roll down a hill and onto a rock, again, trainers cued them to play fight. This time however they were standing on a rubber mat which was covered with leaves. Trainers held the dogs on a parachute cord to make sure they didn’t hurt each other. The cord was taken out of the final cut in post production.

In the scene where the dogs fight near the riverbed and the Rottweiler slides down the hill, the dog never really slid down anything. Trainers had him lie down on the rock formation and filmed the scene to make it look as if he were sliding down. When we see the dogs fight near the river, the trainers were on hand and the dogs were cued to play fight. When we see the dog swept down the river, two trainers were on hand standing in a very shallow part of the lake. On action, one trainer let the dog go, swimming down the lake, only a couple feet before the other trainer grabbed the dog and brought him to shore.   

When the men shoot at Max, the gunshots were added in post-production.

In the scene where Max runs towards the father and instead attacks the man behind him, knocking him down, production placed a tall wooden platform with a three inch foam mat.  There was a still camera on stilts positioned to the side and another camera on the ground behind the head of the actor for a close up of “Max”.  The actor was actually the dog’s trainer dressed in costume as “Slack”.  The other trainer positioned the dog on top of Larry who was sitting up. On action the main trainer fell backward holding onto the dog to simulate a struggle. Another trainer called the dog and the dog’s trainer released “Max” who immediately jumped off. Treats and praise were given all around.

In the scene where Justin and Max walk down a dirt road with the father limping behind them and a truck comes barreling down the road towards them, the truck was never close to the dog or the actors. They shot the sequence separately.

In the subsequent scene when Justin on his bike and Max are running away from the antagonist and both try to jump across the ravine, but Max doesn’t make it and falls into the ravine, production used a green screen so post could implement CGI to make the ravine look deeper than it was. In order to achieve the shot of the boy and dog trying to jump over the ravine, two handlers took the dog to the top of the prepared trail. Another handler was stationed down the trail at point B and out of camera view. The animal was allowed to run “at liberty” following a stunt rider on a mountain bike as he rides the trail downhill from A-B.

 In order to create the image that they are jumping a ravine, the crew created a steady platform using metal bracing and a wooden top covered with a rubber pad. This was placed in the bottom of the dip so the platform was level. The platform was stabilized by sand bags, by the metal frame and by crew members holding it steady. The camera was positioned beneath the platform either slightly to the side looking up or directly underneath looking up. Animal action was achieved using two handlers. One handler placed the dog on the trail. Another handler positioned himself beside the platform. The dog was unleashed and called to run from point A to point B by the handler at the platform. Because the gap was so small, the dog did not really have to jump but merely ran onto the platform. The span was so short there was no potential for missing the jump. At the base of the slope several green screens were placed as a backdrop. Also CGI location markers were in placed for later VFX.

Because the dog needed to appear to struggle with the steepness of the slope, the handlers fitted the dog with a nylon waist belt to which they attached a black cord. This ran from the dog to a pulley fastened to a stake in the ground at the base of the slope. A handler at the base of the slope was then able to hold the cord and provide some resistance to the dog’s movements as the dog walked up the slope. They did this by letting the cord slide through their hands with a little friction. Because the slope was not very steep, side view cameras were tilted clockwise to make the slope appear steeper on film.

In the scene where Max runs down the train tracks and jumps on the bad guy and they both fall through a hole, this was all filmed on green screen. Prior to this scene, the dog was taught to jump up into someone’s arms.  On action, the dog is cued to run and jump on the actor and they both fall back onto a safety mat. There are green railroad ties on the floor and a green screen background.

After they fall on top of each other and we see the dog lying on top of the actor, trainers positioned the dog on the actor’s chest and the trainer gave the dog the command to stay.

Overall, this production was a joy to work with. The American Humane Association and the incredibly gifted and proactive crew of Max worked so well together that we can only hope every production is as cooperative as Max.