Cairn Movies: CricketCast

[bradl]

This looks to be a terrific and highly developed concept site based on the adventures of Cricket. Set in (apparently) the Colorado Rockies, Cricket Goes for a Walk. The most recent episode is also quite enjoyable and features a snow tale. Even the "About Us" section of the site is hilarious. Really quite a project, and very well done.

[Darcy's Folks]

Thanks Brad! That was so much fun to watch - I've bookmarked it! I want to be Cricket! Where ever she lives is a gorgeous place. I would have to wonder myself (being from Colorado) if that is indeed where they are.

[OzGirl]

That was great! I really enjoyed watching it, brought a smile to my face. Thanks for telling us about it.

[kayharley]

Oh Brad, that was wonderful. How I laughed at the part when he prances home with the stick in his mouth. I love him!! Thanks so much for posting it.

[hallswel]

That is a great site Brad. I would love to live in the outdoors like that but I do like the suburbs.....

Cute Cute Cricket!

[mrskti]

that was cool, i loved episode 13: Snow. some really great shots there. All i could think of was my dogs running like that.....and never seeing them again!!! I cant even get them off the dash of the motor home!!!

[tlwtheq]

Ahhhh this was just wonderful..thanks. I've got it bookmarked as well.

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[bradl]

Slight correction - the site itself mentions The Rockies - I just hallucinated the Colorado part.

[wags]

I loved it! I was also wondering if they sell looooooooooooong leashes.

[czymom]

Too Cute!!!

[cricketcast]

Hi there,

This is Thomas Blair, director of the CricketCast.net episodes. My webmaster let me know that we had been getting a number of visits to our site from here, so I thought I would register and check it out. Looks like a great resource for Cairn owners, lots of fun and interesting discussion. Thanks for all your kinds comments about CricketCast - when you work on a labor of love, positive comments are a shot in the arm. Anyway, just thought I would say hi and mention that I would be happy to answer any questions etc. you have about CricketCast.

Thomas

[Scully'sMom]

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't wait to get home from work to see what this was all about. It was terrific and I subscribed to it as well.

Mr. Blair (and Cricket) - you just made my day!

[brin145]

Thomas,

I loved watching the episodes earlier today. When I tried to enter the podcast URL into my TIVO podcast queue, it says it can't find it. I even tried putting in the rss feed URL. Do you know if we are able to access via TIVO as well as the computer? I have already subscribed and downloaded onto my ipod player at work and was just thinking it would be fun to have access from the tv. Also, I hope you get information from someone about the lost episodes. It would be a shame to lose any of this work. You guys have done a wonderful job.

Thanks,

Brinda

[Eliz222]

Thomas, great job!

Brad, thanks for showing us this site!

I had soooo much fun watching the videos! Cricket looks soooo much like Finch!! All that is missing is the frisbee...lol!

Thomas, how old is Cricket?

[Lisad]

Wow!! That was the cutest little clip I have ever seen. It was so well done!! Fantastic job Thomas and CricketCast!!! I love it!

[toomanypaws]

Brad, Thanks for posting this! I've now been on the computer for the past 1/2 hr viewing CricketCast. First I viewed it, then I called my dd in to see it and then we called dh in. We LOVED it!

Thomas, What fantastic work you do! Cricket reminds me of my Cairn, Kiara. Thanks for the time and effort you put into that. It was really appreciated.

[Darcy's Folks]

Thomas:

You really have an awesome website and Cricket is absolutely adorable!!! I think I watched the snow episode last night about 3 times, and then again with my husband just now. I want to be Cricket - she seems like she has a great life with a great place to prance around. Your camera angles are so cool... my husband wants to know what you did for the ground level angle when you follow Cricket from behind. I'm certainly looking forward to MORE episodes, as I'm sure most of the other Cairn owners here are! Thanks for showing off this fun, spunky and great breed!

[cricketcast]

Hi everyone thanks for the comments and encouragement - they are very much appreciated and will inspire us to get the next episode together - we are trying for a new one every month or so - should be a total of 10 this year (we produce them almost as slowly as HBO produces the Sopranos

Sneak peak on the next episode - Cricket gets to ride in an airplane and visit a big city on the west coast!

Responses to Questions:

Darcy's Folks: For the running shots we invented a rig out of platic pipe that holds the camera at ground level, and then sends the signal up to a viewing screen that is at about chest level. With some practice you can get pretty still running shots (especially when there is soft snow to run on!). For the opening credits shot, we made a crane device based on a cheap steadicam device and a 16 foot painter's pole - I was quite amazed at how much the shot looks like a "real" crane shot. For the snow episode, the overheads were shot on a bridge that runs over top of the frozen creek bed that Cricket is running on - you can see the bridge at the top of the frame during Cricket's point-of-view shot at about 5:19 in episode 6.

To Shoe's question - Cricket is nearly two - her birthday is April 29th. I'm not sure if you can tell on the videos, but I think Cricket is pretty small for the breed - only about 12 pounds, when lots of Cairns I have met are in the 25 pound range. She is from a breeder in Montana.

Brinda, thanks for the heads up on TIVO. I haven't looked into that, but I do know that one of the web's most popular video logs (Rocketboom.com) is available on TIVO, so there must be a way to do it. I will look into it and let you know what I find out. On my end, I have a computer attached to the TV, so get to watch it that way. The original footage was shot in High Definition video, so once the manufacturers get their act together on HD DVD's we might put out a DVD later this year or early next.

Thomas

Edit: snipped breeder reference

[bradl]

I really like the way you've managed to capture and highlight Cairnish exuberance and some typical mannerisms of our breed. It's not just that it's cute - it rings true - we can connect to it directly from our experience of our own dogs.

Interesting how you did the tracking shots. I was guessing a snowmobile for one but the shots from the front didn't show tracks, so I figured I was probably wrong.

I love the overall site design. I was in stitches with things like the blogspot for legendary voice actor Gene Marsden - I'll be checking IMDB and wikipedia for the voiceography of his work in silent films

[MarkN]

I just love Cricketcast! The filming is spectacular. The naration is so good, it's worth listening to by itself without viewing the film.

Cricket reminds me of my late cairn, Becki. The face and the coloring are identical.

Thomas - was wondering where the films are shot? Also if you will ever have available the "lost episodes"?

Mark N

Seattle

[Scully'sMom]

My big question is....having a Cairn that doesn't know the meaning of "Come" despite $500.00 personal trainer lessons - how did Cricket learn to run amuck and still come back home? I was SO jealous that Cricket could run so freely and have such a grand time without being on a leash.

[toomanypaws]

  - how did Cricket learn to run amuck and still come back home?  I was SO jealous that Cricket could run so freely and have such a grand time without being on a leash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sure alot of it had to do with the training. I'm not fortunate to live on acres of land. I doubt my Abbey and Hannah would take off far, but being we're in a subdivision and close to a busy road, I can't take the chance. The time Kiara did get away from us in the N.C. mountains, she never really got out of sight. It seemed all a game to her. To make a movie of Kiara, one would need a camera durable enough to get slammed dunked against logs, small enough to squeeze through pilings or fencing, and dirt resistant. I think the video would be a big jerky blur as she chased after the wildlife.

[wheezie23]

OMG, I love this site! Brad, thanks for finding it and sharing it with us!

Thela

[cricketcast]

To answer the other questions:

CricketCast is shot for the most part in and around a small acreage in the same general vicinity of Banff, Alberta, Canada. Having a bit of space is nice, because it allows us to let Cricket run around on her own without worry. The places we shoot are pretty isolated so there is no worries about vehicles etc. Cricket is pretty good off leash (thanks to lots of - frustrating - training but as you will see in the next episode, she goes on the leash like anyone other dog when we are in the city etc.

Cricket is also really getting into Flyball - her first tournament is June - which of course will find its way into an episode.

Over 7000 people have watched Episode 13 online in the past week - thanks to you all for your support and encouragement.

[Lisad]

Thomas,

Don't forget to put a flying cap and goggles on Cricket when she goes for her plane ride.