Pet Project

SANDPOINT — The morning was made-to-order for filmmaking.  The sky, impeccably blue, wrapped around the outdoor scene and joined forces with crisp winter sunlight to guarantee the kind of footage that snaps on the screen.

Karla Petermann and Pat Ficek were present that day to collect images of the Sandpoint Winter Carnival Keg Pull.  The annual event pits dogs of all sizes against one another in a bid to drag an empty beer keg — or beer can, depending on the size of the pooch — down the length of an alleyway next door to Eichardt’s Pub.

Petermann, the director and principal in Petermann Film Productions, and Ficek, the cameraman and owner of a production facility called Captured Image, parked themselves at the finish line for best visual effect.  The scenes they filmed would mark the inaugural shooting session for a co-produced documentary tentatively titled, “Sandpoint’s Wonder Pets.” 

The big lens on Ficek’s digital camera was positioned at ground level and he watched through the viewfinder with growing excitement as a young golden retriever bounded straight toward him.

Closer and closer the dog came, perfectly framed in what, through one squinted eye, looked like a cameraman’s dream shot.

“And then, ‘Bam!’” Ficek said.  “He literally ran into the lens of the camera and then took off again.

“People who were there said he knocked me down,” he added, “but it only knocked me back a little bit.”

The first outing for this documentary project might was the initiation into the unpredictable world of working with animals.  At least, that’s what these two filmmakers are hoping for.

“We’re not shooting for the look of a standard documentary — it’s going to be fun,” Ficek said.  “And we’re not just looking for house pets.  We also want the guy with the iguana or the black widow spider and shots of Search & Rescue and people with their working animals.”

Petermann and Ficek previously worked together on 2008’s locally produced film, “Return to Sender” — a production she directed and he edited, based on an original script by January Roberts.  When that project wrapped up, Petermann started to plan for a short film about the love between pets and the people who own them. 

Her visual inspiration was a short by Sandpoint filmmaker Dan McCann called “Caviar and Corndogs.”  In the span of less than four minutes and using a soundtrack of music by Mozart, McCann managed to convey a strong sense of the local community in a stream-of-consciousness mosaic of faces, places and signs.

“I originally envisioned something with images and music only, with no dialogue,” Petermann said.  “But once you start filming, so many different stories start coming out of the images you come back with.”

The creative partners now plan to produce a 20-minute film that will straddle all four seasons in Sandpoint.  As word gets out, the director said, the calls are coming in about interesting critters or situations that need to be chronicled for the film.  Among them are things like the cow moose and her calf grazing their way down neighborhood streets; residents who raise miniature donkeys and use them to teach children how to ride; pet owners like the man who built a cart for his two-legged dog so it can still get around by itself; and animal therapy programs that utilize horseback riding for kids or bring dogs to nursing homes to cuddle with residents there.

“At first, we were thinking of this as a vignette,” said Ficek.  “But as soon as we started shooting, we realized there was a lot more we could do with it, like interviewing the owners.  It’s funny, but when you put somebody together with their pet, you notice how much they actually look alike or share the same personality.”

According to Petermann, the plan for “Sandpoint’s Wonder Pets” is to gather as much footage as possible and follow the stories wherever they lead.

“It’s ‘cinéma vérité’ — I didn’t write a script for this,” she said.  “Our end game is to shoot it and produce it and get it into film festivals.”

Along with the humorous, Petermann and Ficek expect that the film will also have its share of heart-touching moments.

“It will be poignant,” the director said.  “Everyone responds to animals because they bring up such intense memories of love and affection.  I want to show our connection with the animal kingdom and how important they are — whether we know it or not.”

The filmmakers are still on the lookout for interesting animals — and owners — and invite anyone who has a story to share to call them at 263-8803.