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From Trial Field to Film Set - NCIS: Sydney featuring Bindee & Cercie š¬š¾
From IGP training fields and trialingā¦ to movie stars. Not a career pivot we saw coming. And somehow, Bindee and Cercei took to it like theyād been doing it their whole lives.
One year ago ā the ultimate mother-daughter duo ā swapped IGP dog sport routines for film marks and camera cues on NCIS: Sydney.
Turns out, all that IGP dogsport discipline translates surprisingly well to show business.
Natural-Born Stars (Apparently) - From IGP Trial Field to Film Set
Each day stretched out to around 10 hours, for about 1.5 hours of actual āwork.ā The rest? Waiting patiently, plenty of laughs, and eating far too many chips š
Despite the odd hours and unpredictable schedule, both dogs switched on and did exactly what was needed ā with just enough personality to keep things interesting (including nearly taking out the camera during a close-up shooting of Cercei demonstrating a hold-and-bark at me wearing the sleeve and cracking the whip ā with the camera in between)
Going from structured IGP training to a full TV set was a whole new world. Lights, cameras, constant movement ā organised chaos at its finest. And yet, Bindee and Cercie handled it like pros. Calm, focused, hitting their marks, and completely unfazed by everything going on around them. Turns out all that training pays off in unexpected ways.
From competition dogs to camera-ready talentā¦ not bad for a weekās work.
The reality of making films - there is a lot of waiting patiently waiting for "...and ACTION"
The Real MVPs
Huge thank you to Benji, Pat, and Shanai ā the real heroes of this operation. There is absolutely no way this wouldāve worked without them stepping in to handle the dogs.
Managing dogs on a busy set, surrounded by strangers, distractions, and two very determined dogs trying to work out where on earth Iād disappeared toā¦ or why I was somehow the one hiding behind the camera with the sleeve ā not exactly standard film conditions š
These three heroes kept everything running smoothly while the Cercie and Bindee stayed locked in on their most important mission: All eyes on me.
What We Took Away
Filming might look glamorous on screen, but behind the scenes itās equal parts patience, teamwork, andā¦ a whole lot of standing around pretending you know whatās going on. Long hours, short bursts of action, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.
That said, being part of a real set and seeing how everything comes together behind the camera was something else. Controlled madness, but somehow it all works.
Massive thank you to Action Animals for the opportunity ā and to Suzanne Richard for trusting in our dogs and backing the idea that these two could actually pull it off. Still slightly surreal that Bindee and Cercie ended up on set and delivered.
Safe to sayā¦ they havenāt let it go to their heads at all š¶āØ