Using animals in movies and television shows has become big business in Hollywood. But who makes sure these animals are treated and cared for properly while they work? The American Humane Association (AHA) does.
They started back in the 1930's but it wasn't until 1940 when the Motion Picture Association of America gave them legal rights to oversee the treatment of animals in films. The agreement between the two came about because of the public's outrage over a 1939 movie called Jesse James where a horse was ridden off a cliff to its' grisly death. The contract fell under the administration of the Hayes Office, which set the standards and practices in film making back then, such as married people had to be shown with separate beds, etc. But in 1966 the Supreme Court ordered that the Hayes Office be dissolved, citing that their practices constituted censorship.
So from 1966 until 1980 the AHA tried to continue monitoring animal actors but since their legal rights had been dissolved along with the Hayes Office, many film companies refused to allow them on their sets.
"During that period of time, frankly, animal abuse in film making grew again." says Gini Barrett, Director of the Western Regional Office of the American Humane Association.
The abuse came to a head in 1979, during the making of Heaven's Gate, when a horse was intentionally blown up for a scene in the movie. Outraged by this, a group of actors successfully demanded that the Screen Actors Guild include in their contracts with producers a provision to protect animals and to reinstate AHA's legal rights.
Since then great strides have been made in curbing animal abuse in Hollywood. Last year alone over 700 movies, television shows, and commercials were overseen by the AHA. Their work usually starts months before a production ever starts filming. "From the minute the projects a go we begin by reviewing the script, analyzing the animal action, and talking to the trainers and producers about how the animal action is going to be accomplished." says Barrett. "We have usually worked out a lot of the stunts and questions long before any of us get to the set."
Just as the AHA goes through months of advanced preparation, so do the animal actors. In the newly released movie Men In Black, there's one scene where Tommy Lee Jones shakes a little dog. It took over two months of training to teach two identical looking dogs (pugs) that shaking was a game. Each of the pugs wore a specially made harness under their sweaters to give them support during the scene. It "was originally written to shake the dog by the back of the neck and of course we weren't going to let them do that." says Barrett.
When an animal is asked to do anything unusual or stressful, like the scene in Men In Black, the AHA will be on the set. If a scene just needs an animal to walk across the street or lay on a couch, it's not enough to require their presence. But when exotic animals or horses are used, no matter how simple or complex the scene, it's their policy to always be there.
With the many years of film making experience that the AHA brings to the set, Barrett feels they are "part of the creative problem solving team," she says, "we're not just a lump on a rock staring at them."
This problem-solving- team's job has also been made easier over recent years with the advancement of technology. "I think that what technology has done is really increased both the visual opportunities for film makers and the safety for animals at the same time." says Barrett. Within one film it's common for a combination of stuffed, live, animaltronic and digital animals to all be used. This mix becomes visually seamless when viewed in the final film version. The movie Buddy is a good example of this. The chimpanzees are real, the growing gorilla is a series of actors in suits and the baby gorilla is an animaltronic. Barrett says when she saw the movie for the first time, she was even fooled.
But even with all of Hollywood's tricks the one thing they can't fool around with is the American Humane Associations' compassion and dedication towards the fair treatment of animals.
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