World Animal Awareness Society & Animalis Fabula Film Festival Ethos
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Let's start here: The American Humane Association Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media - for Producers =>
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The World Animal Awareness Society, our annual event, the Animalis Fabula Film Festival and operating programs, World Animal Rescue Network and WA2S Films adhere to a belief and strict set of rules as it applies to animals and our animal and media focused non profit work. We ascribe to the following as a base standard, with our core rules barring WA2S team members from even touching an animal, raising the level of protection to animals that volunteers and crew members must adhere to:
Tom McPhee founded the World Animal Awareness Society on the principal of unobtrusively documenting the plight of animals through the use of documentum / documentary - and from day one in 2010 the process of capturing images and data was required to be "hands off". And no confecting stories using the animals as props! No touching animals - period. There has been one exception afforded Tom, his own dog Kylie. Kylie enjoys playing dress up with her human mom, WA2S President Deanna McPhee, and is a total ham as soon as the camera turns on. As you can see across these pages, Kylie is in fact helping to amplify our message.
Our ethos / purpose / and procedures must align if we are going to tell the best stories about or involving animals we can and have their stories ring true forever.
At this time filmmakers who have submitted films for inclusion in AniFab do not have to sign a letter declaring their productions "clean", however in the next round of submissions for 2022, filmmakers will have to sign an agreement similar in scope to the contents in the AHA document above. These changes will be posted publicly and at the Animalis Fabula Film Festival FilmFreeway site
Team WA2S
- American Humane Association’s Guidelines apply to all animals used in the production, including animals used as background or off-camera to attract the attention of another animal being filmed.
- Animals are not props (even if they are supplied by the props department)!
- No animal will be killed or injured for the sake of a film production.
- American Humane Association will not allow any animal to be treated inhumanely to elicit a performance.
- Although permitted for necessary veterinary care, general anesthesia and sedation are high-risk procedures and are prohibited for the sole purpose of filmmaking.
- Storytelling needs of producers can be achieved humanely by working with American Humane Association and adhering to American Humane Association’s Guidelines.
- Documentary-style footage/stock footage acceptable to American Humane Association’s mission cannot include scenes that represent actual harm to an animal, even if filmed as non-fiction “newsreel” footage. Such harm, although possibly historic, is considered exploitation of the animal’s suffering for the sake of entertainment. Any scene depicting harm must be simulated.
- Reality or non-scripted entertainment acceptable to American Humane Association’s mission may only include scenes that do not show real harm to a live animal.
- Although not a vegan organization, plant based meals will always be available to all WA2S volunteers and crew members.
- Rules that serve to better protect the animals and their stories we wish to amplify may be added at any time
Tom McPhee founded the World Animal Awareness Society on the principal of unobtrusively documenting the plight of animals through the use of documentum / documentary - and from day one in 2010 the process of capturing images and data was required to be "hands off". And no confecting stories using the animals as props! No touching animals - period. There has been one exception afforded Tom, his own dog Kylie. Kylie enjoys playing dress up with her human mom, WA2S President Deanna McPhee, and is a total ham as soon as the camera turns on. As you can see across these pages, Kylie is in fact helping to amplify our message.
Our ethos / purpose / and procedures must align if we are going to tell the best stories about or involving animals we can and have their stories ring true forever.
At this time filmmakers who have submitted films for inclusion in AniFab do not have to sign a letter declaring their productions "clean", however in the next round of submissions for 2022, filmmakers will have to sign an agreement similar in scope to the contents in the AHA document above. These changes will be posted publicly and at the Animalis Fabula Film Festival FilmFreeway site
Team WA2S
