Dogs Go Woof Productions
The story behind Dogs Go Woof Productions is long, but is well worth reading.
Permaculture and video production are not the sort of thing people usually pair up. But Craig Clitheroe, the owner and creative entrepreneur behind Dogs Go Woof, was inspired by the values of one when founding the other.
‘The three core values I live and work by are Care of the Earth, Care of People and Fair Share. These values are really derived from an Australian sustainable design system called Permaculture. Permaculture is about designing our homes and lives to be as sustainable as possible. The three ethics from Permaculture were derived from indigenous cultures, a commonality of how they were able to live for so long with the land.
'I’d describe Dogs Go Woof Productions as a sustainable video production company that is passionate about telling stories to inspire and empower people to have a positive impact on the world. I believe that stories have the power to inspire and change the world, and empower people to make a difference.’
So, in a nut-shell, Dogs Go Woof Productions tells stories by making films and videos while aiming to be as sustainable as possible. And, that is making sure I am looking after the land I am on and the people whose stories I tell. And I do that by how I make films and how I tell their stories.’
There’s something very Australian about Craig’s videos, and they have an ease which kind of embodies a slow-living quality. You can tell that he’s really listening.
‘I usually try focussing on the human story. So, someone who has been affected or lived through the experience, to really get an understanding of how people can overcome that. For me, that’s the inspiring message that connects us. Overcoming adversity with hope. To me, this is the most powerful message. And, it’s these stories that have been told throughout time that all share the same messages, and hold a deeper meaning. So, I try to, I guess, act as a modern day storyteller and entwine a meaning into the story to hopefully give people a new perspective of hope and inspiration.
It’s hard to put into words, but everyone does have a story to tell, they might not think it’s that interesting, but it’s my job to craft it, so that people connect [with] and find meaning in it.’
Since Dogs Go Woof is an independent film company, I asked him about his selection process for choosing subjects.
‘I make real-life, story-driven films and documentaries about stories that empower and inspire people.
There are essentially two avenues I work within when I create films. I either am independently seeking funding to create a film I am passionate about, or I am hired to make a film / video to tell a story to help an organisation or business to share their story.
If it’s something I am passionate about, usually it’s around my core values and something intrigues me to want to tell that story. It does take a large amount of dedication and energy to pursue an independent film. So, when something comes up it has to pass a few stages before I commit to it.
It usually starts with my own feeling about the subject: is it something I am passionate about or that I want to learn more about? It can be positive or a negative, but it’s usually something that I want to craft a positive narrative about. That is what usually sparks me to want to want to tell that story.
‘…When I became aware of climate change, that was a big turning point for me. After watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and countless environmental documentaries, I was left feeling hopeless, angry and discouraged. All the solutions seemed tokenistic and unachievable. As a filmmaker, I realised I could create the films I wanted to see. That would be positive and empowering. So I started to create films about real-life inspiring stories and documentary films that did just that.’
Craig grew up locally, evolved into a filmmaker locally, and now he uses Dogs Go Woof Productions to showcase locals.
‘I grew up in Byford and moved to Safety Bay when I was 9. I moved north of the city for 4 years, before returning and buying our forever home here in Golden Bay*. I just really love the coast and the slower pace here.
The whole film thing started when I was a kid. My mum, being an artist, surrounded us with art and she'd draw us outlines of things to colour in when we were nagging her with our boredom. Watching her draw something from nothing and ‘bring it to life', I think that was the first time I was like, 'Oh, if you get good at this, you can create anything'. And so, I got into drawing cartoons and comic strips. Although I loved being able to create anything with a drawing, the only thing was, in order to tell a story I had to draw multiple frames and I found it lacked something.
Fast-forward some years and I happened to come across the dusty home video camera and started playing around with video. Being able to manipulate sound and images, I realised this was what was missing from drawing. I could tell a story. So, I started making stop animation films with Lego and playing around with VHS tapes and editing to make short films for fun.’
When I finished school, my brothers, friends and I were all into surfing or skateboarding. So, I decided to create a surfing film all about our after-hours adventures. I spent the next year filming everything and piled up the footage, saved up for the best computer I could afford, and I made my first 40min film called After Hours. We organised a grand premiere at the local TAB pub in Rockingham and over 200 people turn up for the launch. People cheered and laughed. It was exhilarating to have such a reaction and that was the moment I was truly hooked and wanted to make films seriously. Since then, I’ve metamorphosed from music videos and corporate videos, into documentary films.
‘Supporting locals only recently really started appealing to me within the last couple of years. I think from Covid, there was this huge disconnection with community and I had a realisation of how much of the stuff we were relying on is from a global economy that really is very vulnerable and unsustainable. I guess that was a blessing in disguise through Covid. It wasn't so evident before then.
So, supporting local is about changing that with positive change. I can see the more local businesses, crafts and artists, are supported, the greater the community will become. And as a result, we’re not trucking and shipping our goods thousands of kilometres from all across the globe, which is has a huge impact on looking after the earth for future generations. So I say, long live local!’
* Craig and his partner, Regina’s, series Home Grow’n is next on my binge-list because it’s all about how they are turning their 1970s Golden Bay property into a self-sustainable haven using permaculture!
How does sustainability feature in your business?
‘I guess, as I’ve already mentioned, the three ethics Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share encompass the way I approach living sustainably, but they also help in how I make decisions to make sure I am being sustainable in the business, too.
So for instance, I choose to work from home as much as I can and prefer to work locally as much as I can, because it ticks all those boxes.
By working from home, I am not needing to drive, which reduces my need to use fossil fuels. When I seek work, I preferably work with local businesses and organisations as much as I can, so I can stay local and strengthen that connection with community, which is also about helping other locals too.
My partner and I grow all our own vegetables, capture our rainwater for drinking, and have planted over 50 edible trees around our home. Which are just starting to flower for the first time, so in the not too distant future we will be fruit-sufficient too, which is exciting! And, we even have some hens who eat all our scraps and turn them into delicious free-range eggs.
We also have put solar panels on our roof, which runs the editing suite and camera gear, so the films are all made with 100% renewable energy, which is great.
The only thing now, is if I could find computers and cameras that were made ethically, that’d be icing on the cake. For now, I try and purchase used or repair as much as I can, and not update things so frequently. So, yeah. I try to use those ethics, and think about those things when I make a decision to make sure it is sustainable.’
Final Question: What’s your favourite local day out?
‘Hmm… This is a tricky one. There are some really nice things locally that I enjoy, but things have changed a lot from what I used to enjoy to what I do now. I used to really enjoy going out and socialising at the local coffee shops, bars and festivals.
‘But for me now, it’s getting out in nature, walking on the beach, exploring the forests and being curious about the things I discover. Asking the question, “What do you do?”, when I see something I don’t understand. It’s amazing the things I’ve learned by doing that. I try to slow down and just watch the connections between things.’
As an example, lots of people dislike the humble ant. Especially in ant season, which is the Noongar season Djeran (March/ April). Just before the rains come, all the ants pop out everywhere. They climb up through pavers and start frantically farming aphids on trees and are frantically gathering food for winter. At first, they seem like a plague and seeing their mounds popping up all over, we tend to have vengeance to kill them before they take over. But, despite their frantic behaviour, they play an important role. If the ants aren’t killed, come spring, hundreds of lady bugs arrive and lay their eggs on the leaves of trees where aphids live. Their young will eat these aphids when they hatch. And when those lady bugs grow up and become adults, they attract the jumping spider, who loves to eat ants. So, that’s how to stop an ant problem. By letting ants be.
Big tangent, sorry, Jodie. But, what I am getting to is, curiosity.
Curiosity is what led me to discover that, and so I love exploring what nature has to offer in a beautiful part of the world, and it’s why I feel so compelled to make sure we look after the piece of country we step on and why it is my top local day out.’
