Why do they say you should never work with animals or children?!

Hello everybody
I'd like to talk about two things: animals and filming!
Before I had children I used to work in television and within the world of TV there is a saying: NEVER WORK WITH ANIMALS OR CHILDREN!
Why do they recommend this, I hear you ask?!
Well, it's because neither animals or children can be relied upon to do what you want and when you want - however docile, amenable and perfect they might seem to be.
I once made a film about babies and how much raising them into adulthood costs. I filmed a set of six month old twins. Did they do what I needed - i.e. smile for the camera/gurgle and look cute? No, they tried to sleep the whole time I was there with them! Did I get what I needed? Yes, eventually, but I had to stay much longer than planned. I can laugh now, but I nearly ended up missing my deadline!
Now onto our furry friends. I once made a film about how much 'model' animals could make (that's to say the animals that appear in films or TV dramas, or adverts or on the covers of dog and cat food etc!) And for that film I went to meet several fabulous animals (all divine) who were 'top models'! Did they do what I wanted? No. Well, actually, yes, in the end, but the whole process took much longer than expected.
So now I know to be prepared.
At least, I thought I did, when I set about making a cute video with my kitten! Others have done it before me and it all looked like plain sailing, but whenever I wanted to film, my kitten showed no interest. Did I get what I wanted in the end? Yes, but I had to change my plans and film over a longer period of time than anticipated. However, I'm delighted with the end result - which is a short, fun, cute video about me doing yoga with my cat. Take a look and let me know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btRAUQ-mMbA


Happy viewing and if you want to return to Jo's website just click on the link below:
www.jokessel.com