ChristianDalessi
New member
Any advice for working with children?
working with children
- Thread starter ChristianDalessi
- Start date
Chris Messineo
Veteran
I have shot 4 short films with children in them. It has been the best and worst of my filmmaking experience (often on the same day). 
Here are some suggestions:
- Make sure you have "kid wranglers" on set. They should be there to keep the kid(s) inline and entertain them between setups.
- Plan on shorter shooting days.
- Plan on getting less takes. I found that kids are almost always better on early takes and simply get bored as the takes go on.
- Have snacks and drinks available.
- Include the parents as much as possible (they can be your biggest help or worst enemy).
- Keep your direction simple.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Good luck,
Chris
Here are some suggestions:
- Make sure you have "kid wranglers" on set. They should be there to keep the kid(s) inline and entertain them between setups.
- Plan on shorter shooting days.
- Plan on getting less takes. I found that kids are almost always better on early takes and simply get bored as the takes go on.
- Have snacks and drinks available.
- Include the parents as much as possible (they can be your biggest help or worst enemy).
- Keep your direction simple.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Good luck,
Chris
jpbankesmercer
Director Mod
Everything Chris said plus...
Let them enjoy it...
Keep it fun and don't be afraid to experiment, kids have a great honesty if they think its rubbish they will say so.
Make sure you explain everything clearly, sit down with them beforehand.
Remember they have a shorter attention span, so keep everything ticking over.
Don't be afraid of them, they are only tiny adults, they will be more frightened than you.
They are only allowed to work for a certain amount of hours. In England you have to give them a day after every two.
BEST OF LUCK.
J.P.
Let them enjoy it...
Keep it fun and don't be afraid to experiment, kids have a great honesty if they think its rubbish they will say so.
Make sure you explain everything clearly, sit down with them beforehand.
Remember they have a shorter attention span, so keep everything ticking over.
Don't be afraid of them, they are only tiny adults, they will be more frightened than you.
They are only allowed to work for a certain amount of hours. In England you have to give them a day after every two.
BEST OF LUCK.
J.P.
Last edited:
cyclone
Well-known member
They never do the action the same way twice. Sometimes, that's a good thing. I work in California and the State requires a State Child Welfare Worker to be present (and paid by me) to oversee the interests of the child. Also, the rules are VERY strict here. For example, if I shoot with a 6 month old baby, I can have them at the location for 2 hours maximum and in front of the camera for 20 minutes maximum. The regulations relax as the child gets older. At a certain age, I am required to pay for a teacher and the child must be "in school" for a certain amount of the time. Be happy you are in Australia!
freakyfaron
New member
I've done a film with a 6-year-old and another film with two 10-year-olds all in lead roles. During production, it can get really frustrating, but when it's all done you'll look back on it fondly.
The most important part of working with children is casting. If they do what you want them to do in the auditions, they will do it on set. Look for kids that aren't nervous during the auditions. Also, make sure their parents are okay with the script.
The second most importing thing is that the kids have to have fun. They're not acting in your movie for money or for their career, they're doing it for fun. That doesn't mean you can't discipline them at all, but if they're not having fun, well, it's just wrong. You can yell at a crew member for not doing their job properly, but since the kids are only working for fun it would be unethical to not let them have fun. That makes them more difficult to work with than adult actors, but that's what you get.
Basically, it's like they're at summer camp and you're the camp counselor.
In terms of performance, there's no special way to talk to kids. Just be very honest, straight-forward and literal. There are directions that you can give to kids that adult actors wouldn't let you get away with, like "be more scared," or "you get sad here." Result oriented directions and line readings are a no-no with adult actors, but with kids they're a life saver.
The biggest problem with working with kids is that their attention span wanes as the shoot progresses. I would plan on doing your most important scenes with them about a quarter of the way through your shoot and save some of the easier stuff for the end of the shoot. At first, they're attentive and well-behaved, but they're also nervous and just a bit uncomfortable, so their performances might be a bit restrained at first. As the shoot progresses, they'll be more at ease and having a bit more fun, but still on pretty good behavior. This is when you'll get your best stuff. But near the end of the shoot, they become totally at ease, less concerned with their performance and more occupied with messing with you behind the scenes because they feel more in control. This is sweet and everything, but it makes shooting the movie a huge pain.
Finally, I've found that girls are typically better actors than boys. I kind of think this is because girls like to do activities where they get to be on stage, like dancing and so forth, whereas boys think that performing on stage is, well, for girls. If you're casting boys, you need to hold A LOT more auditions.
The most important part of working with children is casting. If they do what you want them to do in the auditions, they will do it on set. Look for kids that aren't nervous during the auditions. Also, make sure their parents are okay with the script.
The second most importing thing is that the kids have to have fun. They're not acting in your movie for money or for their career, they're doing it for fun. That doesn't mean you can't discipline them at all, but if they're not having fun, well, it's just wrong. You can yell at a crew member for not doing their job properly, but since the kids are only working for fun it would be unethical to not let them have fun. That makes them more difficult to work with than adult actors, but that's what you get.
Basically, it's like they're at summer camp and you're the camp counselor.
In terms of performance, there's no special way to talk to kids. Just be very honest, straight-forward and literal. There are directions that you can give to kids that adult actors wouldn't let you get away with, like "be more scared," or "you get sad here." Result oriented directions and line readings are a no-no with adult actors, but with kids they're a life saver.
The biggest problem with working with kids is that their attention span wanes as the shoot progresses. I would plan on doing your most important scenes with them about a quarter of the way through your shoot and save some of the easier stuff for the end of the shoot. At first, they're attentive and well-behaved, but they're also nervous and just a bit uncomfortable, so their performances might be a bit restrained at first. As the shoot progresses, they'll be more at ease and having a bit more fun, but still on pretty good behavior. This is when you'll get your best stuff. But near the end of the shoot, they become totally at ease, less concerned with their performance and more occupied with messing with you behind the scenes because they feel more in control. This is sweet and everything, but it makes shooting the movie a huge pain.
Finally, I've found that girls are typically better actors than boys. I kind of think this is because girls like to do activities where they get to be on stage, like dancing and so forth, whereas boys think that performing on stage is, well, for girls. If you're casting boys, you need to hold A LOT more auditions.
