obtaining child actors

[J.M. O'Malley]

My next project features a 7 or 8 year old child who sees disturbing things (sick people in hospital beds) and ultimately kills herself. If I had any children, I'd just make them be in it, but I have none. What's the chance of someone letting their kid work on something like this? For little or no pay?

[Guest Frank Gossimier]

You'd make your kids be in this film? Yiiiiiiikes!!!

 

Story time is gonna be fun around your house :D

 

Frank

[Rob Belics]

My son has been professionally acting since he was eight. He's 16 now but if the script was good he would do it. It's the worthiness of the script that makes that determination, not the subject matter.

 

He was offered a part in a play playing a gay character last month. Although he said he would have no problem playing a gay character, after reading the script, he was just "uncomfortable" with the part. It was very sexually explicit.

[Jeremy Russell]

i recently just worked with a 5 year old boy. im going to give you help from a directors point of view, hopefully thats what you're doing.

 

It's important to get a kid who's been at least in 1 commercial, or in many childrens cases, print ads. It's also important to utilize the parents, because they're not going to leave the set for 1 minute. Children have a very short attention span, unless they're gifted and are professional, even at a young age (Most kids usually are spent by 7pm as well, and dont expect them to be on set until 7am at the earliest). If you can get in touch with your local film comissioner and have them post a listing on their website, or talk to local casting directors, you can get in tocuh with parents, and if you present your project as something that will give the child more experience, you may get them to do it for free.

 

The most important thing to remember is to make sure that you have the parents express to the child that everything is make believe, and during rehearsal do the same.

[Landon D. Parks]

I'v worked with child actors in several plays. From a directors stand point in the play industry, Children are always willing to try things, its the parents you have to get the point accross too.

 

As fare as getting a child actor for free, well, it depends on who you want. You aint gonna get dakota fanning for free, but if you post an ad in your local paper and hold and open casting call, I'm sure you'll have no shortage of children wanting to be in the film. Of course with child actors, you need to really have ones that have done film before, and know whats involved.

Edited February 28, 2005 by Landon D. Parks

[Mark Allen]

What's the chance of someone letting their kid work on something like this? For little or no pay?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I directed an 8 year old once and when I called the parents to let them know he'd got the part, the kid recognized my name and started screaming wildly with happiness that I was calling. Kids even at that age like being actors and seem to "get it" - meaning they understand reality and fantasy - almost better than adults. If they don't - they're not ready to do it.

 

I think on a lower budget movie you're not going to have social workers there, so the parents are going to be there - so make sure you get a good vibe from the parents. Also - they will hopefully know the limitations of the child.

 

The main thing to keep in mind when directing a child is that while it is always a good idea to keep direction very simple and basic with adult actors - with children, keep it even simpler. Don't use a lot of fancy rhetoric, just tell them the situation in simple terms - remember - they're kids - they run around and act like cops and robbers and they're really in the moment - they are the cops and robbers - that natural instanct that actors spend decades trying to recover has not yet been bashed out of them.

 

I think you'll have no problem finding a kid in NY or LA for this. A Backstage West add would probably give you 30 options. Hopefully one good one. Also check the local children's acting schools - ask the acting teachers.

[Landon D. Parks]

I'd just make them be in it,

Never make someone act who don't want too... The proformance will be so poor you might as well have played the child yourself, for all the more real it'll be.

[Landon D. Parks]

PS)

and dont expect them to be on set until 7am at the earliest)

Don't expect ME to be on set before 7am! let alone the child actor. In my opinion a perfect day would be from 8am - 7pm. Thats 11 hours, plenty of time to be on a film set. People start to loose interst in something tends to drag out.

 

Of course some times this "Set time" rule needs to be broken.

Edited February 28, 2005 by Landon D. Parks

[Jeremy Russell]

ive been on commercial sets at 5am before, i guess its differnet in philadelphia

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

I too have a young person involved in a film I'm shooting, I'm going to try the local theatre. Go to your local theatre, give them the details and they will hand out info sheets to all their younger students. (If they have classes for younger students that is)

[Rob Belics]

My son had to be in makeup at 4:30am for two weeks two years ago. That would make him 14, though. He put in too many hours cause I forgot to keep track and nobody else did either. But he's a pro and didn't complain.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

You can't complain about having to get up early, not unless you professional anyway. On the Red lion square shoot there was a few days where I had to be up at like 3 just to get down there, not easy, but you still have to do it.

 

The sensible thing to do is get a very early night before hand, but if you?re anything like me you?ll still be up till 1 in the morning looking at crap on the internet.

 

It's most important for the actors to get a good night sleep, because they are the ones that have to perform in front of the camera. If they are tired their performance won't be nearly as good. For crew on the other hand, it's still important to be half awake, but then again it's slightly easier to work when tired. (You know, push the record button, point the camera)

[Mark Allen]

PS)

Don't expect ME to be on set before 7am!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Unless your Eastwood and get your days done in 8 hours - generally productions will start instanely early because there needs to be a 12 hour turn around and if you go 12 hours, you're okay - but the minute you start going more, you have to start pushing slowly but surely.

 

Generally productions will start out doing day work and begin ridiculously early and then end up at night and stay up to the same time.

[Bob Hayes]

Regardless of the size of your production child labor laws and restrictions are very strict. Remember the ?Twilight Zone? accident. I don?t know the specifics but I think the parents need to be there. You may need a welfare worker. You can only work a small child for a very limited amount of time like four hours out of an eight our day. They can only work for short spurts broken up with play time. The can not be worked late. Like later then 10 pm. There are lots and lots of very strict rule.

[J.M. O'Malley]

Regardless of the size of your production child labor laws and restrictions are very strict.  Remember the ?Twilight Zone? accident.  I don?t know the specifics but I think the parents need to be there.  You may need a welfare worker.  You can only work a small child for a very limited amount of time like four hours out of an eight our day.  They can only work for short spurts broken up with play time.  The can not be worked late.  Like later then 10 pm.  There are lots and lots of very strict rule.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah. I will have to be careful about this. Something could happen and I could get into trouble. I had better try to find someone who has a little acting experience.

[Guest]

"You can only work a small child for a very limited amount of time like four hours out of an eight our day"

 

So shoot your film in Bangladesh, I hear they have very liberal child labour laws there.

 

Richard

[J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR]

Check with your local SAG office. They should have all the info regarding rules and laws when working with child actors. It should be a rule that any minor should be accompanied by a parent the whole time their on set.

[Landon D. Parks]

In Indiana, we have the following rules:

Children under age 16 MUST have a parent with them at all times, and social workers wont work.

 

Chilren, depending on age need at least 3 hours of on set schooling a day, Have at least an hour luchbreak, and hve 15 minute breaks every hour.

 

You can have the child on-set for up to 10 hours a day, 4 of which are for schooling, 1 od which is for a break, and a total of 1 hour in small breaks. That leaves you with 4 hours of actual time with the child.

 

Now of course this is for younger children, but generally the same applies for children up to age 16. At which point a lot of factors come into play. Like if the child is still even in school.

 

Indiana does not require a work permit for those under age 16, so long as the above rules are met.

 

PS) For those who want to know, Indiana is a state that does not require productions to be governed by any unions.

 

Those are of course Indiana laws, but I bet they are very similare to other states.

Edited March 6, 2005 by Landon D. Parks