Babies Crying On Film

[Pallas]

This came up in the ER thread. Okay, actually, *I* brought it up.

It really freaks me out to see babies and very young children crying in movies and on TV. Older children can be told to "imagine" or "pretend", but the littles would have to be MADE TO CRY -- how? Especially the infants? And how could a parent allow that to happen, and stand and watch while filming went on??? I've seen numerous scenes where there wasn't a camera cut for quite some time, and the baby was shrieking in fear and rage.

Does this get to anyone else, or am I just waaaaaay too sensitive? Does anyone know enough about the industry to make reassuring noises about the magical tricks they use to make it merely APPEAR that the baby is crying?

I just can't imagine standing by while my son made those sounds. I would leap out of my skin.

*shudder*

Pallas

[Missgrl]

Very interesting Pallas!
Your description of it really got me thinking!

It really bothers me too....so you are not the only softy! I'm thinking that maybe they are crying b/c a stranger is holding them. Hopefully they only film for short periods of time....but still....how many shoots do they take?

I know i will never look at a crying child on tv ever the same again!

Missgrl

[peacemama]

Pallas, I was thinking the same exact thing during that episode of "ER" last night! They were showing the baby actually crying a lot of the time - and it certainly looked real to me. It does seem pretty awful to me. Who would allow their child to be used like that? :mad:

[Luma]

i know what you mean! i really get stressed out when that happens. If they use a baby crying to create tension they really achieve that but is an awful and unfair way to do it

[Sahara]

I feel the same way whenever I see a crying baby on television. But, I also see crying babies at the grocery store whose parents are just tuning them out - so I guess it shouldn't be surprizing to see it on TV.

[kama'aina mama]

Okay, my bet is that the baby is not in distress, that they are tickling it and getting angry, open mouth faces with laughter and the audio loop is an adult actor making crying baby sounds. The funny thing is my husbands birth mother is a script suoervisor in Hollywood for the past thirty years or so. If we were speaking I would ring her up and ask. Ah well. I know a few other movie makers I will ask at a more reasonable hour.

[frolix]

even worse than er was heartbeat on tuesday night where a little guy (maybe 2) who looks just like my little one was, and I mean, viciously yelled at by his on screen dad. He was sobbing with fear. It really made me sick to the stomach. Speaking of which, I though Alex Kingston looked appropriately awful and realistic with the stomach flu ... why just the other day that was me... can you imagine gwyneth paltry looking that real?

I thought in the final scenes of ER they used a model of a baby, I mean, how would they attach a real baby to so many tubes etc and keep it sleeping and have someone sobbing over it.

[kama'aina mama]

Good point frolix. The thing is, if you really watch closely the baby usually isn't onscreen much. It will go:
close shot crying baby
close shot frantic doctor w/dialogue
close shot other doctor w/dialogue
close shot crying baby
close shot calm nurse w/dialogue
long shot of baby with lots o' tubes, etc, being manipulated (that is often a doll of some kind)
repeat ad nauseum....

It really only takes a few close shots of the babe and a howling on the sound loop to make the scene vibrate with the aura of the wounded baby. They use a lot of dolls, puppets and happy babies with sound looping to make it look good.

I am not familiar with heartbeat. Is it a documentary?

[Pallas]

kama, that's the change I've noticed: that I used to see many camera changes, and scenes of a wriggling baby with a crying voice-over. I really pay attention to these things because it bothers me so much. On ER last night (for example) there were many scenes that seemed to last forever (probably only a couple of minutes, but you know how that feels when a baby's crying!) and the camera never cut away. I would have sworn that the baby was truly distressed, not just wriggling or laughing -- the face was screwed up and red and eyes squinched shut and the mouth wiiiide open in that way.

Of course, now I want to go back and watch it again, to see if the baby *could* have been laughing, or a puppet! Are they really that much better at it now? I want to believe, I want to believe, I want to believe, I want to believe ...

Let us know what your movie buddies say, will you?

Waiting with bated breath,

Pallas

[daylily]

A few years ago, I read an article about child models. The article mentioned that once a photographer needed a crying baby for the cover of "Time" so he threw ice water on the baby! If I'd been that baby's mother I'd have...well maybe I shouldn't go there. The photographer might have found himself getting fitted for dentures. I would NEVER subject my kids to the modelling world.

[Ruth]

You know what scared me about your question? That I don't remember feeling bad about seeing a baby cry on TV or movies.

I know I haven't watched TV in years, but I do watch movies occasionally and I must have seen a baby crying on a movie.

I go beserk when I see or hear a baby crying in public. I actually feel physically sick, I am sure it comes from growing up with parents that hit-no, tortured-my siblings.

I hope my non-reaction to babies crying on TV's or movies is that I just haven't seen this too often. I hope it is not that TV or movies has desensitized (sp?) me.

[stormborn]

ashamed to say I never thought of it I hope they don't make them cry just to get a shot! Although with all the special effects that can be done on computer; surely they can fake it?

[leiafruma]

I have always been bugged and sad when babies cry on tv...makes me cry too! I also hurt when I hear by any babies cry with out being attended to! I do hope it is sound loops in the films. That photographer who threw icewater on a baby should have his.....dipped in ice water!! ( ok not nice, I know)

sign me ferociaously protective,

[pina la nina]

We tape ER, so I didn't see it til last night - man, was I a wreck! It was awful - I was thinking this exact thing. How could you let your baby be an "actor" in a scene like that (if at all??) Dh and I discussed it and he thought it might be how frolix and kama'aina said - a fake baby and a tape. Though for part of it, that is definitely a crying baby there! I hope somebody finds out what really happened and tells us here. Surely ER knows it would just get huge flack if they were tormenting infants for their show. Still how could you even audio tape your baby screaming like that?

I was also gratified to see Elizabeth look so bad/realistic! Of course I look like that every morning not just when I'm sick (just kidding!)

[peacemama]

That baby definitely had a wet face a few times, though I suppose that could be water placed there by the makeup crew. Still, it really did look real...

[glad2bemama]

I saw it, too. Looked very real in quite a few scenes and I had this very discussion with my husband.

I think that the question is, do people think that babies/children's emotions are not important and therefore surely a lttlte crying is alright?

Or are some people so obsessed with the spotlight that they are willing to have themselves/ or children endure anything to achieve that?

Very very sad

[laelsweet]

that was such an upsetting episode, i was up in the middle of the night stewing over it, and realized that it probably wasn't as bad as i thought. still, that baby w a s crying and was not acting. i don't think it is responsible. just the way the daughter threw the baby on the bed when she was crying was enough to get me all riled up!
usually dp pre-screens er now so i get advance warning of terrible treatment of babies and other violence. the way greene and corday treat their children is abominable and i end up really angry every time. i know, i know, it's a morality play. kingston did look very sick though.
oh dear.
maybe i should stick to watching friends. that is, until rachel has her baby and i can start getting mad about how they treat it!

[pina la nina]

laelsweet - if you're anything like me, you'll watch Friends and get all pissed off at how "unpregnant" Rachel is looking and acting! I mean will she ever gain any weight in her arms or face? Not!

[Smilemomma]

You brought it up, hmmm, Pallas? Never mind ...

Yes, there was definitely a doll at times, but there was also definitely a baby really truly crying, too.

I don't care how they do it, it's despicable. "Oh, wait, baby's crying! Better go get the tape recorder" ... NOT!

[kama'aina mama]

Now I wish I had watched more closely, but I hardly ever give tv my full attention. I am busy cracking wise to my husband about the show and such. Didn't tape it either. I believe it though, and it is reprehensible.