Babies Crying On Film - Page 2

[Pallas]

Whoops!

*Nods in SM's direction*

I thought someone else had mentioned it first, but didn't have time to go back and check ... okay, was toddler-wrestling and wussed out.

'Pologies, Ma'am!

[realramona]

This episode upset me very much. I had to turn it off It was too much to see that baby so upset and watch them work on that babe in the ER. I know it's fake but that baby was crying for real my dh was laughing at me cuz I love ER and I was going off about it..

[Dr.Worm]

I also admit I don't really think about it but dh has said stuff before. I really do think it's about what kind of parent you are. First, who lets their baby be an actor? And with the prevalence of cio, it doesn't surprise me that a parent would do it thinking, oh well..we get paid too. How sad. I saw the episode too and figured since Elizabeth was sick, she was going to be sleeping with the baby and then the baby would've almost smothered and that's why it was in er! Oh, and didn't someone say a while back that Rachel on Friends is having a homebirth? I didn't care about the show for a long time but since hearing that, I watched again. And just to get off topic sort of for a sec..if you join NBCI.com, they will send you a thing where you can sign up to give feedback on their shows. I did, boy, do they need it.:

[kama'aina mama]

It's as bad as you think

I finally got a call back from my friend in the entertainment biz. Yup. They just let 'em cry and roll tape. She said that she is pretty sure they are no longer permitted to pinch them or whatever to make them cry, but she suspects they either wake them up from a nap to get some crying going or wait for a cry to occur naturally and then deny comfort. Between the lack of comforting and the bright lights, the hussling and shouting around them... it's no wonder they keep crying. She herself has never worked on a set were a baby was required to do anything more than look cute for a few moments here and there while being carried to the nursery, so she wasn't 100% sure on this stuffm but mostly sure.

Bunch of bastards!

[pina la nina]

ugggggggggggh

[daylily]

...."no longer permitted to pinch them..." !!!! They were once allowed to pinch or otherwise hurt babies! Unbelievable. What kind of mother would allow that?

[peacemama]

A mother who is thinking $$$$$$, that's who.

[serenetabbie]

UUUGGGHHH! Ok, i did not watch ER because of the screaming hurt baby....now I'm really glad i didn't see it! I cannot/do not watch the ones with the trailers of little kids getting lost/hurt/abandoned. Am I the only one who leaks milk when tv babies cry? Most likely not. I have to say that I did not always feel this way, it started when I was preg w/ ds (the second preg, first baby). I would get physically sick and have to leave the room. When I was preg w/dd the ER where the college girl stabbed herself in the abdomen and killed the baby was on.....I missed the trailers for that one....I cryed on the phone to my friend about that one. Other wise, I do enjoy the show....my dh and I tune in and say "lets see whos having a bad day this week".

[Smilemomma]

No biggie, Pallas!

[kama'aina mama]

When I was preg w/dd the ER where the college girl stabbed herself in the abdomen and killed the baby was on....

I was pregnant for that one too. I was taping ER because I had to go to bed too early to watch it. My husband came home from work and told me that one of the guys he worked with told him "If your wife hasn't watched ER yet, don't let her." Well, in our house it's not a question of letting or not letting, but at least he wasn't surprised when I wandered into his office all weepy an hour later!

[Greaseball]

Also...

An infant cannot determine whether she wants to be in the movies or not. A toddler can at least say yes or no; with an infant, that incredibly personal decision is made for them.

Also, does the infant get the money when she becomes an adult, or do the parents get to keep it for PIMPING HER OUT like that?

[kama'aina mama]

There are a variety of laws that are supposed to protect 'child entertainers'. They work to varying degrees. In terms of protecting a child performers earnings from parental theft the Coogan Law is the current "gold Standard". It is the law only in the sate of CA, as far as I know. It preserves a whopping 15% of the childs gross income.

Okay, I found another article that is discussing a child stars legal battle with his parents over his money. It says

By California law 25 percent of his earnings went directly into a trust account to be given to him when he is 18.

She said the other 75 percent was put in a corporation and 50 percent went to taxes, 10 percent to Smith's agent and the remaining 15 percent went to Smith's mother as a manager fee. She said the 15 percent was used for all family expenses.

This is an interesting essay addressing the myriad issues surrounding the employment of very young infants for use in motion pictures and tv. Sad as all hell, to tell the truth.

My movie producer friend mentioned several times in our chat how much money they get. She didn't give numbers, she just kept saying "it's a LOT of money". I don't think that is the issue as much as many people think. Many of us have commented that there isn't enough money for us to do this sort of thing to our babes. And I believe we mean it. It's not about money. It's about ego. The fact of the matter is, after you subtract out agents fees, pictures, resumes, transportation costs, etc... they're not making as much money as you might think. And we're not talking welfare moms looking for college money either. This is usually a pursuit of the upper middle classes. The hell with how the kid feels, "Just wait til I tell everyone at my college reunion that the baby on 'Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, episode #75' was our little Johnny!". It's just not nice. The fact is that the best day on a film set is far worse than the worst day at home.

[madison]

I can't watch ER anymore, cause of the crying kids.

I do work in the film industry and have been on many sets with children.

Kids are allowed to work based on their ages (and that changes all the time policy-wise). Usually for babies, they use identical twins (or lookalikes) and take turns before the camera. A (motion picture/television) social worker is assigned to each child to make sure that they are only working the assigned hours. Shows are fined and get into big trouble if the break the rules.

That all being said, a set is bright, noisy and busy with many people (especially if it's an audience show) - all things that might freak a little one out. It's harder to keep kids happy than to MAKE them cry! On our show (mercifully cancelled, lol) we had two year old twins. One LOVED the camera and the other didn't like it so much, though occassionally he was blase about it. The one who loved it, loved being the center of attention, mugging for the camera, and enjoyed the lights and the action. The actors who played his parents were really good about making sure he knew it was make believe, and would laugh and play with him between "takes". The other boy was used basically when they needed a weepy/clingy/tired/sleeping toddler in the scene, cause that was his personality (on AND off camera). Either their mom or social worker was always on stage with the working boy while the other was out with the non-working boy playing (you can't have a child on-set, cause they sometimes forget to be quiet while you're rolling).

I'd say any child over four knows exactly what is going on. They understand that everything they are doing is make-believe. A child really has to have that certain personality to get work - they have to be that extroverted, outgoing, bold personality to get jobs. It's HIGHLY competitive.

A child under four... well, that depends on the child. Babies of course have no idea what's going on - how they react to the set depends on their personality basically. If they'll settle with anyone, those are the happy babies. If they are the crying type, well those are the little ones you are so disturbed by on screen - they aren't pinched, they are just reacting to the lights, action, noise and whatnot. Either a parent or social worker is standing out of the scene ready to take them after the scene is shot.

Working with both kids and animals are tough!

I'd let my kid do it if she wanted to, but I'd discourage them. Acting is tough! The constant rejection is appalling.

[SevenVeils]

Originally Posted by 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

I absolutely agree with this.

Also, I love this username.