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Working with Children

So far, I have directed three short documentaries for DADAA's the Lost Generation Project and apart from some minor technical hitches, everything is going really well. The sound and images are great and the personalities of our talent is coming over well. I'm lucky to be working with such fascinating characters - disabilities aside.

This week we start editing the films and, while that is happening, I'm hoping to get the odd pick-up. We've already happily picked up a couple of shots which didn't work out in the original shoot - but we may have to get more in editing. Luckily all our subjects are in the one location, so it's pretty easy to run off and get a shot of someone while shooting someone else.

Being filmed for the entire day - with a camera right up your nose - is irksome to say the least and already patiences have been tried and tested. I have asked the producer if we can shoot two films over two consecutive days - with each subject being shot in two half days.

The closest experience I've had to working with the mentally disabled and disadvantaged was my experience teaching at Filmbites where I was working with children. They lasted about half a day, too. Eight hours is a long time for anyone put under the microscope.

It is curious to know that there is a law which governs filming minors. Kids under the age of twelve are limited to 4 working hours due to wavering attention spans, moods and tolerances. I'd say the same goes with the Lost Generation people...
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Peta said…
Hi Edwin,

NED12 student here... Interesting point about the 'minors' law. I have no idea, but I would guess it would have something to do with the types of stuff the kids are doing in the films...

I heard a funny story the other day about an amateur photographer who was taking photos of anything and everything. He had taken some photos of kids at night and was arrested by the police for it! They thought he was some kind of perve... Poor guy.

:) Peta
11:16 pm
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