Hey kid, you oughta be in pictures!

by Stacey DuFord

The good news: there are lots of opportunities for kids in Michigan to learn how the movie business works and to get some experience.

The bad news: your kid is not going to become a star.

Oh, your kid may become a star – eventually – but if you’re trying to get them into the movie business to make up for your sagging savings you’d have just as good a shot with a lottery ticket. And if your kid is begging you for rides to auditions because he wants his own show on Nickelodeon (like mine), then you need to be the one to tell him that his dream is most likely not going to come true. At least not right away. And not without a lot of waiting.

So how do you know if your kid is right for the movies? Or if the movies are right for your kid? I’ve worked in the “business” for a while and thought I knew what to tell my kids. With the news that multiple film crews were arriving in Michigan, I called Casting Directors Kathy Mooney and Janet Pound (Pound Mooney Casting) and Carrie Ray (Carrie Ray Casting) for their best advice. Turns out; I had a few things to learn myself.

Whose idea is it? If a director even senses the attitude “my mom made me come” it’s all over. If your child doesn’t enjoy the audition process then stop now. There is much more auditioning than “acting,” and your child needs to be ready to handle rejection – without taking it personally. According to Carrie Ray, “most kids will go on tons of auditions before they even book something.”

What kid? There are definite personality types that Casting Directors are looking for. Your child should be outgoing, personable, able to take direction and memorize. Children need to display charisma and not be precocious. Can your child sit for hours and hours and then perform? Can he walk into a room full of strangers and not get intimidated? Is she willing to do the same thing over and over without getting bored?

Where to go, what to do? A Talent Agent is who you and your child see first. There are four Union franchise agencies in the area; Productions Plus (www.productions-plus.com), The Talent Shop (www.thetalentshop.com), The iGroup (www.theigroup.com), and Charlie’s Talent Agency (www.charliestalentagency.com). They are the ones who submit “talent” to the Casting Directors for consideration. Your child needs photos and a resume. “But don’t get suckered into spending tons of money on professional photos,” says Mooney. Since kids change so much, good quality digital photos taken by mom or dad will do. You need a close-up photo with mouth open (to show the status of missing teeth and/or braces) and a full-length photo. Make sure you put both your child’s date-of-birth AND the date the photo was taken on each photo. Since most children don’t have experience in film, list other activities on their resume; sports, clubs, instruments played, etc. Tony DiMambro, Talent Agent at The iGroup, says “agents want to see that kids are involved, especially in activities that teach them discipline and how to work with others.”

Should my kid take acting classes? According to Carrie Ray, most directors want to see kids just being kids. But she and every Casting Director and Talent Agent I spoke with agree that classes are great to help kids feel more comfortable with the process. Do your research. Check the Detroit Film Office web site (www.michigan.gov/filmoffice), ask the agencies, ask other parents at auditions and, make sure the class and instructor are reputable. “Get your kid involved in school or Community Theater or theater camps,” suggests Ann Wilson, Film/Broadcast Agent at The Talent Shop.

What about me? What do I do? Your job is bigger than you think, and if you have a child that is seriously going to pursue acting, one parent should have a flexible schedule. You need to keep your child’s photos updated. If your child gets called in for an audition, let the Agent or Casting Director know if there is a change in his or her look. You need to get your kid to auditions, and work, on time. You need to make sure your child is dressed appropriately, fed, and in a performing frame of mind. If your child is having an off day, tell the Agent or Casting Director. If your child gets hired, you need to have a survival kit; homework, games, reading material, snacks, etc. On the set of Stone (Robert DeNiro, Ed Norton) in Ypsilanti, kids hired as extras with an 11:30 a.m. call weren’t even considered for a scene until after 1:30 p.m. Most of them didn’t do a thing until well into the evening. That’s a lot of down time. According to Mooney and Pound, a production company may find it has hired more children than it actually needs and sometimes kids will leave without having done a scene at all (this is true of all extras). Even if a child is hired to “act,” a lot of time spent on a set is waiting. Scenes, lights, props, and extras all need to be set for each scene before any filming can be done.

Are there really opportunities? According to Olga Denysonko, Director of Talent Development at Productions Plus, agencies are looking for good child actors. “There is no need to go to New York or Los Angeles right now,” she says. But you and your child need to understand that it is a business. Your child may hear things about himself (“His teeth are a little too crooked.”) and YOU will have to be the one to explain that the director was looking for someone with straighter teeth for that part. Yes, opportunities are out there but they are opportunities to work, not get handed a huge paycheck for being cute.

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