Minor performers subject to labor laws, work-hour limits, and on-set schooling — entire schedule adapts accordingly. Pediatrician required on set; all takes demand additional planning and patience.
Having minors in front of the camera is a completely different ballgame than working with adult actors. The requirements are not only legally complex but also influence the entire production process. You need permits from the responsible authorities, on-site school supervision, and working hours are strictly regulated—in Germany, for instance, a maximum of 8 hours of presence time, of which only 4 hours are for shooting. This sounds tough, but it applies to every shooting day.
On set itself: A pediatrician must be present when children under 12 are shooting. This is not optional. You also need a child welfare officer or tutor who monitors and documents school times. This means specifically: you cannot have a 8-year-old, who is subject to compulsory schooling, in the scene at 2 PM just because your lighting isn't right. Child logistics become crew logistics. I've seen shooting days collapse because no one took the school time windows seriously enough.
The shooting schedule must account for breaks—real breaks, not just formal ones. Children are not small adults. They tire emotionally faster; they cannot sustain their reactions for as long. This means you plan fewer takes per child, not more. Shooting in parallel with doubles is permitted and common for dangerous or repetitive scenes. For stunts—even harmless ones—you need special permits and specialists.
The tricky part: Authenticity under constraints. You have to elicit a genuine emotion from a child, but within strict time and spatial limits. Experienced child directors don't aim for perfection but for truth within short windows. Repeatedly asking for the same emotion quickly tires kids—better to: reconfigure the scene, try a different approach. A child cries genuinely when they understand why, not because you repeat the take 15 times.
Legally: All parties involved—parents, child, production company—sign employment contracts. Children's wages often have to go into accounts that parents cannot directly access (so-called child accounts). This is a protective regulation. Your Unit Production Manager must have this on their radar. And: Documentation. Every shooting day with children is meticulously logged—working hours, breaks, presence of the doctor. This isn't bureaucratic overkill; it's liability protection for everyone.