Children’s performance in films is surprising viewers, when a young child mastered a dramatic or comedy with a craftsmanship that is parallel to the great actors, the same question arises: How is he able to reach this level? What happens behind the scenes?
Rita Khan, in a new episode of “On the Cinema”, is trying to answer this question, reviewing a number of striking models of young stars who amazed the fans.
Khan says that photographing one scene with a child requires double patience. Cameras, lighting and director’s orders are not an familiar environment for a child who is no more than ten.
She pointed out that some directors do not search for professional actors as they seek children who resemble the film’s characters psychologically and behaviorally.
This is what the director of the horror movie “IT” did, as he was keen that the child carry the same features of the personality he performed, in terms of shame or audacity, rather than teaching him the characteristics that he does not possess.
Khan showcases the method adopted by the actor and director Anwar Wajdi with the child Fayrouz, when they together formed a successful cinematic duo. Wajdi was treating her as his daughter, living with him and his wife, Laila Murad, to create a complete harmony in front of the camera, a relationship that left a great impact on the accuracy of her performance.
Khan notes that some believe that the ingenuity of children comes from an innate talent, but the truth is more complicated, as the child is often subject to special training, and is directed by methods that take into account his psyche, as if he is treated as a friend, not as just as an execution.
In the same context, Khan remembered the experience of director Nadine Labaki with the child Zain Al -Rafie, the hero of the movie “Kfarnahum”, who was working as a delivery boy in the streets of Lebanon when I got to know him.
Zain did not complete his education, and he barely wrote his name, but he played his role with exceptional ingenuity, which made him harvest a warm applause at the Cannes Festival.
Honesty
She pointed out that honesty is the decisive element in the child’s performance, for example, when the child Jacob Trumpi in the movie “ROM” refused to scream at the actress Berri Larson because “Berri is good and does not want to harm her”, the director resorted to filming in a manner that makes the child feel safe, which made a real performance that was admired.
British director Ken Loth has a distinguished reputation in dealing with children, as he sees that the director must deal with the child professionally as he does with any adult representative, while giving friendship and respect a priority in dealing, without falling into the trap of pampering that may spoil the performance.
Khan returns to the early twentieth century, when Charlie Chaplin discovered the child Jackie Kojen dancing on the stage, so he chose him for the starring role in the movie “The Kid”, and the film succeeded in an overwhelming success, and the audience believed that Kojen was the son of Chaplin really from the intensity of harmony between them.
But Khan also refers to the other side of this early stardom, as some children whose star brightened in their childhood, disappeared completely after puberty, and they are no longer desirable by the filmmakers, which raises questions about the psychological impact of these early experiences.
And it confirms that the laws in some countries have strictly set children’s working hours at the photography sites, for example, for those under 6 months of work is not allowed to work more than 20 minutes a day, while the working hours of those who are 17 years old do not exceed 8 hours, with their right to withdraw without any legal consequences.
Incentive tricks
Khan believes that some directors resort to simple acting tricks to motivate the child, such as using the playing style, encouraging him with symbolic prizes, or even replacing adult actors with familiar characters for the child that helps him to interact automatically.
She notes that repetition and perseverance are an essential part of the child’s training in acting, and tells how directors re -photograph one scene dozens of times to control performance, which requires patience from the child and those around him alike.
Despite the difficulties, Khan believes that working with children has his own charm. If the child feels confidence and containment, he may perform a performance that surpasses any professional actor, which happened with the child Naseem, who appeared in the episode as an ordinary child and then surprised everyone with an amazing talent when I give a simple opportunity.
Khan concludes her episode by emphasizing that the child’s talent is not sufficient alone, so the luck and the circumstances and those around him – especially the director – are the ones who draw the path of his stardom. And if the child coincides with the appropriate director, his first movie may be his gate towards an unforgettable cinematic glory.