The kids are alright (and funnier than us)
Kids say - and do - the funniest things and many brands utilise that in their campaigns. But getting children to be funny and natural isn't always easy. Vincent Lin, Director & Co-Founder at Valiant Pictures, has experience in these matters and, here, shares some insight into getting the most out of young peoples' performances.
Kids are inherently funny. They say the darndest things and don’t appear to be trying too hard in the process.
Part of what makes kids hilarious is the charm of naïveté; experiencing the world for the first time and witnessing their unfiltered reactions to life itself. That power can easily be harnessed for any storytelling, be it branded or original, in the right circumstances and with the right strategy.
Part of what makes kids hilarious is the charm of naïveté.
Kids may not be able to be part of every project, but when they are, they pull audiences back to a mindset of trust and comfort in the familiar and funny. Here’s how to coax out the best comedic performances in kids, without going overboard:
Credits
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- Production Company Blink Productions
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Credits
powered by- Production Company Blink Productions
- Editing Company Final Cut
- Sound Design Factory
- Post Production MPC London
- Editor Joe Guest
- Art Director Sian Coole
- Copywriter Jo Cresswell
- Executive Creative Director Richard Brim
- Executive Producer Julie Evans
- Chief Creative Officer Ben Priest
- Director Dougal Wilson
- Post Producer Hannah Ruddleston
- VFX Supervisor Tom Harding
- Colourist Jean Clement Soret
- Sound Designer Anthony Moore
Credits
powered by- Production Company Blink Productions
- Editing Company Final Cut
- Sound Design Factory
- Post Production MPC London
- Editor Joe Guest
- Art Director Sian Coole
- Copywriter Jo Cresswell
- Executive Creative Director Richard Brim
- Executive Producer Julie Evans
- Chief Creative Officer Ben Priest
- Director Dougal Wilson
- Post Producer Hannah Ruddleston
- VFX Supervisor Tom Harding
- Colourist Jean Clement Soret
- Sound Designer Anthony Moore
Above: You can make your job easier by casting kids carefree enough to be able to lose themselves in the task at hand, says Lin.
Set their stage
If you put kids in the right mindset they lose scope of the work and think they’re having fun... because they are! Then their performances emerge as authentically as possible, which is the key ingredient.
If the kid isn’t actually having fun the creative can massively backfire on the brand.
You can make your job easier by casting kids carefree enough to be able to lose themselves in the task at hand, be it reacting to slapstick, delivering the line hook, or playing with props. Ideally, you don't want kids to play up their comedy by force. If kids actively try hard to be funny, it comes across as very fake, for both the child, the director and the audience watching.
If the kid isn’t actually having fun, or doesn’t understand their own joke, the creative can massively backfire on the brand.
They must be this tall to ride
Kids of all ages appear in spots, of course, but kids who are slightly older than Sesame Street’s target audience keep their curiosity while bringing enough emotional intelligence to the table to understand that they’re on a film set, and they have a role to play, even as they’re having fun in the process.
Children are temperamental and develop at different rates, some seven-year-olds are more mature than half my friends, while others have the emotional intelligence of a ham sandwich. Casting and callbacks are essential with children. If a child is too young, they may not understand completely what’s happening around them, which can lead to not understanding why something is funny at all.
They should be old enough to be able to understand the atmosphere, but the director must develop a rapport with the child, regardless, to prevent a stiff performance.
Credits
powered by- Agency MMGY Global/Kansas City
- Production Company Valiant Pictures
- Director Vincent Lin
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Unlock full credits and more with a Source + shots membership.
Credits
powered by- Agency MMGY Global/Kansas City
- Production Company Valiant Pictures
- Director Vincent Lin
- Executive Producer Chayne Gregg
- Executive Producer Adam Zimmer
- Executive Producer Tom Farrell
- Executive Producer/Owner Matthew D'Amato
- Senior Copywriter Matt Sueper
- VP, Group Creative Director Brandon Sanders
- DP Phil Bradshaw
- Production Designer Nick Horton
- Editor Meg Sarachan
- Colorist Brian Singler
- Graphics & VFX Jason Harmon
- Composer Bryan Curt Kostors
- Art Director Meredith Shea
- Copywriter Dean Cowles
Credits
powered by- Agency MMGY Global/Kansas City
- Production Company Valiant Pictures
- Director Vincent Lin
- Executive Producer Chayne Gregg
- Executive Producer Adam Zimmer
- Executive Producer Tom Farrell
- Executive Producer/Owner Matthew D'Amato
- Senior Copywriter Matt Sueper
- VP, Group Creative Director Brandon Sanders
- DP Phil Bradshaw
- Production Designer Nick Horton
- Editor Meg Sarachan
- Colorist Brian Singler
- Graphics & VFX Jason Harmon
- Composer Bryan Curt Kostors
- Art Director Meredith Shea
- Copywriter Dean Cowles
Above: Lin has worked with his share of children on a variety of spots.
Candid Camera
Directors already have to adapt to children’s moods on the day of a shoot (and I’ve had to sit patiently through my share of toddler meltdowns myself) but they also have to be ready and waiting for cute and candid performances no team can coach out of a child performer.
Take advantage of what the child brings to the table and try to work with what you have.
Take advantage of a child’s natural reaction to specific instances (even if that wasn’t what the client requested at first) and, oftentimes, those will facilitate the best shots. If a child reacts a certain way that was unexpected, but it has its own charm, then you really want to play it up and build their confidence to pursue that path. Say you want a kid to play a reaction as very subdued, but it turns out their instinct is all smiles, even professional adult actors can find it challenging to make that gut shift. Take advantage of what the child brings to the table and try to work with what you have.
Credits
powered by- Agency BBDO/San Francisco
- Production Company Slim
- Director Karen Cunningham
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Unlock full credits and more with a Source + shots membership.
Credits
powered by- Agency BBDO/San Francisco
- Production Company Slim
- Director Karen Cunningham
- Chief Creative Officer David Lubars
- Executive Creative Director Matthew Miller
- ACD/Art Director Christina Whalen
- ACD/Copywriter Andrew Shaffer
- Art Director Rachael Kelly
- Copywriter Taylor Garrett
- Traffic Mgr Danielle Ivicic
- Sr. Producer Whitney Ferris
- Editor Andrea MacArthur
- Colorist Steve Rodriguez
- Sound Designer Matthew Miller
- Music Produced by Pollen Music Group
- VFX Supervisor James Bohn
- DP Doug Chamberlain / (DP)
- Composer Alexis Harte
Credits
powered by- Agency BBDO/San Francisco
- Production Company Slim
- Director Karen Cunningham
- Chief Creative Officer David Lubars
- Executive Creative Director Matthew Miller
- ACD/Art Director Christina Whalen
- ACD/Copywriter Andrew Shaffer
- Art Director Rachael Kelly
- Copywriter Taylor Garrett
- Traffic Mgr Danielle Ivicic
- Sr. Producer Whitney Ferris
- Editor Andrea MacArthur
- Colorist Steve Rodriguez
- Sound Designer Matthew Miller
- Music Produced by Pollen Music Group
- VFX Supervisor James Bohn
- DP Doug Chamberlain / (DP)
- Composer Alexis Harte
Above: Lin says that children work best without a ton of direction; if they can just ‘be’.
We shot a project for a brand who had very specific instructions for what they wanted a child to do while interacting with a physical product. The child followed through, but the delivery felt stiff and scripted, because it was. After hours with little to show, the crew decided to have the parent come to set and play with the child and some toys, just to see what happened. We ended up shooting their interaction as the spot itself; we didn’t even tell them we had started filming. The approach turned docu-style. That may not always apply to just comedy, but it nearly always applies to comedy as a genre. Children work best without a ton of direction; if they can just ‘be.’
Children work best without a ton of direction; if they can just ‘be.’
The treasure children possess, that unfortunately adults often lose, is the wonder of spontaneous understanding, born from insatiable curiosity. We find children inherently funny because we love nostalgia, on a psychological level, and find comfort and humour in remembering those moments from our own lives.
If you can harness that tendency, kids can bring the funny in hysterical ways that just won’t land in the big shoes of grown-ups.