Upset babies in movies

[MaMaD1990]

Now I'm aware people will think I'm being totally over the top, but I was watching a movie (life as we knew it) and I just felt so bad for the little baby when she was crying. She's not 'acting' upset, she genuinely crying and I was so sad in a bit where she was about to walk at the guy pushes her over onto her bottom to stall her so the woman can see her first steps. I just kept thinking "she must be looking at her mum or dad wondering why they are letting actors do this to her". Poor little thing. I wouldn't of thought twice about this before having a baby but does anyone else feel like this when they see a crying baby in a movie?!

They have 'baby wranglers' who simulate crying to make them cry according to this youtube video: Insider

When they need a baby for a scene, they hire identical twins or triplets. The time they are actually on camera is very minimal and there's a huge load of rules and regulations surrounding child actors.
(I used to be a theatrical chaperone for a while).

So many precious people who don’t understand television and film...

@Onairjunkie please do enlighten us with your fountain of knowledge!

Not so much babies but young children - they often have children who are very small for their age so are not as young as you think. BF had a very small and dainty little girl who used to act from time to time and was usually a couple of years older than you'd think. She once had to fake a 3 year old throwing a tantrum and was apparently very realistic about it and thought it was great fun.

I work in that sector. It’s clever editing, the parents are inches off camera and often on in place of the leads, they’re filmed for seconds at a time and babies cry. It’s what they do. Having them be as part of a visual narrative is very enriching and also, they earn a nice little bit of money for their futures. We all cried as babies and I dare say most of us don’t remember it/have attachment issues.

@Witchend

They wait until a baby is actually crying for another reason, then film it. Also licencing laws have only a tiny amount of time a child can be on set (20 minutes comes to mind) which is why often they'll have several babies for one part.

Exactly this commentand also something a quick Google search or a bit of common sense would have resolved. You have too much time on your hands OP ffs

@Onairjunkie that's a useful comment! It's nice to hear from those who work in the industry to get an idea of what happens like I've said before. Thank you for your input!

@demelza82 don't get too worked up, it's mostly a lighthearted thread. Do feel free to move on past if it upsets you too much

I was watching Lord of the Rings recently and for the first time consciously thinking about what scenes or parts of scenes are acted by stunt doubles. It's fascinating once you start watching it (Ian McKellen's stunt double is slightly shorter and more thick-set than he is) and makes you realise how clever they are on the cutting floor at persuading you that someone who was never near a certain scene is in the thick of it.

YANBU. I’ve wondered this too in the past.

I can’t watch anything with upset babies/children any more.

I thought about this when watching labyrinth the other day, that baby is nearly always crying!

Apparently the dad was someone who worked in the film production and volunteered his son as he was a very 'cry-y' baby.

I know its obviously for practical reasons but it also annoys me when someone's supposedly newborn baby is clearly about 6 months old

It’s the same cry every time. It must be a stock sound. Woooooooohoo,waAAAahoo... it’s the only way I can describe it. It’s been bugging me for years

What I find worse is when the actors are holding a small child and shouting at each other.
I don’t know how it’s done but it looks horrific putting a dc through that.

I've definitely heard the baby Annabelle cry on lots of different shows, I recognise it as Dd had that doll and the cry irritated me when she she took its dummy out a million times a day!

@Pinkblueberry

Also what about when small kids have to call actors mum or dad for a scene? Isn’t that confusing?

If they’re old enough to learn some lines then surely they’re old enough to know it’s just pretend.

I don’t know. I’ve seen plenty of films where toddlers say Mama or whatever. For example the old TV show Full House — baby Michelle was always saying Dada and I love you (plus other humorous catchphrases). I think it just have been confusing and perhaps explains a lot about the Olsen twins...

@Swimmum78 that scene in Under the Skin ruined that film for me! It was so harrowing! Couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the film because of it!