To ask about child filming

[sawseesaw]

Anyone have any experience of child filming.
DD (9) is taking part in a couple of months.
I'm wondering if she should be paid something.
It's 8 hours filming over a few days. It's improvised, so no preparation is needed.
I wouldn't expect her to get lots, but maybe something like I'd give her a bit of pocket money for lots of extra chores. The company filming is making the programme for a major network.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

For my DC, the production company got in touch and were completely professional providing a contract, details of how to invoice and details of who to contact in the LA. DC was paid a couple of thousand for about 3-4 hours work for example but it does vary. I was the chaperone and we were chauffeured to and from the location.

Also been paid for time for attending a costume fitting for a different production.

There are always contracts and lots of forms to fill in.

This all sounds well dodgy. Have you googled the production company/director etc. Does the drama school know them? I wonder if the drama school are pocketing the proceeds instead?

It really wasn't OP! It was absolutely clear.

I think if you are being paid then the local authority has to issue a license.
@Joesmum1981

Matters not one bit if she's being paid or not, she still needs a performance licence.
She'll need permission to miss school from the school (if the school says no then no licence will be issued whatever-seen that happen) a full licence, a licenced chaperone and school work with tutor for the days she's working.

The dcs have done stuff paid and unpaid. Actually probably the biggest thing one of them in was unpaid, but they did get to stay in a hotel while they were doing it.
I think dd's favourite was when the stage manager handed over £90 cash to her directly when she was about 10yo. We didn't know she was going to be paid. There was a fairground next door to where she was performing and she thought the ideal use of that money was to go and make use of it immediately.

My child did a one day thing without being paid. Cbeebies type thing but they came to us and he was keen on the experience. The production company and us had to fill in a long form to get permission for him to take a school day off which stated renumeration (none).

@watcherintherye off-topic but love your username. Loved that book as a teenager 😊

Would you work for nothing?

Many people, including myself volunteer for nothing.

When I wanted to get a job I did work experience which I did for free.

When people do a sporting event or preform in a local pantomime they don’t get paid as they’re doing something they enjoy.

If OPs DD wants to do it for the fun or experience of it then I’d let her but If OP thinks it’s unfair or exploitation then she just shouldn’t let her do it.

Amdram and sports teams are amateur. Everyone is doing it for the love of something.

This kind of filming is professional. It is being made for a major network. People are making money out of it. There is a big difference.

And unless it is as part of a school or college course, nowadays unpaid work experience or interning is illegal, apart from a few very specific examples.

Some companies will offer a payment as a way to get people to do it but many companies will not pay as people can use the experience to get paid work in the future.

And the experience of that sort of carry-on is very often a reputation for working for nothing! There's a huge difference between am-dram or community events where there's genuinely no budget and people are involved for fun. This is work. People of all ages should be paid for work and there's clear evidence of what the daily rates should be in this instance.

If this proposed job actually does come without any remuneration then I'd politely ask the production company as to who else won't be paid. The suppliers of equipment? The director? The editors? Only if there's a budget for one there really ought to be a budget for all.

OP your post was fine, it wasn't clear in the slightest. Some may have very poor reading skills but often times posters will pretend they don't understand so they have something to have a go at. It's very weird behaviour but that's aibu!

I read the OP not thinking for a second that the child would be providing services to a major production company for free. I made the assumption that payment was a forgone conclusion for eight hours of her time. I thought the OP was asking how best to distribute the funds to her child after the fact.

My son has done TV work, was for HBO mind you so a big network (filmed in JK).

He got paid standard day rate, less agent commission. I got paid for chaperoning him - I actually got paid more than he did, which seemed unfair because all I did was sit watching the fun and hobnobbing with the stars between takes whilst a set runner brought me lattes.

It was a few years ago but his day rate was aomething like £65. He spent it on Lego.