Child actors. Is it right?
Thu, 24 July 2003, 11:15 amjason11 posts in thread
Child actors. Is it right?
Thu, 24 July 2003, 11:15 amHello,
I am doing a research assignment on child actors. If you could possibly answer these questions and email them to me it would be so much help. Please note: Your email address and name will be kept confidentail. The only other person who may see this information is my teacher. For more info please email at - jassy_jase@yahoo.com
Q1:
Do you believe its right for mothers to push their children, some as young as 2 into modeling and talent agency's?
Q2:
At what age do you belive children should be allowed to work in the arts industry?
Q3:
Do you think it's right for theatre companies to use children to rope in profit. Eg. Annie, Oliver, Sound of Music.
Q4:
Should we wipe out child performing all together in television/theatre. Allowing only children from 15 onwards to enter this field?
Q5:
In your own opinion, what is a normal childhood?
Thank you for your time,
Jason Triggs.
Re: Child actors. Is it right?
Thu, 24 July 2003, 03:17 pmJason wrote:
> Q1:
> Do you believe its right for mothers to push their children,
> some as young as 2 into modeling and talent agency's?
What do you define as pushing? This is a very thin line. I believe there is certainly a level of moderation that can be achieved, but who is to judge this? I have 22 month old daughter myself and she is very much the performer. How far do I go before I am considered Pushy, or do I sit back and do nothing because I don't want anyone to judge me as a parent?
Personally, being pushy is to not listen to your child and instead to your own thoughts and force a child into something they do not want.
> Q2:
> At what age do you belive children should be allowed to work
> in the arts industry?
Any age they want to. From the day they can start to articulate desires and feelings (and this is pretty early, trust me) children are more than capable of making decisions for themselves. Parents have the responsibility to care for their children and to help them grow and develop. This means that they are there to articulate and discover the opinions of the child. Then they must also protect their off-spring.
By asking the industry to "impose" restrictions on what some parents may consider fair and OK is bound to invite agrument. You in effect remove a choice that some children and parents WOULD desire.
> Q3:
> Do you think it's right for theatre companies to use children
> to rope in profit. Eg. Annie, Oliver, Sound of Music.
Really. Do they now. I was not aware that such a blanket statement was either fair or reasonable. Who says that theatres do this anyway? Maybe some do. Others I am sure are primarially concerned with putting on a good show. Besides, as far as I know, the pay for child performers is just as good, if not better than adult performers so there wouldn't be much profit in it anyway. You get better profit from supernumerary actors regardless of age.
Also, consider community theatre where there are no paid performers at all. Where's the profit here? I think you over estimate the level of exploitation in this industry.
> Q4:
> Should we wipe out child performing all together in
> television/theatre. Allowing only children from 15 onwards to
> enter this field?
No, me iudice. Why 15? Why not make the legal age to vote?
> Q5:
> In your own opinion, what is a normal childhood?
There is no such thing. That is exactly the same as asking what is normal for anybody. Normal assumes that there is a standard. The real world does not have standards. Besides normal is boring.
I hope that your questions have been designed to provoke responces because they certainly have provoked me. ;-)
I do not deny that there are pushy parents out there in the real world. I do not deny that there are some theatrical companies who "exploit" the young. However, many of your questions query the subjectivity of perception. You ask for black and white answers in a world full of shades of grey.
Jeff "Greyed Out" Watkins
[%sig%]
> Q1:
> Do you believe its right for mothers to push their children,
> some as young as 2 into modeling and talent agency's?
What do you define as pushing? This is a very thin line. I believe there is certainly a level of moderation that can be achieved, but who is to judge this? I have 22 month old daughter myself and she is very much the performer. How far do I go before I am considered Pushy, or do I sit back and do nothing because I don't want anyone to judge me as a parent?
Personally, being pushy is to not listen to your child and instead to your own thoughts and force a child into something they do not want.
> Q2:
> At what age do you belive children should be allowed to work
> in the arts industry?
Any age they want to. From the day they can start to articulate desires and feelings (and this is pretty early, trust me) children are more than capable of making decisions for themselves. Parents have the responsibility to care for their children and to help them grow and develop. This means that they are there to articulate and discover the opinions of the child. Then they must also protect their off-spring.
By asking the industry to "impose" restrictions on what some parents may consider fair and OK is bound to invite agrument. You in effect remove a choice that some children and parents WOULD desire.
> Q3:
> Do you think it's right for theatre companies to use children
> to rope in profit. Eg. Annie, Oliver, Sound of Music.
Really. Do they now. I was not aware that such a blanket statement was either fair or reasonable. Who says that theatres do this anyway? Maybe some do. Others I am sure are primarially concerned with putting on a good show. Besides, as far as I know, the pay for child performers is just as good, if not better than adult performers so there wouldn't be much profit in it anyway. You get better profit from supernumerary actors regardless of age.
Also, consider community theatre where there are no paid performers at all. Where's the profit here? I think you over estimate the level of exploitation in this industry.
> Q4:
> Should we wipe out child performing all together in
> television/theatre. Allowing only children from 15 onwards to
> enter this field?
No, me iudice. Why 15? Why not make the legal age to vote?
> Q5:
> In your own opinion, what is a normal childhood?
There is no such thing. That is exactly the same as asking what is normal for anybody. Normal assumes that there is a standard. The real world does not have standards. Besides normal is boring.
I hope that your questions have been designed to provoke responces because they certainly have provoked me. ;-)
I do not deny that there are pushy parents out there in the real world. I do not deny that there are some theatrical companies who "exploit" the young. However, many of your questions query the subjectivity of perception. You ask for black and white answers in a world full of shades of grey.
Jeff "Greyed Out" Watkins
[%sig%]