AMY MIKLER + KIDS!
Amy Mikler has a way with kids, and a really great way with kids on set. We asked Amy to share her thoughts on shooting kiddos and this is what she had to say:
"I LOVE when there is a kid component of a shoot. They show up with energy and curiosity, and a level of unpredictability that when harnessed lends authenticity to any scene, and will laugh at the simplest things.
In my experience, most child models are pretty green unless you are in NY, Miami or LA, and even then there are no guarantees. So establishing report and keeping the set active goes a long way towards capturing genuine emotions and a sense of fun. Even if the shot does not call for a specific activity I will direct them to do different actions to promote energy, especially if they aren’t professionals. More than once a hotel or resort has used employees’ kids if the shoot only calls for one shot with kids. The two girls splashing with their feet are one such example, we had chosen the angle and the idea was to have the girls interacting poolside, but if I had just had them sit and talk it would have grown stale quickly, especially since they met for the first time only minutes before! I directed them to splash water with their feet and they quickly started giggling and having fun."
"For the boy running with the cape, the shot was to be a kid playing in the front yard, and though he was a professional model he was extremely shy and awkward. So we turned a pillowcase into a cape, I directed him to run around and we got the sense of childlike fun we needed. Or for the kid being thrown in the air at a resort pool, he had never modeled before, so the trooper of a dad was willing to throw him into the air to lend some energy and make the shot fun. Again, pretty quickly we got the shot (and dad’s arms thanked me for that!) and the kid went into the following shots with s’mores with a great attitude."
Whether in an arcade, splashing in a pool, or playing a board game, allowing kids to remain active overcomes many hurdles. Amy stays extremely nimble and has found that allowing the kids to move helps create a quick rapport between strangers, reduces shyness, and harnesses kids' natural energy levels to bring spontaneity and enviable authentic emotions into her frames.
