Child and Horror: how to prepare a young actor for filming?

Whether a small actor plays the embodiment of world evil or a victim of nightmarish circumstances, the viewer involuntarily raises the question: how does shooting in such a terrifying movie affect the psyche of a small person? How do parents agree to this? Will this affect the fate of the child later?

Judging by the fact that a significant number of children who have starred in horror films successfully continue their film career, and others have found their place in life, the negative impact of such films on the psyche is greatly exaggerated. Or there are special rules for children during filming! First of all, let's figure out how horror films with the participation of children are filmed.

Most often, children simply do not know that they are being filmed in a horror movie. After all, what is insanely frightening when watching horror (scary sounds, nerve-wracking music, etc.) is simply not present when shooting a particular episode. The audio track is superimposed later, during the installation process. So the work on such scenes goes quite well.

Visually scary scenes, implying the presence of complex frightening makeup on the actors, “aggressive behavior”, etc. already requires specially preparing a small actor for such work. It's good if there is an opportunity to save him from filming in such an episode (replace him with an understudy, for example), but this does not always happen. And then, first of all, parents or representatives of the child in alliance with a psychologist enter into the matter. They explain to him the essence of the scene, using gentle formulations, answer questions about what will happen and for what purpose. Then they introduce the child to the technical side: make-up artists show how a creepy make-up is created, that the blood is actually a special mixture, ketchup or cranberry juice. A small actor, acting in a scary scene, perceives it either as an unusual game or as an interesting work task (if he is already old enough). Scenes with a child actor try to shoot first of all, so as not to tire him beyond measure. In our country, by the way, the limited time participation of a child in filming is also a legal requirement. Therefore, no one will definitely delay the filming process.

The filming itself does not represent anything particularly creepy. The usual work routine, where take after take is repeated, and in between the noble hero and the terrible villain peacefully drink coffee together. “Scary” special effects are connected much later, when the child's participation in the shooting is actually over. And of course, the finished product (that is, the horror movie itself) is unlikely to be shown to a small actor. Responsible and conscious parents will try to relieve him of unnecessary nervous tension. How different is the process of filming horror and the end result, you can understand from the following example. Fans of horror movies probably remember the cult movie “The Bell". The role of the Samarra girl was played by a young actress Davey Chase. At that time she was 13 years old. Later she saw the movie on the big screen... and was scared of herself in the image of Samarra! She just couldn't compare her work in the film and the creepy character that turned out in the end. Which convincingly proves how great is the difference between the process and the result.