Recently a teen got caught in a situation that made her uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. I told her that I would start a thread on safety. I've actually been avoiding starting this thread because I don't feel that I know enough (or write well enough) to put it all together. BUT, I think that we do need to address this need specifically, so here goes.

This is the start.
It would be great if we could use this thread to talk about protecting our children and teens, with the goal of putting the info into a reference-type message - like the TEENS/CHILDREN GETTING STARTED threads. These threads contain valuable advice on safety, but unfortunately, there is so much more to know.

Please share the books and websites that you feel would be most helpful, as well as personal advice, mistakes you've made, mistakes you've seen, internet safety, personal websites, You Tube etc.

I suspect that posters may have different opinions about certain issues (especially use of the internet). Let's keep the higher goal in mind.

I can't express enough, the importance of safety and, if possible, keeping the personal information of our children private. Under no circumstances would I post my real name, the names of my kids, where we live, where they go to school, who reps them, what jobs they've done, what auditions they are going on, etc. My children have been in the biz for just over a year. A few months back, a man from the other side of the world saw one of their posters in an international campaign and claimed he was their father. He went all the way up the corporate ladder of the company they modeled for, and insisted he was their legal guardian and made claims that they had been kidnapped. He was so convincing that the company contacted the agency that created the campaign and asked them to find the family (us) and get legal documentation/proof that the children were with their legal and rightful guardians. This incident was absolutely terrifying. I'm not even going to raise the questions of what kind of "human being" would do this. My point is, you can't be too careful. I still get shivers when I think about the incident and wonder what kind of animal would do that. Even scarier...our agency told us this sort of thing happens all the time, especially in international ad campaigns. Please be careful. The internet has made the world a very small place.

Jaw Drop !!!! ....

Kipmil, I can't and don't want to imagine what you and your family went through. I'm sorry you had to endure something so frightening! Thank you for sharing your experience so that we can keep our treasured little ones safe.

What do you do here?

quote:

Originally posted by kipmil:
I can't express enough, the importance of safety and, if possible, keeping the personal information of our children private. Under no circumstances would I post my real name, the names of my kids, where we live, where they go to school, who reps them, what jobs they've done, what auditions they are going on, etc. My children have been in the biz for just over a year. A few months back, a man from the other side of the world saw one of their posters in an international campaign and claimed he was their father. He went all the way up the corporate ladder of the company they modeled for, and insisted he was their legal guardian and made claims that they had been kidnapped. He was so convincing that the company contacted the agency that created the campaign and asked them to find the family (us) and get legal documentation/proof that the children were with their legal and rightful guardians. This incident was absolutely terrifying. I'm not even going to raise the questions of what kind of "human being" would do this. My point is, you can't be too careful. I still get shivers when I think about the incident and wonder what kind of animal would do that. Even scarier...our agency told us this sort of thing happens all the time, especially in international ad campaigns. Please be careful. The internet has made the world a very small place.

That is very horrific. I'm sorry you and your family had an awful experience like that. Thank you for sharing your personal story.

Kipmil, your story does send shivers.... There's a good website that I know of through my kids' school. The person who started it was a 1st-amendment rights lawyer who now devotes most of her time to kids internet safety issues. The site has areas specifically for parents, teens, and tweens. They also, I think, work with government law agencies and industry to train kids to go into schools and talk to other kids. It's called www.wiredsafety.org.

For safety issues related to child perfomers in the industry, we have several articles that are very detailed and comprehensive on our website.

This one puts the focus on online casting:
All Roles Are Not Created Equal

This page has multiple articles that talk about the various ways child performers can be targeted - fans, strangers, unsavory websites, and people working with children in the industry.

Child Safety

If this is a new concept for a parent, this might be a bit overwhelming all at once, but it is vitally important. Kipmil's personal story is a perfect example of what parents need to be aware of to keep their children safe in this industry.

We will be introducing some safety guidelines for theatre performers in our next newsletter - coming out next week.

Paula
BizParentz.org

quote:

Originally posted by JennyDrama's Dad:

quote:

Originally posted by JennyDrama's Dad:
What do you do here?

My 10 year old child was doing Extra work for a film being shot at a privet home. Although it was a small group of people, 10 kids 7 adults maybe, all parents of the children had to wait outside. I wasn't really concerned in this case, as this was a major production with a known director, actors etc.
Has anyone ever been concerned when your child is filming in a different location, out of the parents view or access for a few hours at a time, or am I just being over-protective?

I don't care who the director is...it could be Spielberg...I would NEVER allow my kid to be out of view or access for a few hours...not even for 30 mins. I follow my kids everywhere when they work. If I can't see them physically, I can see them in a monitor or hear them on a headset. YIKES. SAG rules dictate that children must always be within sight and sound of parents.

JennyDrama's Dad:

You are NOT being overprotective. Your instincts are right on the money!

The reality is, the entertainment industry is a magnet for predators and those who don't want to go through background checks. Most of the crew on film sets are hired as independent contractors--they have not been fingerprinted, and could be a convicted sex offender for all you know. And they fly in and out of town on a whim. Even those closest to our children, managers, coaches, photographers etc--there is NO law requiring them to be fingerprinted, and NO law saying that a violent criminal cannot work with children on a film set.

Even if the crew are fine, upstanding people,
your child isn't their concern. They don't care about your kid...they care about getting the job done. They aren't experienced child care providers, so don't leave your kid with them!

And then there are the injuries... the number of injuries on sets is staggering and there have been more than a few deaths of children.
Want a really scary story? Read this, about two families who didn't know any better--their quotes were things like, "It was a big studio with a big director (Landis) and producer (Spielberg) so I didn't think anything would go wrong". Their children are dead.
http://www.bizparentz.org/twilightzonetragedy.html

Scared yet? My point is not scare you, but to point out that there are very real reasons for the sight and sound rule. You instinctively knew as a parent that this didn't seem right. TRUST your instincts.

The very first rule every parent should master, no exceptions, is to NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD. It is the fundamental right of very parent.

On any SAG job, the parent must be within SIGHT AND SOUND (both) of your child. If SAG hears that parents were banned to another place, they will send a person out immediately--it is a BIG deal. And btw, every "big" director knows this rule like the back of their hand. So they were banning you outside because they wanted to and you allowed it...not be because they didn't know.

In California, it the LAW (taken very seriously) that you must be within sight OR sound of your child. We work very hard to make sure this clause is in every new law written. Depending on where you live, you might want to check and see what your rights are.

In your particular situation, and perhaps this was done...they could have put a monitor outside so that you could "see" and "hear" what was going on with your child. This is a pretty easy fix when people are shooting in small spaces. But kids should be able to come outside at intervals so you can check in.

EVen newbie film makers can learn this (they will have to learn if they ever do a big job) and it isn't that big of a deal--let the parent in, or get a monitor. When I have encountered this on set in the past, I nicely remind them of the law or SAG rule (whatever applies), then let them try to solve it. If they refuse, I would leave. Seriously. It's one of the few things that are non-negotiable.

SIGHT AND SOUND...HUGE huge deal.

BTW...another safety tip. We need to teach our children an odd form of "stranger danger". We spend all our time training them to do what the director wants, to obey what the adults say on set...to please total strangers. This is really horrible from a child safety perspective.

I suggest having a really good "out loud" talk with your child. People they encounter in showbiz are STRANGERS. We respect some of them, and do what they say IN THE WORK PLACE, in front of the camera because that is our job. They get respect for their position at the job. But personal is personal. You don't sit on laps of strangers, you don't talk about private things, or allow people to talk about or touch private parts. Kids need to learn to keep their private life (including all the details of your home life, etc) PRIVATE.

They need to learn that no one is showbiz really loves them. Only you do. They can't be fooled by Hollywoodspeak. Lots of abuse occurs in Hollywood...and it is almost always someone the kid "knew". It isn't a rape on the set. It is someone their mom told them to trust.

Of course, those bad opportunties won't happen so much if you are with them 24/7 -- sight and sound!

A

I'm so glad people are posting about child safety here. Too many parents will take it for granted that their child(ren) are safe simply because they are on a set with a lot of other people around..... Does anyone remember the Nickelodeon scandal a couple of years ago? I don't remember how it turned out but that should have been a huge wakeup call. HenryShowBiz, yes, I remember that Twilight Zone tragedy... un-real!!! Very, very scary!!!!!

My daughter was merely *featured* in a low budget SAG film.... When she went to do her scene, I sort of lagged back in the holding area. One of the PAs came to me within seconds and said "you're ______'s mom, right?" When I said yes, she said "come on, you can stay right over here and watch/hear everything on the monitors" Now, this was a low budget film, and even the PAs knew the law so I'm sure any other producer/director would know.

The bottom line is, YOU are your child's guardian and protector. You don't know the people he/she is working with. You don't know their backgrounds or anything else. You have to protect them at all costs.

We live in So.Cal and on all of my dd jobs, print, tv or movies she has a set teacher that follows her like a shadow. (some better than others). She shot The Tonight Show last week and her set teacher would not even let her sit on a swing while waiting between takes. I of course am always the set teachers shadow and she is never out of my sight except when in set school as the parents are not allowed in during school. Anyway, my question is, is this something only done in CA.? When she is doing print work the set teacher times how long she is under lights, tells people to stop so she can get something to drink or a break, makes sure she has her legal 3 hours of school work done, always reminds production how many hours she has left to work, etc. I mean on all her jobs she is very well taken care of. Maybe we have just been lucky?? I am a CA. native so I am not familiar with child labor laws in other states. Would be interested to hear how this works for kids in other areas??

CA has the most extensive, comprehensive laws for child actors of all the states. Like most laws, this occurred because the abuse and problems have happened frequently in the past, and that spurred the need for regulation.

SAG contract provisions for minors are closely mirrored to the CA laws, but not identical.

Outside of CA and SAG (or AFTRA) work .. child actors are far less protected. A few states do have specific laws - NY, Louisiana, NJ (changing theirs now).. but none of them are like CA.

Of course, that's why they have parents - but it's also why many families in other parts of the country are unfamiliar with the 'norm' we know in CA.

There is always talk about having national legislation.. if done well, maybe not a bad idea. I guess time will tell if that ever comes to pass.

Paula

How about on a broadway show? I hear parents just drop their kid off and then pick them up at the stage door at the end of the night. Their is a professional 'wrangler' - but no parent. Correct, right?

Somuchtodo, thank you for starting this thread! We can never be TOO safe!

Here's a great column (with several parts) on saftey for all actors.
http://www.holdonlog.com/pages/AN-PSA-0406.html