REHEARSING WITH KIDS AND TEENS

Tools for actors and directors

This week I have been Zooming with coaches I mentor, focusing on working with children. The sessions have been so interesting that I thought I would build this Substack piece aimed at directors working with kids and teens — and also at actors who find themselves acting with kids and teens.

I have kicked-off my sessions by showing this ad for Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency. It’s a quirky ad about reducing speed. The message is grounded in a believable connection between the two young actresses, Roshania and Davida. In one shot you see a brief glimpse of them playing a handshake game.

The first thing I have discussed with the coaches is how much preparation went into creating this tiny moment, and how it was not in the original script.

Here you can see a behind-the-scenes shot of the girls creating the handshake, much longer and more complex than we see on the screen.

In making this handshake they are creating something much more important than a fleeting visual trick. The…