General Chat

I appreciate that what we actually see on a television drama is not necessarily what actually went on while filming, thanks to clever use of cutting and editing but I wonder if young children and babies are in any way traumatised by some of the things they are put through. The sight of a distraught child, clearly desperate for some comfort may make for 'realistic' television but is it really fair on the child? I wonder too if some of the child's 'acting parts' are absorbed as their own memories when they are too young to differentiate between those and real life and how this affects them as they grow up. Even other actors having a 'blazing row' over their heads when babies are very much in camera shot must be bewildering for them. Just a thought.

I had always assumed that the children were "cut" from the action, and spliced in at a later date (or whatever the technical terms are). However, I have seen a few dramas where the child is in plain view while all the physical and verbal effing and blinding is going on around them, and have wondered about that myself. I have also wondered why it has become so necessary for there to be so much swearing on TV and films; if you look at most of the classics ("Gone with the Wind", "High Noon", "Star Wars", to name but a few) there is little, if any, profanity, and the films are better for it. I feel that most films would be actually be a lot better if they didn't swear. Also, why is the free use of swear words termed as "strong language"? It is actually weak language, language used because the speaker cannot or does not think what he (or she) is saying, or is trying to pad out an otherwise thin conversation. Rob

Baz and Robert, I think that children from around 3 years upwards can understand that what they are doing is only make believe and that they don't actually see what we see on screen in the finished programme. It's the younger children and babies that I am concerned for. A crying child who is looking for 'help' to someone (presumably it's mother) off camera, even for a few seconds, is one too many for me. I agree about the language on television too, it is not always necessary for foul language to be used for realism's sake. I swear but I do object to the amount of swearing we hear in the media nowadays. Magsx

Hi Marion, That particular scene was the one that finally prompted me to post this thread. The poor child was so distressed! I know I can remember back to that age - so presumably a lot of these very young children will too. Their emotions can only be real to have a reaction like the ones we often see on screen. So how will they remember the 'incident' with fear or 'hey I was an actor' ?? Who can judge. I can't understand the mentality of people who put their babies through that sort of thing either! Magsx

Hi Mags, actually this thought had crossed my mind, usually in a soap where two people are yelling over the top of the baby/small child. Children of all ages are very impressionable and there is no way I would traumatise my child by letting them act in these scenes. Mandy :)