Never work with children or animals

Whoever said ‘never work with children or animals’ can’t have worked with children or animals before.

It’s the best part of our job! They’re adorable.

Yes, they don’t listen to direction. Yes, they’re unpredictable. Yes, they might poop on set. But doesn’t that make them all the more lovable?

At DTV, we often shoot with children and animals. And here are some of the key things we’ve learnt to help make a shoot go as smoothly as possible:

• Your client is your best friend
  Every charity is unique, and has their own guidelines for shooting with children or animals. Lean on them. Soak up everything they say about animal or child welfare. I’ve learned so much from clients like Young Lives VS Cancer, invaluable advice that I apply to every shoot.

• They’re more important than you
  On a shoot, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush to make the best ad possible, on time and on budget. But if a child or an animal needs a break, is stressed or upset, then give them that time. Cats Protection taught me this; there’s no deadline more important than their welfare.

• Leave the animal alone
  It’s SO hard to do, but ignore the animal on set completely. That’s Battersea’s advice. It keeps the animal’s stress levels low, and makes them much easier to work with. At the very least, you can give them a fuss AFTER the shoot is wrapped.

• Leave the child alone
  The same goes for children. Young kids are naturally shy. The more you try to make them come out of their shell, the more you stress them out. Børns Vilkår have a dedicated team member who is the only person that delivers feedback to children on set. It works fantastically!

• Always have a backup
  Children and animals get sick. So easily! If you’re booking talent for a shoot, always book a backup. Even if you don’t end up using them, it’s so valuable to have on set. I’ve shot for PDSA and their foresight to book backup talent made the shoot a huge success.

• Have fun!
  Children and animals are SO fun to work with. They’re bonkers. So enjoy the experience, expect the unexpected, and be grateful that we get to help them, and enjoy spending time with them.

Whoever said ‘never work with children or animals’ is missing out.

Bio

Dog lover, copywriter, Yorkshire pudding; Alfie Waldron is a Senior Creative at DTV, working across the majority of our clients on everything from DRTV to integrated campaigns.