Working with kids

This is a photo taken in a very normal day of my life... trying to get 7-year old kids to perform in front of the camera. It's fun but it's challenging. :-)



I have been working with kid's television here in Finland for almost 20 years now... (two more years to go and then I will celebrate!). The last ten years or so I have mainly done different "by children, with children, for children" types of programmes. And I can tell you; You learn a lot about directing, in general, working with children! You see, you REALLY have to work hard on issues as motivating and inspiring your actors as well as finding the simple and clear ways to describe and communicate what you want from them. Good lessons for any director in any type of production!

And of course it's hard sometimes. It's difficult! It's very, very demanding on so many levels... but at the same time it is enormously rewarding too, because you get so much love BACK from your young fellow workers. I love it.


Here is a clip I found on youtube with a little piece from a show called "oppåner å hitådit" that I was involved with a couple of years ago...
(It's in swedish - but I think you know the joke about the two tomatoes going across the street..?)