Before the shoot, while the crew is setting up, have the other cast members play games with the children to allow them to get to know each other and get used to working together. It is essential that the children and their costars have a good chemistry. Children work best with people they like who also like them. If you get a mutual admiration society going between the children and their costars, you are going to have a very easy shoot.

The best way to go is to keep the script very simple and make sure the children work with you on how to deliver their lines through rehearsal or games. Kids respond well to spontaneity, and you may be surprised how easy it is to ad lib or make a scene into a game, which you can then film without the children even realizing they are acting.

When shooting the scene, maintain the children's focus by keeping things fresh and exciting. If you have to do multiple takes, try to find new ways to present the scene, so that the children don't get bored and decide not to do it anymore. Keep in mind that children have a great imagination, and they may do something during a scene that you did not script or anticipate. Go with it. Children are the most natural and expressive actors you will ever work with. Give them a little space to work with, and you may be amazed at the performance you get on tape. Listen to them. Ask them questions. Get them really involved. They will love it if they think they are actually helping create the scene and making decisions on how to do things. When working with children, you have to be very adept at creating new scenes and building on the performances you are getting. As long as you don't stray from the main theme or idea of your script, your day will be very rewarding.

Here's a trick used to add playtime in rehearsal when teaching kids to hit their mark. Find several flat colorful discs that are about the size of a dinner plate that you can throw on a floor. If you have two or more kids, have several of these flat "Frisbees" in different colors, like red, yellow, blue, etc. Place the yellow disc with a bold number 1 on the spot where you want the first child to begin and the blue number 1 disc where you want child #2 to start his scene. Then, lay number 2 yellow disc where the first child goes next. Tell her to go to that spot, when it's time for her to move to the next location. She knows to follow the yellow discs, while her partner follows the blue discs. It becomes a game, but it also teaches them how to hit their marks.

Kids like rewards too! Reward a good take with something the children like, with the biggest reward coming at the end of the day's shooting. Talk with the parents beforehand to determine what types of rewards would be helpful. Candy, ice cream and other foods may work, but be sure they won't have unwanted effects, such as a sugar high that will make the children bounce off the walls and be less cooperative. You might consider taking a picture of the children with the main star in front of the camera as a simple photo reward for working on the shoot.

During downtime between shots, give the children something to do. It could be as simple as handing water bottles out to the crew or picking the marking tape off the set floor. If the children's costar has the time, have them play a game or go for a walk - anything to keep them active and their minds occupied.

Before the children leave for the day, thank them for doing a good job, and tell them what they will be doing the next day. Ask them if they had fun and if they have any questions. Tell them that you enjoyed working with them and can't wait for the next day's shoot. Send them home with a smile!

Children are very perceptive, so you must be honest and straight with them. If you have a tough time working with children or you come from the W. C. Fields school of film, you should probably find another director to shoot the kids' scenes.

Contributing editor Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D., is an independent video/film producer/director and teaches video production courses at the college level.

One of the most frustrating yet ultimately rewarding shoots I have ever done was with a 6-month-old baby. I was shooting a commercial, and all I needed was for the baby to lie there cooing, giggling and looking left and right. The baby was absolutely beautiful. The parents and hangers-on were a pain in the ... well, you know where. It took 45 minutes to get 20 seconds of useable footage. I spent the whole 45 minutes grimacing behind my camera as the parents yelled, screamed, baby-talked, shook rattles, made faces and generally acted like complete morons to get this baby to react. If the baby hadn't been a friend's child, I would have kicked everyone out, and the baby and I would have been able to finish in a third of the time.