The kids are alright (and funnier than us)

Kids are inherently funny. They say the darndest things and don’t appear to be trying too hard in the process. 

Part of what makes kids hilarious is the charm of naïveté; experiencing the world for the first time and witnessing their unfiltered reactions to life itself. That power can easily be harnessed for any storytelling, be it branded or original, in the right circumstances and with the right strategy. 

Part of what makes kids hilarious is the charm of naïveté.

Kids may not be able to be part of every project, but when they are, they pull audiences back to a mindset of trust and comfort in the familiar and funny. Here’s how to coax out the best comedic performances in kids, without going overboard: 

Above: You can make your job easier by casting kids carefree enough to be able to lose themselves in the task at hand, says Lin.

Set their stage 

If you put kids in the right mindset they lose scope of the work and think they’re having fun... because they are! Then their performances emerge as authentically as possible, which is the key ingredient. 

If the kid isn’t actually having fun the creative can massively backfire on the brand.  

You can make your job easier by casting kids carefree enough to be able to lose themselves in the task at hand, be it reacting to slapstick, delivering the line hook, or playing with props. Ideally, you don't want kids to play up their comedy by force. If kids actively try hard to be funny, it comes across as very fake, for both the child, the director and the audience watching. 

If the kid isn’t actually having fun, or doesn’t understand their own joke, the creative can massively backfire on the brand.  

They must be this tall to ride 

Kids of all ages appear in spots, of course, but kids who are slightly older than Sesame Street’s target audience keep their curiosity while bringing enough emotional intelligence to the table to understand that they’re on a film set, and they have a role to play, even as they’re having fun in the process. 

Children are temperamental and develop at different rates, some seven-year-olds are more mature than half my friends, while others have the emotional intelligence of a ham sandwich. Casting and callbacks are essential with children. If a child is too young, they may not understand completely what’s happening around them, which can lead to not understanding why something is funny at all. 

They should be old enough to be able to understand the atmosphere, but the director must develop a rapport with the child, regardless, to prevent a stiff performance. 

Above: Lin has worked with his share of children on a variety of spots.

Candid Camera

Directors already have to adapt to children’s moods on the day of a shoot (and I’ve had to sit patiently through my share of toddler meltdowns myself) but they also have to be ready and waiting for cute and candid performances no team can coach out of a child performer. 

Take advantage of what the child brings to the table and try to work with what you have.

Take advantage of a child’s natural reaction to specific instances (even if that wasn’t what the client requested at first) and, oftentimes, those will facilitate the best shots. If a child reacts a certain way that was unexpected, but it has its own charm, then you really want to play it up and build their confidence to pursue that path. Say you want a kid to play a reaction as very subdued, but it turns out their instinct is all smiles, even professional adult actors can find it challenging to make that gut shift. Take advantage of what the child brings to the table and try to work with what you have.