How do they get young children and infants to cry on cue in TV shows and movies?

Question

An older child could be taught to cry when they need to. But what about a very young one. How do they get them to cry when they need them to? I have seen tv shows and movies when the camera is looking at the child who is not crying, and then suddenly they start to cry. I remember hearing when I was a kid that someone would poke them with a pin or something to make them cry. I would think and hope this would not be allowed.

I know what editing is, I was just wondering how the got them to cry to in the first place.

Answer 1

Infants cry whenever they feel the need to. Small kids when needed to cry usually have to watch a parent or parents leave the room while filming just to get them to cry during a scene. I seen on television once how a child actor would be happy one minute in front of the camera then turn around and cry all of a sudden, they use the real parent as a focus point. Once that parent or parents are gone for a quick second the child start crying automatically.

(That is the only thing I can think of)

Answer 2

In this day and age I seriously doubt they would poke them with anything or pinch them either for that matter. All infants cry at some time and I am inclined to agree with Edward I, they wait for the kid to cry, jump in the film the scene and fit it in where it belongs.

Answer 3

Poking them with a stick, the technique is called, poking a child with a stick until it crys, and was invented by Dr Sarah De Shmushmu in 1927.

Answer 4

Those are taped as it happens, then spliced in.

Many movie scenes are taped completely out of sequential order. They are just spliced together in order.

It's called editing.

Answer 5

Pinch their cheeks very hard and there you go!!

Answer 6

sound effects

Answer 7

they show them pics of dead puppies.... i think