Learning Baby Lessons....
My 7 month old daughter Ivy had her second audition last week. It was for a national diaper campaign which includes commercial and/or print work. We signed in, they told me to strip her down to just her diaper and top and that they would take her in - alone, play with her, take some pictures, and she'll be right out. And before I knew it, some stranger walked off into another room with my child and shut the door. I was immediately uneasy. That just didn't seem right to me. I had no idea who was in that room, what was happening, and as a mother, I was more frightened for the well being and safety of my child. She was indeed, right out and we left. Because I left so uncomfortable about it, I called SAG to find out if that was normal protocol. They told me that, as per the SAG commercial contract, page 92 states "(a) parent must be present at all times and shall have the right, subject to production requirements to be within sight and sound of minor".
So....when Ivy got a callback for this commercial, I was armed with the information and was ready to go in with her on this callback. We arrived, signed in, stripped her down like last time, but this time she was supposed to go in with another baby, sans parents. As they were about to take her in, I told the woman that I needed to be with my daughter, in the same room. I didn't need to be where she could see me, but where I could see her. She quickly handed me my child back and said that she couldn't go in with me and she would call the baby wrangler that worked for the client to speak to me. And off went that other baby, without her parents. Afterwards, they called her parents in, along with me and Ivy to ask simple questions about how the babies slept, and if they were light sleepers, etc. Then, that was it. As we were all walking out, the baby wrangler came outside to speak to me. She asked me what the issue was and I voiced my concerns. She informed me that they do it this way because they want to see how the baby will be on set, without the mother nearby. But my argument was, as her mom, I should always be nearby. Again, she didn't need to see me, but I needed to know she was ok and being treated properly.
After a long conversation with this woman, she explained to me that if she booked the print work, that is not under SAG anyway, thus the SAG contract wouldn't matter. The bottom line was, I needed to trust them. And if I felt uncomfortable at all, then maybe this wasn't the right thing for us. She reassured me that my child will always be either with me or with her, the baby wrangler.
After some thought, I went ahead and let her take Ivy back into the room without me. I figured I already was in that room, I saw who was in there, I saw the set up and saw what the babies will be doing. And since I spoke to this woman, I felt more comfortable handing Ivy over for a few seconds.
Call me over-protective, but I had to go with my gut. And the first audition made me uneasy. Mainly because I wasn't familiar with that situation. It all comes down to trust. And it's hard to trust strangers with your child. Even when I leave them at a child care facility, it's hard!
I might have caused Ivy this huge national campaign, but I had to do what was right for us. I'm not sorry I made a big deal out of it. This is my baby we are talking about! And I will protect her until the day I die. :)
Now, I hope she books it. ;)
Comments