Working with children on a Miami video shoot: guardians, work hours, scheduling and set rules for minors

Updated: October 19, 2026

Why a shoot with kids is planned differently

Children show up in a lot of Miami video work: family resort spots, pediatric clinic videos, back-to-school campaigns, food brands, theme park promos, real estate lifestyle reels and the occasional music video. They bring warmth and honesty that adult talent rarely matches. They also bring rules, short attention spans, parents, nap schedules and legal paperwork that a typical adult shoot never has to think about.

Most problems on a shoot with minors come from planning the day as if the children were small adults. They are not. A five-year-old has maybe two good hours in them. A twelve-year-old may be fine for longer but has school, homework and a guardian who has to be present the whole time. The schedule, the script, the crew and even the location choice all have to bend around that.

This guide walks through the pre-production side of working with children on a Miami shoot: casting and guardians, legal checks, hours and scheduling, the set itself, and how to write a script that kids can actually perform.

Casting children: agencies, real families and guardians

There are two main ways to get kids on camera. You can book child actors through a talent agency, or you can feature real children (the client's employees' kids, real patients, real families staying at a hotel). Each has trade-offs.

• Agency talent is used to taking direction, hitting marks and waiting between takes. Parents know the process and paperwork is usually handled quickly. It costs more and the result can look a bit polished.
• Real families look natural and often cost less, but nobody on their side knows how long a setup takes, and kids can lose interest after the first hour.

Either way, cast more children than you need. Bring a backup for any key role, especially with toddlers, who can go from happy to finished in five minutes. For babies, productions often cast twins or two similar-looking infants so one can rest while the other works. If you are new to the booking side, our guide to casting talent for Miami video shoots covers auditions, holds and confirmations.

Every minor needs a parent or legal guardian on set the entire time. Plan for that person as part of the cast: they need parking, a place to sit within sight of the child, meals and a clear point of contact on the crew.

The legal side: rules, hours and releases

Florida has child labor laws that cover minors working in entertainment, and some situations require a waiver or specific approval before a child can work. The details depend on the child's age, the hours, the type of work and whether it is a school day. These rules change from time to time, so the safe approach is to check the current requirements with the state and with your production attorney while you are still in pre-production, before you promise a client a specific schedule.

If the shoot is under a union agreement such as SAG-AFTRA, that agreement has its own provisions for minors (work hours, rest periods, schooling and guardian rules), and those apply on top of state law.

Paperwork to collect early:

• A talent release signed by the parent or legal guardian, since a minor cannot sign for themselves. Confirm who has legal authority if parents are separated.
• Proof of age and identity for the child, and contact details for the guardian on set.
• Any required work permit, waiver or approval for the child's age and hours.
• Medical notes: allergies, medication, conditions the set medic or first aid person needs to know.
• For real children of employees or customers, a clear explanation of where the video will appear and for how long.

Our article on talent and location release forms explains the general structure of releases; for minors, have your attorney review the specific wording.

Scheduling around children, not around the crew

With adult talent, the schedule usually follows the light, the locations and the crew. With children it follows the children. A few rules we use:

• Shoot the kids first. Put all scenes with children early in the day, when they are rested and fed. Shoot adult close-ups, product shots and b-roll afterward.
• Short blocks, real breaks. Plan work in short blocks with breaks that are actual breaks, with snacks, a quiet space and something to do.
• Respect naps and meals. Ask parents about the child's routine. A toddler who misses a nap at 1 p.m. will not be in a good mood at 2 p.m.
• Avoid school days when you can. Weekends and school holidays make life easier for everyone. If you must shoot on a school day, factor in schooling time and the hour limits that come with it.
• Keep one camera ready. The best moments with kids are often unplanned. A second camera or a camera operator who keeps rolling between setups catches them.

Miami heat matters too. Outdoor scenes with kids in summer should be scheduled for the morning, with shade, water and cooling breaks built in. Our guide to planning a Miami shoot around the weather covers the seasonal patterns.

Setting up a kid-friendly set

A film set is full of things children should not touch: light stands, hot fixtures, cables, sandbags, C-stands at head height. Before the children arrive, the crew should walk the set with a child's eye.

• Tape down or cover every cable in the area where kids will move.
• Keep hot lights and stands outside the play area, or use LED fixtures that stay cooler.
• Set up a holding area away from the action with toys, books, snacks and a bathroom nearby.
• Keep pools, balconies and stairs off limits unless they are part of the scene and supervised.
• Limit the number of adults talking to the child. One person, usually the director or a dedicated child wrangler, gives instructions.

Background noise on set can confuse young kids, and a big crew watching them can make them shy. Keep the set as calm and small as practical while the children are working.

Writing scripts and shot lists kids can do

A script that asks a six-year-old to deliver three lines of copy in one take is a script that will cost you an extra hour. When children are in the brief, adjust the creative before the shoot:

• Replace scripted lines with simple actions or prompts. "Show us your favorite toy" gets better results than a memorized sentence.
• Plan for reactions you can capture naturally: laughing, playing, eating, running, hugging a parent.
• Give the edit room options. Write the shot list so a scene can work with or without dialogue.
• Keep wardrobe simple and bring duplicates. Spilled juice and grass stains happen in the first ten minutes.

The shot list should mark which shots need the children, which can use a stand-in and which can be done without them, so the first assistant director can adjust the day if a child runs out of energy.

Who to add to the crew

Depending on the size of the shoot and the ages involved, consider adding:

Planning a shoot with children in Miami

We produce videos with children for family brands, hotels, healthcare providers, schools and consumer products across South Florida. On these shoots, our pre-production covers casting and backups, checking the current legal requirements with the right people, releases signed by the right guardian, a schedule built around the kids, a safe set and a script they can perform. That way the children enjoy the day and you get footage that feels real.

If your next video includes kids, tell us their ages, how many and what you want them to do on camera. We will help you plan a realistic day and flag any constraints early. Read more about our team, browse our other pre-production guides or contact us to start planning.