Parent of 5 year old child actor: "My son is sleepy. He needs to sleep now. "
Director: "We just need two minutes to wrap him up. It's his back shot from this axis. His face is not visible. He can sleep standing. Someone will hold him up from down. The second unit will be shooting here in 10 mins"
Parent: "I got to put my foot down sir. Sorry" (dashes off with the son to the make-up room)
Director : "Did we sign a sleeping beauty for this part!! It’s no longer the 1930s.. can’t even give him amphetamines!! OK.. Tell the writers to put a scene where the kid is drinking a small cup of black coffee tomorrow. Make sure to tell the parent we need real reactions from the kid so it will be real coffee when we film from the front and from a top angle back shot of the kid, it will be a cola drink. Cola and coffee…That'll keep the kid awake for 4 days atleast !!! Also, tell all the cast to swoon over the kid and be pally with the kid and make him sip at least 3 sips of coffee or tea,colas from their cups every day and feed him dark chocolate, that’ll act as an amphetamine and keep him awake. Make sure the parent is not around during these times. Make the kid feel ‘extra special’ till the shoot is over.’’
Associate Director: (open-mouthed) "The Parent is not a fool. He has a bound script and knows about filmmaking. He’s constantly around the kid h------"
Director: "-------I need the kid to be AWAKE! Make up something. You want to write my next or not!! Tell the second unit director to take that shot of him drinking the coffee. Pretend to...no… it’s all digital now so there’s no wastage of film you can film the scene so the father knows it's for real. We can always tell him that it was chopped at the edit!"