USA (Georgia): Labor Dept. aims to protect child actors without scaring off production companies – Morris News Service
Wayne C. Jones, ATLANTA — Before a child actor walks on the set of a movie or play in Georgia, a government agency has already reviewed the script, weighed the safety of the stunts and evaluated the props.
The state’s efforts to attract Hollywood is well known. Staff at the Georgia Department of Economic Development assigned to work full time on drawing production companies to scenic locations around the state and to listing the names of suppliers and Georgia-based crew.
Another state agency is also involved in the entertainment business, but from another angle. The Department of Labor enforces the state’s child-labor laws, some of which are more stringent than those in other states.
“These businesses are helping to draw dollars and jobs into Georgia,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “But we must remember that they are still places of work and must follow the regulations that all industries must follow.”
For children under age 16, the law requires hour-long breaks for meals, rest and recreation. The movie must supply tutors for three hours of instruction when filming takes more than two regular school days, and the department must approve the lesson plans.
If a scene includes a gun fight, the department demands a photo of the weapons and an affidavit that they’re only props. No minors can be on the set during nude scenes.
For the most part, the department takes a reasonable approach, according to entertainment lawyer Steven Weizenecker who has represented several child actors. The script reviews are prompt, and objections can usually be resolved without disrupting the goals of the screen writers and director, he said.
Not always. There was a case where the department objected to a scene that briefly included a naked baby where Weizenecker thought it was being a stickler.
“No one’s going to consider that lurid or enticing,” he said.
Overall, though, he gives Butler’s department good reviews.
“It’s unusual for a state to get that involved in production, but in general they do a good job. They are very responsive,” the lawyer said.
His only suggestion is that the department do a better job of alerting production companies to the unique Georgia requirements. Professionally run companies are eager to comply, he said, but sometimes they don’t know what’s expected.
