For them, the Godrèche explosion must be a turning point: the coaches who accompany child actors on set hope that the actress’s warning cry will “move the lines” and highlight the difficulties of their profession. On paper, the task of these professionals consists first of all in helping young actors to assimilate their role and the directors’ directives.
A specification a priori distant from Judith Godrèche’s call to counter the influence of directors, she who claims to have been sexually assaulted by filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon when she was a minor. But in fact, “we also play a role in protecting children” in the face of a filming world that “intimidates”, explains Delphine Labey, who worked on the series Un village français, to AFP. “We are here to make the children safe,” adds her colleague Amour Rawyler, particularly by helping them to distance themselves from their character.
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On the set of Until the Guard (2017), a shocking film on domestic violence awarded the César, this pioneer of children’s coaches assisted the young actor Thomas Gioria, confronted with the ultraviolent father played by Denis Ménochet. “We have never laughed as much as on this shoot,” she says. However, the presence of these coaches is not obligatory.
Employment on a film set for children under 16 years of age must certainly comply with a series of constraints (limitation of working time, medical examination, arrangement of school time, etc.) and be approved by a commission supervised by the prefectural authority, who examines the scenario. But once this green light is obtained, the production is not legally required to hire a referent alongside minor actors.
At the end of February, facing senators, Judith Godrèche called for shaking up the system by “imposing” the presence of a “trained” representative independent of production so that “a child is never left alone on set”. The overall situation of minors in the cinema industry must soon be the subject of a commission of inquiry in the Assembly. “It seems absurd that there is a child on set and no one to supervise him,” notes coach Claire Chauchat. “It’s not something you would do in life and even less so in a job.” In Hollywood, Californian law requires studios to be present on set with a parent and/or a “studio teacher” trained to ensure the well-being of the minor.
However, it would be hasty to conclude that French cinema is “a jungle that devours children”, believes Marine Longuet of the 50/50 collective, in favor of the presence of a minor referent. In France, parents can be present on sets and production companies are less hesitant to use coaches or facilitators responsible for the comfort of children. “The lines are moving compared to the era described by Judith Godrèche thirty years ago,” believes Delphine Labey. But the vagueness remains. Not regulated, the profession of children’s coach does not appear in the collective agreement for the cinema profession. “The real problem is the solitude in which we exercise our profession,” describes coach Violette Gitton, deploring the lack of specific training. “The missions entrusted to us are highly delicate (…) yet we often only have our subjectivity to position ourselves.”
Without even talking about sexual or physical violence, filming can be a powerful echo chamber of tensions. “Not being protected by any institution, the coach can have difficulty finding legitimacy and imposing firmness during conflicts,” believes Ms. Gitton. At each moment of filming, however, the child must be able to make his or her voice heard, believe the coaches interviewed by AFP. “We have to put things right so that the minor remains aware of what is happening,” says Ms. Labey. And can say no if he thinks it goes too far.”