Welcome!
I’m Meg Rickards,
a filmmaker and screenwriter, and co-author of A Filmmaker’s Guide to Working with Children, to be published by Focal Press in April 2026.
The book was born out of my 2023 feature film Snake. Our nine-year-old lead, Lamiyah Barnard, had no prior acting experience yet needed to carry almost every frame of the film. Working with acting coach Tamryn Speirs, we searched for a guide to help us support her – but found none.
So, we devised our own approach. We drew on experience, adapted existing drama techniques, and built methods that kept the process creative, safe, and empowering. The result? Lamiyah’s performance won awards – and she emerged happy, confident, and proud.
This experience inspired our book: a practical guide for filmmakers working with young performers.
It offers age-specific techniques, casting advice, trauma-prevention strategies, a collection of drama games, and insights from top professionals, including directors, producers, acting coaches, and even some child actors themselves.
Our goal is simple: to help filmmakers create environments where children can perform brilliantly, safely, and joyfully.
What people are saying
“A Filmmaker’s Guide to Working with Children is an indispensable exploration of one of the most mystifying parts of filmmaking – and how to get it right.”
– Jim Mickle
Director/Showrunner, Sweet Tooth
“If you’ve ever felt torn between ‘we need the shot’ and ‘is this right for young performers?’, this book resolves it with usable steps. Clear, humane, actionable. A rare book that changes behaviour on set. Buy it, mark it up, and make it policy.”
– Likarion Wainaina
Director, Supa Modo
“A thorough, honest, gentle and practical must-read for anyone who is thinking about having a child actor on set. Not only essential for directors but also useful for all members of the crew. This book might be the spark of a revolution in how we direct kids on screen.”
– Matthew Kalil
Author, The Three Wells of Screenwriting
