Intimacy Coordinator: Creating a Culture of Consent in Filmmaking

Published in

Elucidation Today

6 min readSep 29, 2021

Intimate scenes are powerful narrative tools that can be the most touching, exciting, or troubling scenes of a film. However, filming scenes involving nudity, simulated sexual intimacy, sexual violence, and so on can be an uncomfortable and terrifying job requirement for actors.

A naked chest of a person with butterfly pasties, and their hands with painted nails touching their body. — Photo by Bianca Petrisor on Unsplash

For decades, protocols for how to responsibly choreograph and handle intimate scenes have been ignored. Actors have been horrifically mistreated in the name of craft. Stories of embarrassment, confusion, exploitation particularly after the #MeToo movement gained prominence in Hollywood and spread across the globe, exposing pervasive sexual harassment and workplace discrimination in the entertainment field, including theatre, and the issues of consent and empowerment in the workplace.

Several studios, producers, and directors have started using intimacy coordinators on set even though intimacy coordination is largely a foreign concept in India. While industry standards are such that an ideal performer is required to be malleable and easy to work if they wish to advance in their career. Consent can even be coerced because of the inherent power dynamics between actors and the director/producers, etc.

An intimacy coordinator is a trained professional who acts as an advocate for the actor, a consent enforcer, takes care of all angles of shooting an intimate scene — from choreography to contracts, and is the primary line of communication between the director and the actor when it comes to all things physically intimate. Main subjects for an intimacy coordinator are psychology, law, negotiation skills, physical intimacy choreography and filmmaking.

A photo of a mother after giving birth lying in the hospital bed looking at the new-born baby who’s crying . Beside the mother is the nurse/doctor holding the baby. — Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Toolbox: Their toolbox usually has barriers that create some form of cushioning between genitalia e.g., crotch guards, nipple pasties, adhesive body tapes, donut pillow, etc. While some ICs do help with physical items, in many cases these things are provided by the costume department or prop department.

Gender Neutral Role: All genders that are performing intimacy require equal amount of support. So, they’re trained to be gender-neutral.

Intimacy as an umbrella term: Intimacy also includes scenes of childbirth, intimacy with minors, scenes that involve excessive physical touching. Even working in clothes that actors aren’t comfortable with, comes under the purview of intimacy.

SKILL SET REQUIRED

Understanding of anatomy and attention to detail to bring dexterity and physicality, then create a language through that physicality.
Interpreting the characters, and talking about how people in different cultures show intimacy and love and care, and how they talk about bodies, about cultural stereotypes around sex and gender.
Ability to discuss intimacy, sexuality, and sexual experiences openly and without discomfort. Facilitate the uncomfortable conversations around all the potential things that could get miscommunicated or misconstrued, or just not talked about.
Building rapport with the performer as their one point of contact when they need to discuss anything relating to consent or boundaries.
Striking a balance between the director and the performer: Choreographing a scene which tells the director’s story but doesn’t flout the actors’ boundaries.
Detecting when someone feels uncomfortable, or when the director feels that their vision isn’t being put in place. Knowing when to step back and hold the space becomes crucial.
Bystander intervention, trauma relief, and creating a diversion.
Working with minors: For minors, they go with ‘dual consent’ — both the child and parent have to agree to the scene. And the child is assured that they can change their mind and say no at any stage.
Mental health, first aid-certified, well-versed in sensitivity training and conflict resolution: They undertake observational work and apprenticeships to make sure they will be ready for any situation that may arise on set.
Knowledge about international intimacy protocols, nudity clauses in contracts, and power dynamics: Along with establishing the definition of assault, consent is defined in unquestionable terms. The difference between consent and permission is made clear(a director can give permission to touch another actor, but only a fellow actor can give consent).

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Their primary role is to sensitize the film industry about what constitutes ethics and safety in intimacy and to help directors, showrunners and performers navigate such scenes.

In this photo we have an intimacy coordinator, an actor and a cinematographer with their camera ready, discussing a scene before shooting the film. — Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Pre-production

A mediator among actors, directors, producers, and the crew: Sit with the director to understand their vision, theme, and mood. Review scripts, facilitate group discussions about the intimate scenes they’re going to film and meet with actors individually.
The purpose of the scene and its significance for the characters and the story, as well as the feelings one intends to invoke in the audience is to be discussed with the director.
Ensure absolute clarity about what is exactly happening in any given intimate scene. Ask questions to all involved parties before they step onto set. Bringing everyone on the same page, look at contracts and ensure that all the performers are comfortable with each other.
Boundary-setting conversations: Create a safe space for actors, checking in to clarify what their boundaries are, and whether they have any traumas — to make sure consent is informed and certain before moving forward, and prevent non-consensual encounters and abuses of power, especially for young women in the industry.
Read the script and plan with filmmakers, the types of touching and exposure that will be permitted, and concerns of the actors involved.
Liaison with costume designers (to make sure that robes and intimate barriers are ready), cinematographers, and lighting designers (reposition in case the actor did not agree to show certain body parts).
Help actors have a say and create a welcoming environment during rehearsal which will eventually translate into good acting in front of the camera.
Make sure that they’re on the right side of the law and safeguard the production, in case of any untoward legal suits that can happen later.

During the Shoot

Pay attention to the way people talk about sexual acts on-set and the use of proper nomenclature for body parts instead of derogatory words.
Ensure that unsettling situations and unwelcome surprises never happen.
Monitor to make sure barriers are staying in place, they adjust choreography if something is not working or is flouting boundaries.
If the actors are still uncomfortable, they have the right to reverse consent. Keeping a Plan B ready can help (use a body double, or change the choreography in a way where it works for their consent).

After the Shoot

Closure, to assist actors in walking away from a character after a performance. Not having this process of differentiation can be damaging and dangerous.
Make sure new changes are not made post-production.

Intimacy is a taboo on and off-screen, and therefore it’s essential that we engage constantly in conversations about it, and advocate for having an intimacy coordinator as a standard on set.

We should support projects that are inclusive and non-exploitative, and be in the pursuit of art that isn’t at the expense of an actor’s well-being. This leads us into a freer and safer way to create deep, authentic, risky stories. When actors are comfortable and consenting at every step of the way, they can bring their whole selves to the work and respect each other, and perform better.

I would like to thank Allison Bibicoff (Intimacy Coordinator, Director & Choreographer) for her inputs, comments and efforts towards improving the article.

References

Intimacy Coordinator: Creating a Culture of Consent in Filmmaking

SKILL SET REQUIRED

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Written by Aswathy B Surendran