Every audiovisual project involves a scene-by-scene elaboration, relying on a multitude of professionals to carry them out. If we stop for a second and analyse, we will realise that there is a lot of variety, be it action, drama, horror… But what about intimate scenes? Who is in charge of coordinating these shoots?
In the past, it was the directors, producers or other professionals in the sector who were in charge of creating and elaborating them. However, just as there are experts for action scenes, with the aim of protecting the actors, the figure of the intimacy coordinator has recently emerged.
And you may ask, what is privacy coordination?
It consists of organising and working on the intimate scenes of an audiovisual piece, through pre-production, shooting and post-production.
To do this, qualified professionals provide protection, assistance, collaboration and vision during these sequences. In addition, they work in various departments, either with the performers themselves, directors, producers and stylists, in order to carry it out.
Another question that arises is, what is considered an intimate scene? In order to define them and differentiate them from others, professionals take several aspects into account:
- Any performer who has a scene of physical interaction with others is considered to be part of an intimate scene. For example: kissing scenes, simulated sex,…. But also others that are not of a sexual nature, such as going to the gynaecologist or bathing a child in the bathtub with a family member…
- Sequences that require the nudity or semi-nudity of the characters.
- Intimate self-interaction, i.e. masturbation, feeding a baby through the mother’s breast…
- Sequences involving sexual violence.
- Scenes that require special exposure of the characters, e.g. childbirth or communication using vocabulary with sexual content…
Keeping these ideas in mind helps us to observe and elaborate the filming in a different way, even more so knowing that these are really delicate scenes. However, we are no longer so shocked to see a nude scene on screen; this is a consequence of cultural changes and an increase in sexual diversity in our society, among other factors.
What if someone wanted to become an intimacy coordinator?
In that case, you should know that this profession requires a lot of experience and knowledge to be able to work on shoots, together with direction and other departments. You should have certified training in the following areas:
- Must have a mental health first aid qualification.
- Knowledge of harassment (bullying, sexual actions…).
- Previous experience with assistance to minors.
- Coordination of equality, diversity and problem solving.
- Ability to identify any health problems focused on this type of scenes (e.g. trauma related) and to elaborate reports.
Hiring this type of professional is highly recommended, as when it comes to filming any type of intimate scene, the coordinators know how to carry them out with the necessary safety measures.
On the other hand, having this profession will help the sector to grow, being able to carry out different jobs. The purpose of this new role is not only to coordinate intimate sketches, but also to increase knowledge and ensure that these types of sequences are filmed properly.
Article by Claudia Cabezas.
