What are intimacy coordinators? SAG-AFTRA has new protocols for sex scenes in Hollywood
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, more Hollywood productions have been calling in "intimacy coordinators" who watch over sex scenes as they're filmed.
But what are the guidelines? And what do intimacy coordinators actually do?
On Wednesday, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 actors and entertainment professionals (such as announcers, puppeteers and stunt performers), released new recommended standards and protocols for the use of intimacy coordinators, defined by the guild as "an advocate, a liaison between actors and production and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes."
The goal, says SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White, is to help standardize how intimacy coordinators are used.
The guidelines directly address sexual harassment on sets, says White, who notes that given intimacy coordinators are relatively new in the industry and "productions have been seeking them out, frankly, and calling us" for protocol.
The guild says intimacy coordinators should be hired for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex or upon request for other intimate scenes. They also suggest the coordinators undergo a state and federal background check.
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Among recommendations from SAG-AFTRA, intimacy coordinators would:
Meet with the executive producer/writer and director to determine degree of nudity and specifics of simulated sex.
Meet one-on-one with performers before rehearsal and filming of an intimate scene.
Ensure continued consent throughout rehearsals and filming.
Review nudity riders, scene content, modesty garments and barriers with performers, directors and assistant directors.
Verify that a final cut is consistent with contractual obligations
“These protocols and guidelines will help to normalize and encourage the use of intimacy coordinators in productions, therefore ensuring the safety and security of SAG-AFTRA members while they work," SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement.
White points to how effective new industry standards can be. Since advising members in 2018 against meetings in private hotel rooms or private residences, SAG-AFTRA has not received a single complaint, White says.
The SAG-AFTRA advisory follows standards for intimacy coordinators recently included in the Time's Up Guide to Working in Entertainment.
That guide suggested actors request an intimacy coordinator for all nude and simulated sex scenes, and specified actors can also expect all performers to wear "mutually approved cover-ups" during filming, such as flesh-colored underwear, modesty patches or pouches, and intimacy barriers or padding so no genital contact ever occurs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Intimacy coordinators used in sex scenes get big boost from SAG-AFTRA