Variety: SAG-AFTRA unveiled an accreditation program and a registry for intimacy coordinators on Thursday, as part of the union’s broader efforts to combat sexual harassment on set.
The union has been involved in standardizing the intimacy coordinator profession since 2019. In January 2020, the union issued guidelines for intimacy coordinators, including standards for how to communicate with actors before filming explicit scenes, details of nudity riders, and closed-set protocols.
4 comments:
I’m really glad to see this growth in our industry. Even though I’ve never been involved in an intimate scene, we all know that having intimate scenes onstage or on camera is extremely uncomfortable if you don’t know what you’re doing or are uncomfortable with your partner. Having someone specially trained to help assist in these situations will allow actors to feel much more comfortable with what they are going to do. We should try to keep on promoting this idea of feeling comfortable and safe during intimacy through or work and through how we treat our partners in scenes. I would also love to know what their training entails. I would hope it also includes a section on how to approach when people feel uncomfortable with a specific scene and creating alternate blocking for these situations. Hopefully this is the start of a new vital part of a production process and this job will make intimacy on the screen and on the stage much more comfortable and enjoyable for the actors.
I am so glad to see this profession becoming more important and, more importantly, regulated to sue a high standard. Intimacy on screen is such a delicate thing to coordinate. It absolutely must be done in such a way that the actors are completely comfortable with the entire situation and no one feels like they are being taken advantage of. I would love to see this same kind of care and importance put on Intimacy Coordination in the theatre because that is just as important on the stage as it is behind a camera or on a screen. In some situations it could be even more important simply because it is live infant of an audience without any way to retake or redo. I really appreciate SAG-AFTRA's progress with this program and all of the care they are putting into it. I would love to see Actors Equity so something similar.
I am really excited to see this profession grow. However, I am also surprised that it has taken this long to set standards at official training guidelines for intimacy coordinators. Intimacy has been on screen for a very long time, and I have heard of many uncomfortable and unsafe experiences actors have faced while performing intimate scenes. I am glad that the role of intimacy coordinator is becoming a professional recognition, and less of a taboo. I have never even heard of an intimacy coordinator until Bridgerton came out, which is crazy to me. Getting such a big union such as SAG-AFTRA to standardize this profession is a huge step forward for safe intimacy, and I hope this carries over to theater as well. I have only really experienced directors taking on a similar position, and although I think it is very important for directors to be trained in intimacy coordination, it will be a lot safer for a professional to come in with their experience.
What a great stride in the world of intimacy coordination. I come from a theatre where we always brought in a stunt/violence coordinator, but never an individual for intimacy. No one, including myself, really thought much of it. But looking back I find it really hard to justify how onstage fighting is any different than onstage intimacy. Both require intense practice, coordination, and trust. Both require active communication and training. And both have the ability to make audiences and actors uncomfortable. I'm just now realizing how insane it is that intimacy coordinators are just now emerging. That being said, I am very glad that the field is following in the footsteps of stage combat professionals and starting to offer certifications.
I am also thrilled that sexual harassments on set are now being taken more seriously. Safe Place sounds like a really important step taken by SAG AFTRA that I hope will pan out.
Hopefully this changes in culture and practice can expand into the world of theatre sooner rather than later.
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