Intimacy coordination (audiovisual) and direction (live performance) is a relatively new yet rapidly evolving field. While intimate scenes have long been featured in films and live shows, it wasn’t until 2016 that the first “intimacy coordinator” was officially hired to choreograph sexual contents in the HBO’s series The Deuce. The practice has since then evolved, going beyond choreographing sex scenes to include staging other types of intimate scenes, preparing performers, and collaborating with departments, such as costumes and makeup.
At their 2022 Executive Committee meeting, FIA members engaged in an insightful discussion on intimacy coordination and direction. The high level of interest expressed by members worldwide prompted the FIA Sexual Harassment and Gender Equality Working Group to explore this emerging practice at an international level, with the ultimate goal of publishing a best practice document for members.
To achieve this, the Group conducted a preliminary survey among FIA affiliates in 2023. This initial survey assessed the prevalence of intimacy professionals (IPs) globally, identified examples of best practices, and determined whether IPs were part of FIA’s existing membership. The findings, published on the FIA website, provided valuable insights but highlighted the need for deeper understanding of the day-to-day work of IPs.
As a follow-up, the Working Group launched a second survey in March 2024, targeting IPs directly. A detailed questionnaire was sent to 32 IPs, all endorsed by FIA members, with responses received from 20 of them representing 15 countries by mid-2024. The respondents, all quite experienced and working in both audiovisual and live performance, offered valuable perspectives on their work.
Key Findings
- Most respondents described intimate scenes as those involving nudity, simulated sex, sexual violence and close physical contact. Many also mentioned “hyper-exposed” scenes, i.e. scenes that have the impact of being emotionally triggering for the performer.
- IPs see themselves as: bridges between the production and the performers; guardians of consent, ensuring performers’ boundaries are respected; and choreographers of intimate scenes.
- All the IPs surveyed reported being involved in pre-production, rehearsals, and production phases, while only a few of them mentioned being involved in casting and post-production.
- In pre-production, IP work usually includes: meeting with the producer to understand the production’s needs, breaking down the script to identify intimate scenes, meeting with the director to discuss their creative vision; meeting with the performers to collect consent and set boundaries and coordinating with other departments, such as costumes and makeup.
- During rehearsals, IPs’ responsibilities typically include: ensuring closed rehearsal with only the IP, performers, and director present; agreeing on physical touch with performers; and collaboratively developing and blocking the choreography with the performers and director.
- In the production phase, the IP will generally: confirm with the director that intimate scenes remain unchanged, re-establish consent with performers, oversee closed set protocol, monitor scenes, and support the performers with any issues arising.
- All respondents noted growing acceptance of their work, signaling an increased recognition of its importance.
- IPs emphasized the need for role-specific, in-person training, with 76% recommending at least 75 hours of training.
- Few respondents reported being union members as IPs. However, 90% believed unions have a critical role to play in supporting the practice, advocating for its adoption as a standard in the industry.
The results of this survey were presented at the FIA 2024 Executive Committee meeting in Auckland, New Zealand. These findings are now available for download at the bottom of this page.
Building on insights from both surveys, the FIA secretariat will draft a best practice document on intimacy coordination and direction. This document will: provide FIA members with a comprehensive overview of intimacy coordination and direction, offer recommendations for the training of IPs, and share examples of what performers’ unions can do to advocate for the adoption of intimacy coordination as standard practice worldwide.
