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How are sex scenes in movies and series made? In other words, those involved

The magic conveyed by screens can be so fascinating that there are those who believe that movie and TV sex scenes are real. “It’s all a simulation, it’s all fake,” responds intimacy coordinator Jessica Steinrock in an interview with CNN Brazil .

Maybe you don’t know what an intimacy coordinator does – and don’t worry, this profession is new even in Hollywood. “An intimacy coordinator is actually a lot like a stunt coordinator. We make something look like it’s happening even when it’s not,” says Steinrock.

According to the professional, she also works as an advocate for the actor, making sure that the cast has their boundaries respected and that there is consent behind and in front of the cameras.

She usually shares her day-to-day experiences and curiosities in the profession on TikTok:

@intimacycoordinator

Filming spicy tv is not all that spicy 😂 #intimacycoordinator #filmtok #euphoria #365 #actor #bridgerton #Netflix #bts #behindthescenes

♬ HEYYY WAIT A SECOND – THEREALFIERY

Before this professional existed in the film industry, there were controversial cases, such as in the film “Last Tango in Paris”, from 1973. There is a shocking scene in which the character Paul, played by Marlon Brando, rapes Jeanne, Maria Schneider’s character, using butter as a lubricant.

Schneider was only 19 at the time, while Brando was 48. She told the Daily Mail in 2007 that the scene was not in the original script and that the actor had the idea of ​​doing the simulation shortly before they started filming. .

“I was so mad,” he recalled. “Marlon told me ‘Maria, don’t worry, it’s just a movie’, but during the scene, even though what Marlon was doing wasn’t real, I cried real tears”.

The actress also said that she felt humiliated and “a little raped” by Marlon and director Bernardo Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn’t apologize. “Fortunately, it was only one take,” said the actress.

This is the kind of situation that, with an intimacy coordinator present, would not happen.

“We see a lot of power dynamics at play where it’s really hard to say no to something, change your mind or get that need met without having an advocate, someone to turn to, someone to ask vulnerable questions,” explains Jessica Steinrock.

It is for this reason that becoming this professional requires a specific set of skills and training. Jessica is even the CEO of an organization that trains new professionals.

“We ask that intimacy coordinators have a solid background in mental health, advocacy, consent and power,” he explains. “We want to make sure that the people that are on set can really protect, support and defend the actors, the crew members, anyone who needs it at that moment.”

The first contact with the professional

The first step in the intimacy coordinator’s job is to read the script and make sure you understand the story. For this, there is always a conversation with the director to understand his vision.

“I also contact the actors to make sure they know what’s going on in the scene and to make sure I have all the information I need to support them myself,” says Steinrock.

André Lamoglia, Iván Carvalho from the series “Elite”, confessed to CNN that he had never done an intimate scene before the Spanish production and came to feel a mixture of tension and curiosity. “But, after I got here, that we have the whole process, that we study, rehearse, things get calmer”, he said.

The first contact that Lamoglia had with Lucía Delgado, the production’s intimacy coordinator, was virtual. In a meeting, she explained what her job was.

“The following contacts are more project-oriented. Regarding the scene we have, how did they think of working on it and how can we expose ourselves to that situation ”, he explains.

Actress Débora Nascimento had already done intimate scenes before the series “Olhar Indiscreto”, also on Netflix, but this was her first experience with an intimacy coordinator. She emphasizes the importance of the professional for the woman artist to have the most active voice without the need to raise the tone to be heard.

“Because many times we speak, but it is not heard. So it’s one more person who is there exactly to listen to us”, she says.

According to the actress, the intimacy coordinator notices even the smallest details. “Sometimes it’s just an expression and she already feels it, you know? It’s a look, it’s a breath. She sees that she has a problem and then she says ‘wait a minute, that’s enough’”, she says.

“It’s almost like you have a best friend for you to share the nuances, the quirks and the smallest details of these most intimate scenes. Sometimes they are not even scenes that have an intimate touch with another actor, but they are delicate, they are scenes that make you feel more vulnerable”.

It’s not just for sex scenes

For this very reason, Débora suggests that the name of the position could be “vulnerability coordinator”, since the professional is there for any scene in which the actor and the team may feel this way.

“Sometimes a fight scene, a scene of violence makes you so vulnerable”, he says. “Wow, in this series [Olhar Indiscreto] there were scenes I came away from so ‘broken’”.

According to Nascimento, the intimacy coordinator had an “after” process, a post-scene care to help them get out of character. “With a guided breath you bring the artist back,” she explains.

Consent of the actors

Jessica Steinrock always has a conversation with the actors to understand what they are comfortable doing. “Because even though the script says they’re naked, the way we decided to tell the nudity story could be done in a lot of different ways,” she explains.

One option is to only show the actor from the shoulders up, wearing only a top on set. Even if he is not actually naked, it is possible to keep this insinuation in the story.

“But the script might say they’re naked and the director wants a big, wide shot of a fully naked human. Those are very different takes on the same phrase in the script,” he says.

You also need to make sure your scene partners are comfortable. André Lamoglia says that there are exercises for you to get to know and gain confidence with your scene partner, such as the “game of zones”.

“The body zone”, he explains. “For everything you ask permission. You’re like ‘Can I take your hand to show you where it’s okay to touch?’ And then we make the green zones, the red zones”.

Is doing sex scenes sexy?

“The actors are in uncomfortable positions, sometimes doing really vulnerable work for many hours. Sometimes shooting a scene can take all day and it’s fun, we love the storytelling, but it’s not as sexy as it looks in the final cut,” says Jessica Steinrock.

The intimacy coordinator also points out that on set there is no music playing in the background, so it’s quiet. “It’s a little weird, you know, you’re pretending to have sex with your colleague,” she says.

The future of the profession

Jessica Steinrock is very excited that in five, ten years, the work will really be about the art of intimate scenes.

“At the moment, we are focused on consent, education and advocacy, and on ensuring that people know what their rights are, what this minimum basis of bodily autonomy looks like,” he explains.

She says she can already see a big shift in culture on sets about how consent works and how boundaries are communicated, and that she would like to see that become central not just in intimate scenes, but in all of them.

“So that when I arrive, I can start working on the art, working on the collaboration, and not having to think so much about enforcing consent and boundaries, because that will already be part of Hollywood culture,” he says.

Check out the video of the interviews:

Source: CNN Brasil

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