A lot goes into making a film beyond what we see on screen. While actors and directors make the most of the spotlight, many other actors and technicians, depending on the size of the production, work tirelessly on and off the set to complete a project. New departments are being created in addition to traditional costumes, music, cinematography, etc., as filmmaking develops around the world.
This News18 series is meant to celebrate off-screen stars, the people working behind the camera during production, as well as the various pre- and post-production jobs that are essential for a project to come to life .
Hollywood star Sharon Stone recently announced that she was misled about nudity in the 1992 film Basic Instinct. After the release of Saal Dayawan, Madhuri Dixit said that she regretted doing the kissing scene with Vinod Khanna. Nargis Fakhri had said that she was not comfortable with “kissing too much” in a song by Azhar. If there’s one part of the job that many actors feel uncomfortable with, it’s the intimate scenes. While the actor can have candid conversations with the director, film and TV sets in the West are now using intimacy coordinators to help them feel comfortable during sex scenes and to ensure that no one rushes into something that doesn’t For they do not agree. .
If you don’t know what an intimacy coordinator does, don’t worry, assistant director Aastha Khanna didn’t know that such a job existed. When he began researching how intimate scenes were filmed and used as narrative tools, he discovered that there was something called an intimacy coordinator on a film set. When she realized that the Indian market did not have a trained specialist in this field, she took a course under IPA (Intimacy Professionals Association), thus becoming her first certified Intimacy Coordinator in India. She has been an assistant director on over half a dozen feature films in India, and now she not only works as an intimacy coordinator, but is training more professionals in the field.
Got a job only after the #MeToo movement
“I was doing some research into how intimacy can be a narrative tool, and how West shoots scenes like this. Many of the articles were talking about sex education and the use of intimacy in shows like Normal People. There were shows on screen with a very organic version of intimacy. And I was trying to figure out how West had managed to transcend it. That’s when I found out there was something called an intimacy coordinator. I Thought, I went to film school, how did I not know that? And I realized that the job role came only after the #MeToo movement.”
What does an Intimacy Coordinator do?
“There was really no one in India who was playing the full job role of an intimacy coordinator. Being a coordinator as well as the production end, legal, compliance, as a mental first aid, understanding an intimacy coordinator I am also certified in intervention and trauma relief. There is a lot of training available to be an intimacy coordinator. When covid struck and I was at home, waiting to start shooting for my film, I decided to take a training course. Opportunity taken. As an intimacy coordinator your main subjects are psychology, law and filmmaking. They come together for three types of work.”
need for an intimacy coordinator
He said, “We have heard a lot of #MeToo stories where actors have come forward and said that something happened to me 20 years ago on the sets of the film and I didn’t get a chance to say anything about it. If on the sets If there was an intimacy coordinator, this would not have happened. This job role was essential from the day intimate scenes became a part of films. The main job role of the coordinator is to support the production, make the shooting efficient, ensure That they are on the right side of the law and protect the production in case of any untoward legal litigation that follows.
This is true for artists as well. When anything related to consent or boundaries needs to be discussed, an intimacy coordinator needs to have a rapport and a trust with the artist as their point of contact. For productions to embrace this job role, it will take a while for them to realize that it is a good fit for them. But I have got very encouraging response.”
not gender based
“All genders who are demonstrating intimacy require an equal amount of support. That’s why we’ve been trained to be gender neutral. Because of the social structure they believe the woman is the victim. But this Not true in all scenarios. You have to discuss consent and boundaries, especially with men. If there’s a heterosexual scene, most male actors say, ‘As long as there’s a female actor, I’m fine with everything’. They don’t take the time to discuss their consent. They tend to shy away from conversations that come their way because of their ego. I’ve worked with transgender artists too, it’s so important that they have Have a lawyer on set.”
striking a balance between director and artist
“If there’s any kind of intimacy in the audition, I step into it. Otherwise, once I read the script, I have a candid conversation with the director. Then I sit on a one-on-one session with each of the actors. I go through each scene with them to see how much nudity to expect and how okay they are. We create a body map to mark the areas that are okay and not okay with exposing. Consent is reversible and If the cast isn’t comfortable on the day of the shoot, I always have a plan B. We can use a body double, or change the choreography in a way where it works for their consent. That’s enough work To some extent, it is like a stunt coordinator and a dance choreographer who have got married together.”
equipment
“I have a toolbox, which usually has bumps that create some sort of cushioning between the genitals, if you’re having any kind of genital contact in a fake sex scene. We put cushions or Pilates balls, Or make the artist wear athletic guards with penis, make the artist vulva wear sanitary pads. There are a lot of these jugaads, but now I have started making my own tools. There are a lot of customizations depending on the need of the scene I always keep deodorants, breath fresheners, skin-colored tape for coverage, silicone bras, strapless panties in my toolkit.
It’s not just about the sex scene
“Intimacy includes childbirth scenes, any form of LGBTQIA+ stories being told. Or there’s an intimacy with minors, such as a father-daughter scene that involves extreme physical touch, you have to be there for the minor. If an item song is being shot, or an actress is asked to wear flashy clothes that she is not comfortable with, that too falls under the realm of intimacy. The umbrella of intimacy that is there is huge.”
this is a big reason
Being the only certified intimacy coordinator in India, Aastha cannot be on the sets of every film. So she founded the Intimacy Collective, a group of Intimacy professionals and with their help she plans to set up a training program to train and certify ICs in the near future. “The need for intimacy professionals is a much bigger reason for me than finding a job. Not every single film made in India that features intimacy will eventually leave me as an intimacy coordinator. It’s creating another market.” Which is going to create another set of job opportunities for skilled people to do it. So it is very important to say that such a job exists.”
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