What is the definition of an IC?

An Intimacy Coordinator acts as a liaison and facilitator of nudity, sex, or high intensity scenes for performers and directors. Much like a stunt coordinator for action, an IC ensures that performers’ boundaries are held and respected, choreography is safely enacted, believable, and repeatable.

Does my production need one?

Does your production have a nudity, sex, or high intensity scene (kidnapping, assault, etc) with many elements to navigate? Is your production interested in fostering an environment on and off set that is founded on authenticity, transparency, and creativity? Do you want more options for telling an intimate story through clever masking, choreography, and a sex educator’s expertise? It sounds like you could use an IC!

What is the process?

After joining a production the IC will have an initial meeting with the director and/or producers to gain a sense of what the vision is, and what exactly is being asked of performers in the intimate scenes. In this meeting, the questions will be based on what the story is trying to convey, what atmosphere the director wants to capture, and how they want it to be shot. The IC then meets with each performer individually to gain a sense of their past experience, general expectations, and boundaries for this type of work. In these meetings, the IC will extract language for a rider, so that there is a reference for what is going to be shot - this can always be reversed on shoot day. Moving forward, the IC is present for any rehearsals or meetings that involve the intimacy scenes, including the shoot, and is maintaining dialogue with all departments to keep all informed and minimize surprises. On set, an IC acts as an active resource for actors and can be relied upon to facilitate conversations about boundaries and to mitigate the inherent power dynamic between directors, producers, and performers.

How does the IC’s presence affect the director’s relationship with the performers?

The goal is to create a container so the actors have a clear understanding of what the director is envisioning in regards to the nudity/sex/high intensity moments. This is no way is meant to sterilize or clip the creative process - in fact, the focus on trust building usually results in deeper connections, believable choreography, and elevated chemistry and intimacy.

How is an IC different than a therapist?

Even though I am trained in Mental Health First Aid, and can definitely offer resources for such, I am not a licensed therapist, counselor, medical practitioner, or HR.