Looking for an 'Intimacy Coordinator'? Actors' Union Publishes a Registry

(CNSNews.com) – SAG-AFTRA, the nation’s largest union for entertainment and broadcast professionals, has just published an “intimacy coordinator” registry to help movie producers find people who are qualified to do the job.

And what does an intimacy coordinator do?

They “create a safer work environment by assisting actors performing in scenes involving nudity, simulated sex or other intimate scenes,” the union said.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said: “As we, at long last, move into a time where a performer’s personal space matters, a new field has emerged: intimacy coordinators.”

The union says the presence of intimacy coordinators on movie sets will protect performers “in potentially vulnerable situations.”

“These professionals function as an advocate and liaison between performers and productions, facilitating communications and helping with movement and choreography when nudity and intimate scenes are being filmed. It is as much to the benefit of the production as it is for the performer.

“Long gone is the time when married characters are shot sleeping in twin beds, so the need for specially trained intimacy coordinators should be part and parcel of every production that involves nudity, simulated sex or hyper-exposed scenes.

“With the advent of intimacy coordinators to any production, we continue to move the needle forward to creating a more honorable industry that is respectful to the feelings of all those participants who make it great.”

The new registry includes 40 intimacy coordinator programs from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia as well as five intimacy coordinators on what is called the “pre-registry.”

“All have met the Recommended Standards for Qualifications, Training and Vetting of Intimacy Coordinators, and those on the pre-registry list are still working toward meeting the required work experience days,” the union said.

According to one intimacy coordinator training program listed by SAG-AFTRA:

“Intimacy Coordinators and Directors are professional skilled artists who work as liaisons between actors and productions. They are trained in choreography, consent and boundaries, trauma awareness, gender awareness, anti-racism, human sexuality, mental health first aid, and have broad industry knowledge.

“Intimacy Coordinators work closely with production personnel to realize the director’s vision while promoting adherence to safety-related terms and conditions.”

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