IDC Communication & Consent Practices 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An actor tells the intimacy coordinator they are 'fine' but body language suggests discomfort. The IDC-aligned action is to:
- Accept the verbal 'fine' as sufficient consent and proceed
- Gently name the observed non-verbal cues and invite a more detailed check-in (Correct answer)
- Report the actor to the producer for non-cooperation
- Ask the director to speak directly with the actor
Correct answer: Gently name the observed non-verbal cues and invite a more detailed check-in
IDC training emphasizes that verbal and non-verbal signals must align; when they conflict, the coordinator should name the discrepancy and invite fuller communication.
Question 2: Which term refers to the gradual escalation of intimacy requests beyond what was originally negotiated, often without explicit re-consent?
- Scope creep (Correct answer)
- Creative latitude
- Director's privilege
- Choreographic drift
Correct answer: Scope creep
Scope creep describes incremental expansion of intimacy demands beyond negotiated parameters, a pattern the coordinator must identify and halt.
Question 3: Before a closed set is established for an intimacy scene, the intimacy coordinator should ensure:
- All union representatives are present on set
- A clear list of essential personnel is agreed upon and all non-essential crew are dismissed (Correct answer)
- The director of photography has final approval on who remains
- The actors have changed into costume without discussion of the closed set policy
Correct answer: A clear list of essential personnel is agreed upon and all non-essential crew are dismissed
Establishing who constitutes essential personnel and dismissing all others is a foundational step in creating a physically and psychologically safe closed-set environment.
Question 4: A safe word system in IDC practice is most accurately described as:
- A legal contract clause actors invoke to exit production
- A pre-agreed word or signal that immediately and non-judgmentally stops all intimacy action (Correct answer)
- A cue used only when physical pain occurs
- A confidential password shared between actors and the coordinator only
Correct answer: A pre-agreed word or signal that immediately and non-judgmentally stops all intimacy action
Safe words are pre-agreed, non-judgmental stop signals covering any reason an actor needs to pause, not just physical discomfort.
Question 5: In IDC consent practice, the phrase 'consent is not a checkbox' most directly means:
- Consent forms are optional in theatrical productions
- Consent must be ongoing, revisitable, and cannot be given once and considered permanent (Correct answer)
- Consent only applies to sexual content, not violence
- A signed contract replaces the need for verbal consent conversations
Correct answer: Consent must be ongoing, revisitable, and cannot be given once and considered permanent
Consent is a dynamic, continuous process that must be re-evaluated whenever circumstances change, not a single moment of agreement that covers all future actions.
Question 6: When facilitating a boundary conversation with two actors who will share an intimate scene, the coordinator should:
- Speak with both actors together simultaneously to save time
- Conduct individual conversations first, then bring actors together to share agreed parameters (Correct answer)
- Allow actors to negotiate directly without coordinator mediation
- Read boundaries aloud from the script supervisor's notes
Correct answer: Conduct individual conversations first, then bring actors together to share agreed parameters
Individual conversations first allow actors to express limits privately before a joint session, reducing social pressure and enabling more honest disclosure.
Question 7: Which scenario best illustrates the IDC principle of 'minimum contact'?
- Using the fewest camera angles to film an intimacy scene
- Choreographing only the physical contact strictly necessary to tell the story, avoiding gratuitous touch (Correct answer)
- Limiting the number of takes to reduce actor fatigue
- Reducing crew size to the smallest possible team
Correct answer: Choreographing only the physical contact strictly necessary to tell the story, avoiding gratuitous touch
Minimum contact means choreographing only the intimacy required by the story, so that no unnecessary physical contact is asked of performers.
IDC Communication & Consent Practices 3
An actor tells the intimacy coordinator they are 'fine' but body language suggests discomfort.
The IDC-aligned action is to: