IDC Industry Standards & Best Practices 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When reviewing a script during pre-production, an intimacy coordinator identifies a scene that involves simulated assault. The best practice is to:
- Flag it as requiring both intimacy coordination and stunt coordination involvement (Correct answer)
- Remove the scene from the script and notify the producer
- Treat it identically to a consensual intimate scene
- Defer entirely to the stunt coordinator since it involves physical conflict
Correct answer: Flag it as requiring both intimacy coordination and stunt coordination involvement
Scenes involving simulated assault often require collaboration between intimacy coordinators and stunt coordinators due to overlapping physical and psychological safety concerns.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a 'verbal boundary check' as used in intimacy coordination?
- Asking the director to confirm the scene is consistent with the script
- Checking in with a performer before, during, and after a scene to confirm their comfort (Correct answer)
- Reviewing the nudity rider with legal counsel before principal photography
- Asking the camera operator whether the shot requires actor proximity
Correct answer: Checking in with a performer before, during, and after a scene to confirm their comfort
Verbal boundary checks are ongoing check-ins with performers that confirm consent and comfort at each stage of filming an intimate scene.
Question 3: A minor is cast in a scene that will involve adult actors in intimate activity in adjacent shots. The intimacy coordinator's responsibility includes:
- Ensuring the minor is on a completely separate filming day from all intimate content (Correct answer)
- Consulting with the minor's guardian and the production's legal team about set protocols
- Refusing to work on the production entirely due to the presence of a minor
- Deferring all decisions about the minor's involvement to the casting director
Correct answer: Ensuring the minor is on a completely separate filming day from all intimate content
Industry best practice and legal requirements mandate that minors are never exposed to intimate content, requiring complete separation of their filming schedule.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of conducting a 'movement exploration' session with actors before filming intimate scenes?
- To satisfy union requirements for rehearsal time
- To allow performers to discover and establish physical vocabulary for the scene in a safe environment (Correct answer)
- To give the director the opportunity to refine blocking before the camera crew arrives
- To fulfill the IC's contractual obligation for pre-production contact hours
Correct answer: To allow performers to discover and establish physical vocabulary for the scene in a safe environment
Movement exploration helps performers develop comfort, agency, and a shared physical language for the scene in a low-pressure setting.
Question 5: When an intimacy coordinator is negotiating scene parameters with a production, discovering that the budget does not include their fee, the professional standard is to:
- Work for reduced pay to ensure the production has safety coverage
- Advocate for the production to allocate budget for the role, citing industry standards and performer safety (Correct answer)
- Offer to consult remotely at no charge as a compromise
- Contact the actors directly to determine if they require coordinator services before deciding
Correct answer: Advocate for the production to allocate budget for the role, citing industry standards and performer safety
ICs are expected to advocate for the value and necessity of their role rather than accepting undervaluation that undermines professional standards.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'informed consent' as applied in intimacy coordination?
- An actor signing a general liability waiver prior to production
- A performer having full knowledge of what a scene entails and agreeing freely without coercion (Correct answer)
- The director confirming the scene is consistent with the original screenplay
- HR documentation confirming an actor reviewed the production's harassment policy
Correct answer: A performer having full knowledge of what a scene entails and agreeing freely without coercion
Informed consent requires that performers understand exactly what is being asked of them and agree voluntarily, without pressure or deception.
Question 7: A production's producer instructs the intimacy coordinator to keep a performer's objection to a scene confidential from the director. The IC should:
- Honor the confidentiality request as it protects the performer's privacy
- Decline to suppress the information if the objection affects scene safety or the performer's ability to consent (Correct answer)
- Report the producer's request to the studio's HR department
- Ask the performer directly whether they want the objection shared with the director
Correct answer: Decline to suppress the information if the objection affects scene safety or the performer's ability to consent
Confidentiality cannot be used to suppress safety concerns; the IC must ensure objections that affect performer wellbeing are addressed appropriately.
IDC Industry Standards & Best Practices 4
When reviewing a script during pre-production, an intimacy coordinator identifies a scene that involves simulated assault.
The best practice is to: