Filming a love scene

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Hello, All.

I am a student cinematographer and I am shooting my advanced cinematography final this weekend.

I will be shooting my first love scene, I was just wondering if you guys had any advice on etiquette when it comes to dealing with the talent's comfort etc..

What are the proper procedures/precautions needed?

Thanks for your help,

Brandon.

 

[jimhare]

I had to deal with this recently. I was concerned about offending the talent or appearing like I was assuming it would be okay with them.

In the end, honesty in advance is the best approach. Talk to your talent. Tell them that the story calls for physicality and you need to know what they are comfortable with.

If you do this, openly and honestly, you will get the support of your actors and chances are they will be happy to do what is needed.

Then you need to talk to your crew and make sure they are respectful on set. Restrict the number of people to who is absolutely required.

Pretty simple stuff really but as the person in charge, it's up to you to ensure these things are handled correctly.

Best of luck!

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

I had to deal with this recently. I was concerned about offending the talent or appearing like I was assuming it would be okay with them.

In the end, honesty in advance is the best approach. Talk to your talent. Tell them that the story calls for physicality and you need to know what they are comfortable with.

If you do this, openly and honestly, you will get the support of your actors and chances are they will be happy to do what is needed.

Then you need to talk to your crew and make sure they are respectful on set. Restrict the number of people to who is absolutely required.

Pretty simple stuff really but as the person in charge, it's up to you to ensure these things are handled correctly.

Best of luck!

Ok, thanks!

What about dealing with nude actors on set? Like should there be someone with like a bathrobe on stand by?

This sounds like an awkward question but do they keep their underwear on?
I guess that just depends on the shots...

Any tips of directing the actors ?

 

[jimhare]

If there is nudity involved then you should definitely have provision for them to cover up between takes, and probably restrict it to waste up.

As you say, all depends on the shots but I would think yes. Typically they are covered by a sheet anyway.

As for the actors, I suggest having some reference footage from feature films to show them and talk through the shots.

Sounds like it would be good for you to reference as well. Just be sure you don't take the footage from "Captain Lust and the Pirate Women..."

Decide with them what the right approach is. Remember that these actors aren't being paid millions to appear so you need to base your reality on what they are comfortable with.


Finally, remember that less is more. The most effective love scenes ever shot do not involve nudity.

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Yeah, I'm not trying to show penetration ala Lars von Trier in anti christ. LOL.

In fact I agree with you with the idea that less is more. But there will probably be some brief nudity.

Thank you for your help Jim. Let me know if you need help to film stuff in Sydney ahaha, I am willing to travel.

Brandon

 

[jimhare]

Heh, come over anytime!

Best of luck Brandon. My guess is you will find it much less tense than you are expecting.

The key is to deal with it in advance, not on set.

Jim

 

[Elsie N]

Guess this kinda dates me but when I hear love scene, romantic dialog comes to mind. Which reminds me that some famous actor told his ingenue leading lady that during their CU love scene she should look at only one of his eyes. Not sure if it was his near (to the camera) eye or his away eye though.

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Guess this kinda dates me but when I hear love scene, romantic dialog comes to mind. Which reminds me that some famous actor told his ingenue leading lady that during their CU love scene she should look at only one of his eyes. Not sure if it was his near (to the camera) eye or his away eye though.

Well there will be an opening sequence of them talking in a scenic location.
Then the "love" scene.
and finally, a moment afterward.

Thats pretty much it.

 

[Jay Gannon]

If there is nudity yes to having a bath robe which once the director calls cut should be given to the actors.

Try if at all possible to have another female giving the girl hers just adds another level of comfort to the situation.

As for underwear it depends on how comfortable your actors are, what rating your shooting for and wether the script calls for it.

Strip the crew down to minimum, if there is not a NEED for the person to be there they should not be. Ideally you should only need 4/5 crew and the actors.

Not to sound bad, but if your shooting this weekend and you haven't discussed the exact nature of the scene with the actors yet you've some catching up to do, nude scenes should be very planned and not ad-libbed as much as possible, the more planned it is the smoother it will be.

Have your actors et each other yet?
Have they went through the scene yet themselves?
Have you asked them what they are comfortable with doing?

The more answers you have before the shoot the more professional you can be and thus the better the scene will come out.

Remember the best cinema is made when everyone there knows what they are doing and exactly what is going to happen. Plan plan plan. Particularly for a scene like this.

(Sorry if some of this came across as blunt, its 3 am here =) its meant with good intentions)

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

If there is nudity yes to having a bath robe which once the director calls cut should be given to the actors.

Try if at all possible to have another female giving the girl hers just adds another level of comfort to the situation.

As for underwear it depends on how comfortable your actors are, what rating your shooting for and wether the script calls for it.

Strip the crew down to minimum, if there is not a NEED for the person to be there they should not be. Ideally you should only need 4/5 crew and the actors.

Not to sound bad, but if your shooting this weekend and you haven't discussed the exact nature of the scene with the actors yet you've some catching up to do, nude scenes should be very planned and not ad-libbed as much as possible, the more planned it is the smoother it will be.

Have your actors et each other yet?
Have they went through the scene yet themselves?
Have you asked them what they are comfortable with doing?

The more answers you have before the shoot the more professional you can be and thus the better the scene will come out.

Remember the best cinema is made when everyone there knows what they are doing and exactly what is going to happen. Plan plan plan. Particularly for a scene like this.

(Sorry if some of this came across as blunt, its 3 am here =) its meant with good intentions)

You are not blunt and I'm not offended. Its just kind of the nature of this beast, I was assigned my project on wednesday and I am planning as much as I can. Perhaps I should have had actors ready to go, but I didn't know what I was going to get assigned or what I wanted to do.

So, yeah, your right in that aspect, considering the nature of the scene it may be difficult to help the actors feel comfortable doing this on such short notice. But we shall see what happens, I can adjust if need be.

 

[John Brawley]

Hello, All.

I am a student cinematographer and I am shooting my advanced cinematography final this weekend.

I will be shooting my first love scene, I was just wondering if you guys had any advice on etiquette when it comes to dealing with the talent's comfort etc..

What are the proper procedures/precautions needed?

Thanks for your help,

Brandon.

Im not entirely sure if you're asking from the perspective of a cinematographer or as a director.

One thing I've seen a director do is to have a series of images, scaled from barely showing anything and gradually getting more and more explicit in terms of what they revealed. He then slides them across the table to the actor and asks them if they'd be happy to be photographed in this way. He then knows what the actor is comfortable revealing and what they won't want to show.

As far as modesty on set, there are various ways of hiding things. Tape on nipples for example, and very small briefs. A cock-sock on males allows you to shoot male bottoms without revealing what they're using to hide their frontal modesty. On women, you can usually tape on a small patch from an undergarment. Sometimes a merkin or pubic wig can be used to appear to show full frontal nudity without truly revealing a ladies modesty.

The best thing is to have a very forthright and frank conversation with your cast and explain what you expect. Have a standby wardrobe for each cast member ready with a robe that can be removed at the last minute and replaced as soon as "cut" happens.

It's obvious, but make sure that no-one's in the room that doesn't need to be there during that setup. Be calm and professional and clear in what you're wanting to cover with your shots as you go.

You should also be careful with your rushes, especially if they're being transcoded at another site. Often you'll catch glimpses of things too when you relax the frame after cut or just in the roll up before you're framed. Make sure if you use a split, not to be pointing it at anything revealing until you absolutely have to. Better still , don't have a split and just have the director in the same room.

As an DP / operator recently I was shooting several of these kinds of scenes in a row. I've worked with the actor before and we have a certain amount of trust already. I simply asked her if there was anything she didn't want me to see. She told me exactly what she didn't want to have on screen and I worked very hard to respect that request. At one point I did end up catching something unintentionally, and I let her know and it was noted on the continuity sheets as something not to be used.

Treat it with the utmost respect, like any other part of the job and you'll be fine. It's when you are struggling with it, that you'll find the cast will start to have doubts.

good luck.

jb

 

[Cliff Hokanson]

This is hard to do to keep the talent's comfort less peolpe on set the better.

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Im not entirely sure if you're asking from the perspective of a cinematographer or as a director.

One thing I've seen a director do is to have a series of images, scaled from barely showing anything and gradually getting more and more explicit in terms of what they revealed. He then slides them across the table to the actor and asks them if they'd be happy to be photographed in this way. He then knows what the actor is comfortable revealing and what they won't want to show.

As far as modesty on set, there are various ways of hiding things. Tape on nipples for example, and very small briefs. A cock-sock on males allows you to shoot male bottoms without revealing what they're using to hide their frontal modesty. On women, you can usually tape on a small patch from an undergarment. Sometimes a merkin or pubic wig can be used to appear to show full frontal nudity without truly revealing a ladies modesty.

The best thing is to have a very forthright and frank conversation with your cast and explain what you expect. Have a standby wardrobe for each cast member ready with a robe that can be removed at the last minute and replaced as soon as "cut" happens.

It's obvious, but make sure that no-one's in the room that doesn't need to be there during that setup. Be calm and professional and clear in what you're wanting to cover with your shots as you go.

You should also be careful with your rushes, especially if they're being transcoded at another site. Often you'll catch glimpses of things too when you relax the frame after cut or just in the roll up before you're framed. Make sure if you use a split, not to be pointing it at anything revealing until you absolutely have to. Better still , don't have a split and just have the director in the same room.

As an DP / operator recently I was shooting several of these kinds of scenes in a row. I've worked with the actor before and we have a certain amount of trust already. I simply asked her if there was anything she didn't want me to see. She told me exactly what she didn't want to have on screen and I worked very hard to respect that request. At one point I did end up catching something unintentionally, and I let her know and it was noted on the continuity sheets as something not to be used.

Treat it with the utmost respect, like any other part of the job and you'll be fine. It's when you are struggling with it, that you'll find the cast will start to have doubts.

good luck.

jb

Im not really sure what you are referring to in the bold section.

But all of what you said makes perfect sense. Thank you so much.

 

[John Brawley]

Im not really sure what you are referring to in the bold section.

But all of what you said makes perfect sense. Thank you so much.

Well. Think of what will happen to your footage once you're finished on set. It's not impossible to think of a scenario where footage that is *more* revelaing than you or the actor intended is recorded no the day. Or even the stuff you do shoot, that isn't graded to hide more etc. You don't intend to use it in the edit, but it's still there. Have you thought about what happens to your rushes ? Is someone else backing them up, syncing them etc ? You should be mindful that it's possible for an un-authorized duplication of a shot you might not have even intended to be suddenly "out there"

Your actor might be happy to go topless for the sake of the scene just to reveal as much as possible BUT she doesn't want her actual nipples photographed. While lining up the slate, you inadvertantly point the camera at the salte and perhaps she's standing behind the slate ready to do the scene. You've just shown watching the split (and rushes) what she doesn't want shown.

jb

jb

 

[Mark Allen]

Strip the crew down to minimum,

oh - when I first read that I burst out laughing. Of course, you didn't mean it how I read it.

So - it might be too late for my thoughts - but one thing I think is that you have to walk the balance between being considerate and being uncomfortably over cautious. If you or the crew or the director feel like this is wrong and uncomfortable, you're going to create a lot of weird nervous tension which is going to make the actors absorb it. So, I'd advise taking all the advice here that makes sense for you and then when it comes to the actual shoot just make sure every is chilled out and casual about it as it plays out.

Let them know what's on camera, let them give parts of their bodies a break if necessary - notably lips if you're not shooting their faces.

Read how it's going. If these two have some crazy chemistry and are the type that don't hold back... well, get those wide shots first to make sure you're getting the full hard to fake chemistry as it happens before they get tired. Get the close ups later. If they're timid and awkward, then start with close ups and let them warm up to the situation and get closer before moving out to the wides.

lastly... don't say anything creepy.

 

[Gunleik Groven]

Best advice I can give is: Do a rehearsal.

Nope.

Not neccesarily a full session if you don't have the time and budget, but walk the actors through the entire scene and everything you want to happen.

I think the key word for making a sex-scene work is: No surprises.

If not he/she is in their full right to walk out...

Or you get sub-par performance

Or just basically: Not what you want

Cheers

G

 

[Elsie N]

Strip the crew down to minimum,

oh - when I first read that I burst out laughing.

That made me laugh too.

Have your actors et each other yet?

But I thought this requirement went a little too far.:w00t:

 

[Richard Foster]

Elsie, Elsie. The "m" was there in his heart.

 

[Elsie N]

Elsie, Elsie. The "m" was there in his heart.

Ah yes, the PHANTOM M. Now I get it!:smile5:

 

[Jay Gannon]

Heheh It was 3am! I plead sleep deprivation!