Filming a love scene

[Tim Hole]

I agree with most of what people have written above. I have worked with models, theatre actors and film/tv talent in sex scenes and it was wholly dependent on the type of people they are.

1. Make sure the set is warm and comfortable.
2. Don't rush it or it will look bad(The sex scenes in Lust Caution took well over a hundred hours to shoot).
3. Block out the shots well. It is dependent on what and how you are shooting, however I found it quite similar to shooting action but without moving locations.
4. Have a good rapport with your actors and do your best to introduce them beforehand. An ice breaker if at all possible. Meeting cold on set doesn't help with an onscreen chemistry in such an intimate scene.
5. Some people prefer a multi camera set up, personally I don't.
6. Definitely have a female assistant for the female talent.
7. Make sure it is a closed set with minimum people onset.
8. Have a spray bottle of water handy - It helps for perspiration, friction and reacts nicely to light -but don't overuse it.
9. Any tattoo's or birthmarks or the like that might need covering up.
10. Keep it light but professional. (No Sam Peckinpah).
11. Long lens is your friend.
12. On one occasion an actress brought a bottle of Vodka with her which the actors had a few shots to take the edge of, which the director agreed to. Not saying I do/don't recommend it but it depends if you are doing extensive sex scenes which I'm guessing you are not.

Just food for thought.

 

[Jay Gannon]

12. On one occasion an actress brought a bottle of Vodka with her which the actors had a few shots to take the edge of, which the director agreed to. Not saying I do/don't recommend it but it depends if you are doing extensive sex scenes which I'm guessing you are not.

Just food for thought.

Be careful with that one, I don't know if you have insurance for the shoot but if you do it will more than likely be null and void if there's real alcohol being consumed on set.

 

[Tim Hole]

Be careful with that one, I don't know if you have insurance for the shoot but if you do it will more than likely be null and void if there's real alcohol being consumed on set.

Indeed. Though it does happen often (unofficially) in this kind of situation, between the actors, but is not something that the producer/director would provide in any case.

 

[Rob Ruffo]

I'd say generally, the actors will be as comfortable as you are.

I always make a lot of jokes and keep it feeling relaxed, but deep down I don't believe that nudity is "dirty" so I suppose that helps a lot.

 

[Erik Franzén]

I'd say generally, the actors will be as comfortable as you are.

I always make a lot of jokes and keep it feeling relaxed, but deep down I don't believe that nudity is "dirty" so I suppose that helps a lot.

This.

I guess it depends on the situation, but whatever makes the actors relax is A-OK - so make sure that if they are OK with the scene that you aren't a nervous wreck in the corner

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

This.

I guess it depends on the situation, but whatever makes the actors relax is A-OK - so make sure that if they are OK with the scene that you aren't a nervous wreck in the corner

Yeah, No one at my school has done something like this. I have done a nude photoshoot before and that was definitely interesting, it helped that I had a female on set to assist her.

This is all great info, thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[Craig Parkes]

One thing to ask about ahead of time, is scars. Be they surgery scars or anything else - having been in a situation where additional makeup was required due to scars that the talent hadn't mentioned, and we didn't ask about, it's important to prep for this as well as tattoo's.

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

We finished filming this scene last night.

I just want to say thank you for all the advice on here, it really helped.
This is probably the best thing I have ever shot, style wise. I feel like I really executed the look I was going for.

The actors were great, they felt very comfortable, and they did a great job.

I'll post the vid later in the week.

Again, thanks!

-Brandon

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Ok guys here is the final product, let me know What you think.
Again, thanks for your help.

http://vimeo.com/21368782

P.S. There is no color correction on this.

 

[George Butterfield]

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

Hi Brandon, the Cinematography was good, was there a reason the overhead fan was off? Would it not film properly ... at the slowest speed? Or was the fan a "sound" problem, or "smoke" problem? I think it should have been rotating, or don't show it, better Cinematography. Put the fan on for the long soundless shot, (film scene twice, once with fan on, and then off to get the dialog, fix in post), have it off when not in view if it was a "problem".As I say, the Cinematography was good, the bad stuff can be laid off on the Director. The set was good ... the acting was the weakest link, again, let's lay that on the director. What was all that cigarette shtick? However, the smoke was well filmed, was that the purpose?

 

[Brandon J. Garcia]

Hi Brandon, the Cinematography was good, was there a reason the overhead fan was off? Would it not film properly ... at the slowest speed? Or was the fan a "sound" problem, or "smoke" problem? I think it should have been rotating, or don't show it, better Cinematography. Put the fan on for the long soundless shot, (film scene twice, once with fan on, and then off to get the dialog, fix in post), have it off when not in view if it was a "problem".As I say, the Cinematography was good, the bad stuff can be laid off on the Director. The set was good ... the acting was the weakest link, again, let's lay that on the director. What was all that cigarette shtick? However, the smoke was well filmed, was that the purpose?

Yes, the smoke is a metaphor for his clouded judgement...
He has a lady already and has been fooling around with his mistress, whom he has become emotionally involved with as well as physically. So he is trying to break it off, but in the back of his mind he is hesitant. So when she decides to leave he realizes that he doesn't want her to go and that he loves her.

We thought about the fan... Thinking about it now, we probably should have left it on and that had an awesome lighting effect, but I just didn't see any motivation for it being on, I didn't want to try and do too much and have the cinematography be a distraction. That was my thought process at the time, in hindsight, maybe we should have left it on. Whatever haha. But thanks for the complement.

It was tough finding actors to do this kind of scene for free, I was talking to people all week, my initial thought was to have nudity... but no one I talked to was comfortable with that. It was tough trying to find them online, because there was no rapport, it was difficult convincing them to do it. But overall I am very happy with the outcome.