August 16th
Creating intimacy for a scene.
Is there a scene of intimacy in the script? An important kiss? A sex scene? Start talking about it from day 1. Do the following excercise: Bring the actors together, face to face. They answer your questions together at the same time. No stopping. It’s about establishing the journey leading up to the moment of intimacy, and make them want to do the scene (instead of wanting to avoid it and go home):
Tell me about the first time you met. The first time you spoke. Whose idea was it to go to.... What attracted you to them? The first time you touched. Whose idea was it to go to...(second location)
As characters. How are you feeling right now? As actors. How are you feeling right now? As characters. What do you need from each other? As actors. What do you need from each other? As characters. What are you willing to do for each other? As actors. What are you willing to do for each other? . As actors. How are you going to support each other? As characters. What are you afraid to tell each other? As actors. What are you afraid to tell each other? As characters. Whisper to each other what you’re going to do to each other as you make love. Can be as graphic as you like. Only you can hear each other. No one else, myself (director) included. As characters. What do you want from each other now? You’re trying to create trust between the actors, and that’s created from them arriving at this moment together as equals. Repeat this process during rehearsals as you get closer to shooting. Overdo it. Have more physical block-throughs too, just you and the actors. Later, use your phone to get a few angles. Show it to the actors so they have an idea what part of them will be seen. The more involved they are, the more confident they can be about it. Repeat the exercise. Do it to the point where the actors feel like they’ve already had sex, that way when the crew and the technical aspect comes in, it won’t throw them completely off. They just need to do their usual thing.
Alter this to fit your scene and the state of mind of the characters. They can still be nervous and vulnerable if that’s what their character is supposed to feel, but not the unnecessary nervousness or vulnerability they feel as actors.
