Swedish TV and film industry develops intimacy guidelines

Snabba Cash

The Swedish Film & TV Producers Association, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film and the production and distribution company SF Studios (Evil, Snabba Cash) have jointly developed industry-wide guidelines for filming intimate scenes.

The guidelines aim to raise the level of awareness, increase competence and to support the industry in filming intimate scenes in a professional, risk-free and respectful way, said the organisations.

“Films and TV series have always portrayed different forms of intimacy, but until now, Sweden has lacked guidelines for how to film these scenes without risking that co-workers on a production set are put in uncomfortable and inappropriate situations.

“Therefore, we are proud to present the first Swedish guidelines for how these scenes can be filmed in a safe and secure way for everyone involved,” said Simon Norrthon, at The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film.

The guidelines aim to provide support for production companies as well as raise the level of competence and to awareness among directors, photography, mask, costume, actors, and others involved in filming intimate scenes.

The long-term ambition is that it will become as common to involve an intimacy coordinator or person with similar competence in productions with intimate scenes, as it is today, to involve a stunt coordinator when filming stunt and action scenes, said the organisations.

The guidelines have been developed together with a broad reference group consisting of professional film workers, actors, directors and producers. In addition, two of Sweden’s intimacy coordinators have been involved as advisors in the process.

“The need for guidelines for intimate scenes has become more clear in recent years given the risk of inappropriate behavior. We are convinced that these guidelines will be an important tool of improving the working environment on set and making production companies and our industry more sustainable over time”, said Kristina Linglöf, EVP HR & Operations at SF Studios.

The guidelines can be found in full here.