shooting a sex/nude scene

[Guest jbraver]

Im shooting a film that has a couple of nude scenes ( male and female) and a sex scene. It is my first time shooting a sex scene or a nude scene. any tips?

 

thanks,

 

jake

[Kevin Zanit]

Yes, post some pictures.

 

Its not much different then shooting a clothed scene, just act in a professional manor, and try to make the actors feel comfortable.

 

 

Kevin Zanit

[Guest jbraver]

I could see how it wouldnt be any different for the nude scenes, but the sex scene is pretty graphic and involves two girls and...um how should I say this...toys..... My crew is very professional. Im more worried about making the actors comfortable.

 

thanks for the fast reply

 

jake

[drew_town]

Often on such scenes a production will close the set to everyone but the most essential crew.

 

Bottom line is you need to do as much as possible to make the scene what you want.

 

And don't laugh during the scene like David Lynch did or you'll never hear the end of it.

[Gordon Highland]

Not that I have much experience with this sort of thing, but tips that come to mind are: a warm set, robes, some wine, breath mints, and ice cubes on standby. Rehearse as much as you can in advance with clothes on or in private; it's not the kind of thing where you (ok, "they") are going to want to do a bunch of extra takes. Multiple cams could help. You could always put the rest of the crew in their underwear (good luck).

[Eric Steelberg ASC]

Use a large, soft, warm single source. It'll add curvature to their bodies and create shadows to help hide 'flaws.' The actresses will be pleased with you.

[Stuart C]

Use a large, soft, warm single source. It'll add curvature to their bodies and create shadows to help hide 'flaws.' The actresses will be pleased with you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I remember reading when Kubrick did the nude scenes with Kidman & Cruise in 'Eyes Wide Shut' it was only the three of them in the room -he operated the camera.

 

Look forward to seeing your film!

[Fulgencio Martinez]

I don´t think you should have any special behavior just because there is a naked girl. Most of the things you do to make a "more comfortable set" just generates pressure on actors and team. If you walk into any an art school any teacher can have relaxed class with a naked girl or boy modeling for the painters.

Now about estetics. Try to see the girls "weak" points and hide them. Take a lot of care about the skin. All the make up and care you would take for a close up must be taken about the whole body. Take your time.

As eric said use warm soft light unless you want some other especific effect.

btw. Do you ask your team to go out of the room because you are going to shoot a killing?

It´s only sex

[Stephen Williams]

Do you ask your team to go out of the room because you are going to shoot a killing?

It´s only sex

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hi,

 

I would keep the crew as small as possible. The actors will give a better performance.

 

Stephen

[Joseph White]

i think its a balance somewhere between keeping the crew to a minimum and not getting everybody freaked out about it. i've shot a bunch of nude scenes before, both professionally and back in film school (where nudity always seemed to be bouncing off the walls) and i think you have to treat it as a sensitive scene, but more than anything feel out how people are feeling about it and go from there. there's no ONE way to do it.

 

i shot one scene not too long ago where there was a fully nude man and woman, and they were both just kinda quiet and distant until the director came in with a bottle of jack daniels, the three of them did a shot each, then we just shot it. worked out just fine. everyone was loose and seemed to actually get into the experience, and thus the scene worked.

 

another one i shot involved two women and they were both really cool with it until everyone started freaking out and an AD yelled at my gaffer to stop getting so close to take readings and the room needed to be cleared and blah blah blah. people made the situation so much worse by getting uptight about it that the scene really suffered.

 

i think the bottom line is that, if people seem really uncomfortable with the scene, they probably shouldn't be doing it, and the problem has nothing to do with the crew and i'm sure started way before you all even got there. a lot of younger actors especially will agree to do nude/sex scenes to get a part and then get really uncomfortable with it and don't want to do it and then it becomes really awkward for everyone. just be a decent person, don't be afraid to really study their bodies as it's your job to make them look good.

[Dimitrios Koukas]

Im shooting a film that has a couple of nude scenes ( male and female) and a sex scene. It is my first time shooting a sex scene or  a nude scene. any tips?

 

thanks,

 

jake

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Just consentrate to the atmosphere you want this to look like, and explain to everyone (before the shoot and without the actors) in a meetting how critical things are those times.

I like to light erotic scenes with the classic approach of a single light center of the frame high and back of the actor's. Usually a frame with diffusion like 250, for the close-ups I just use an extra piece of foam core for a bounched fill,

Dimitrios Koukas

[Ram Shani]

hi

 

don't forget that the actors should be pro as much as you and there body is a tool thay work with from my exprience just do your job be pro but don't forget to get what you whant out of the scene

 

for me a "close set " is samething i try to keep on every scene i shot .

 

ram

 

p.s.

 

singel warm soft light is very good and work but i think over used. try to be origenal in terms of light and camera make it cinematicly intersting

[James Brown]

Im shooting a film that has a couple of nude scenes ( male and female) and a sex scene. It is my first time shooting a sex scene or  a nude scene. any tips?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi,

 

In a way i'm in the same boat as you. In three weeks i'm directing a film that has a sex scene in it. Unsure of the whole thing i have tried to keep it as least graphic as possible, cut the crew crew to me and the DP, and keep the screen time/shots to a minimum. I understand that these situations shouldn't be treated any differently, but, i also feel that it must be an uncomfortable moment even for actors so they whole scenario must be treated with kid gloves.

 

My thoughts...let us know how it goes.

 

James.

[Mike Crane]

Take care where you drop your film off for processing. Some labs have restrictions on content - especially nudity.

 

The main lab I use that definitely has NO restrictions on content is Spectra Film and Video. They specifically state in their literature that they do not edit or restrict any film scenes that they process or transfer. All material is kept completely confidential as well.

 

There should be other labs that also permit nudity. Just be sure you inquire before you drop off your film.

[Joseph White]

excellent point mike - i know from a number of people that Yale labs in LA has a strong reputation for either not processing or ruining even (they've never done this to me personally, i've used them for some normal-processed reversal, but they have a pretty well-founded bad reputation at my alma mater USC for some pretty destructive behavior) footage that they deem inappropriate or evil or wrong or bad or what have you (insert sensible argument here for how many violent scenes of death they've gladly processed, mind you).

 

for all 35mm neg stuff i think you can't go wrong with deluxe labs in hollywood, and since they don't do 16mm, i go to fotokem in burbank for all half-sized needs.

 

and i think the single source softlight is a great approach for love scenes - with a little foamcore for bounce or even a tiny china ball on a squeezer for fill if necessary but it usually isn't. i think what might make this approach seem a little overdone might be the warm approach - so many people so often associate soft lighting with throwing on the old cto or straw or what have you - but i think cooling things down can give this approach an interesting feel. just make sure you are in good close communication with your trusty makeup artist so they can do some work on whatever skin tones you are working with to accomidate your cooler lighting, but i shot a scene like this and was very pleased with the results.

[Bob Hayes]

I usually oil myself down from head to toe and then lift weights right before I go on camera.

[Bob Hayes]

Disregard last message. I misunderstood the question.

[Dimitrios Koukas]

Disregard last message. I misunderstood the question.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

:D :D :D :D

Dimitrios

[Stephen Williams]

I usually oil myself down from head to toe and then lift weights right before I go on camera.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Bob,

 

I did not know you had been an actor!

 

Stephen

[Fulgencio Martinez]

"Take care where you drop your film off for processing. Some labs have restrictions on content - especially nudity."

Is this true?

Really?

Yours is a very strange country

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Gordon Highland]

Yes, it is. Apparently we can hear several f-words over the course of a football broadcast, but somebody's boobie pops out and all of a sudden everyone's concerned about "values." (yes, I realize one is staged and one isn't, but still. . .) We can't even make a decent horror film anymore, because it has to be PG-13 if they wanna get enough people in the theaters to justify their marketing budget. This is a country in which we beep out the word "hole" but KEEP the "a$$" part of it. Someone can get mutilated on screen, but if there's more than three inches of buttcrack showing, they'll cut it. Odd, indeed. I wish we had more European sensibilities when it came to cinema/broadcast. Well, sometimes, anyway. <_<