Intimacy on set: coordinators and closed sets

By James Jones, founder of Granary Digital · Updated 5 November 2026

If a scene involves nudity or simulated sex, the planning starts well before the camera rolls. The UK guidance treats the intimacy coordinator and the agreed written plan as the two things that protect the performers and make the shoot workable. This page explains both, then gives a short plan for a closed set.

What an intimacy coordinator does

Bectu describes the role as support for performers through the preparation, rehearsal and shooting of intimate action. In practice the coordinator works with the performers and the director to plan each beat of the scene, agree what the camera will and will not show, and check on the day that the agreed version is the one being shot. The coordinator supports the performers and holds the production to the agreed plan. The director still directs the scene.

What the guidance says

• The Directors UK guidelines apply to all screen projects, from features to TV and short films, and aim to become standard working practice. They advise directors to work with intimacy coordinators. They describe the director as the creative lead, who sets the tone for a professional, respectful set, and say no cast or crew member should be placed in a position where they feel unsafe, exploited or mismanaged.
• Bectu's guidance, announced on 28 October 2022, sets out when an intimacy coordinator should be hired. It includes a glossary for use in contracts, audition notices and riders or waivers, and asks productions to set up clear reporting pathways. The full guidance on Bectu's site links to a November 2024 version.

Planning a closed set

The guidance does not fix a list of who may be on a closed set, so the steps below are common practice rather than a rule. This is general guidance. The production, its director and the coordinator must assess the actual scene and the people in it.

1. Decide the closed set list before the shoot day, and send it to the performers in writing. Keep it to the people the scene needs, usually the director, the coordinator and the smallest camera and sound crew that can shoot it.
2. Agree the shot list and the nudity rules at rehearsal. Put the agreed version in writing and give it to the performers and the coordinator.
3. Agree modesty garments and barriers with the costume team and the coordinator, and have robes ready for between takes.
4. Decide who can watch the monitors and who must leave. Viewing should not spill into the performers' space, and no stills or behind-the-scenes filming happens unless it has been agreed in writing.
5. Make clear that anyone can call a stop, and that a stop does not need a reason.
6. Check the plan on the day with the coordinator before the first take.

Where to plan it

The barn has a dressing room and a client viewing area, which helps separate the performers from the people watching the monitors. Tell us the closed set list when you book, so we can plan the room with you. For the wider planning of a day, see how to brief a studio or a video crew.

Common mistakes

• Hiring a coordinator after the script is locked, when the coordinator has no say in the shot list.
• Leaving the closed set list to be decided on the day.
• Letting the monitors and the viewing area sit next to the performers' changing space.
• Skipping the written agreement, or agreeing it verbally and not recording it.
• Treating the performers' consent as a one-off. Check in again at rehearsal and before each new setup.

For the role itself, see what does an intimacy coordinator do?. For the wellbeing side of the same job, read mentally healthy productions: the Whole Picture Toolkit.

Sources

• Bectu, Bectu launches guidance for shooting intimate scenes, read 5 November 2026
• Screen Daily, Directors UK launches guidelines for directing nudity and simulated sex, read 5 November 2026

Related guides

• Mentally healthy productions: using the Whole Picture Toolkit
• All guides and tools