UK gets its first set of guidelines for sex and nudity on camera
Directors UK has released a set of guidelines to ensure best practices on-set, the day after Emilia Clarke revealed the grim reality of her Game of Thrones nude scenes
Directors UK, the professional association for film and TV directors, has launched a set of guidelines for directing scenes with nudity and simulated sex - the first of its kind in the UK.
The announcement arrived just a day after actor Emilia Clarke gave a damning interview about filming nude scenes on the set of Game of Thrones, calling them "terrifying" and revealing that she used to cry before shooting them.
Clarke also said that she has had fights while filming subsequent projects - and was pressured by directors to do more naked scenes, being told: "You don't wanna disappoint your Game of Thrones fans."
The timing is something of a coincidence - Directors UK produced the guidelines after a long consultation period with member directors, industry bodies and cross-discipline professionals, trying to ensure that no-one feels "unsafe, exploited or mismanaged when dealing with scenes of nudity or simulated sex."
The full-length guide is 20 pages long, and has already received the support and approval of Equity, the Casting Directors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, and has the full support of BAFTA, the BFI, TIME’S UP UK and ERA 50:50.
The guide states that its aims are to:
• Provide directors with enhanced craft skills in directing nudity and simulated sex.
• Provide performers with a safe environment that values and respects dignity, especially when a narrative requires nudity or simulated sex acts.
• Give performers genuine agency in what actions their characters take.
• Support producers in their work to create a safe production environment.
• Give agents and casting directors confidence in the safety of the
working environment.
• Show directors how to reassure performers that they should never feel expected
to offer nudity or simulated sex in order to get work.
BAFTA Award-winning Susanna White, Vice-Chair of Directors UK, said: “The director, as the creative lead on a production, should set the tone for a professional and respectful on-set environment.
"Throughout my career, I have seen how vitally important it is to know how to approach sensitive content with professionalism. The guidelines created by Directors UK set the standard for directing intimate scenes, and will help to foster a safe working environment for everyone on a film or television set."
The full set of guidelines can be read here
