Thanks for tuning back in! What an exciting time it’s been for the boys (Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, and François Arnaud) as well as the Loons and Heated Rivalry fam. A lot of us are still on a high or maybe even a bit hungover from the Golden Globes this past Sunday night. Just a quick note: I love how much folks love this show, but this is your gentle reminder that Williams, Storrie, and Arnaud are people, they deserve to be treated with care and respect. Their personal lives are their business. They give us so much in their performances and interviews. Keep them safe by not being intrusive or posting things that cross boundaries they set. I get very protective of actors, as is my purview as an Intimacy Coordinator to advocate for actors (as the human beings they are) and keep them safe.

Ilya: Well, if I come to 1410 tonight at 9 o’clock?

Shane: I might open...

Ilya: I might knock.

1410 is the scene when Shane and Ilya finally get to start exploring being “curious...” of each other in a completely private setting. In this article we’ll start breaking down how intimate scenes are discussed, choreographed, and filmed. What I love the most about this scene are the nuances in performance that stem from Tierney’s brilliant writing and input, and Chala Hunter’s extraordinary intimacy coordination and Choreography. As well as, of course, the incredible performances from Williams and Storrie.

Queer Coding and Consent

We last left Shane and Ilya in the Toronto locker rooms as they talk after their first shower scene (discussed in my last breakdown). Ilya has invited himself to Shane’s hotel room in a collection of lines so cool that they have been tattooed into flesh many times over in the past few weeks. Jacob Tierney deserves all the awards for his incredible writing and bestowing us with these quotable (and inkable) lines. In my two previous articles I discussed queer coding and non-verbal communication which has a long history in queer culture and is still presently used today. Much of episode one deeply involves queer coding and non-verbal communication between Shane and Ilya up until this point, where the two have somewhat of a conversation, and Ilya makes his move (with words). This is the first time we see Ilya verbally asking for consent to come to Shane’s hotel room, but as previously discussed it is not the first time we see consent function within this episode. We will see lots more queer coding and non-verbal communication as the episodes progress.

Emotional Content – Queer Intimacy

More so than even the sex, the queer intimacy, is what drives this scene. I’ve seen so much discourse about Heated Rivalry not being representative of the experience of gay, bi, and queer men. And no show is going to provide representation to everyone. These characters are all very attractive, masculine, buff, athletes (except Kip who is an unusually buff Smoothie Maker). Viewers enjoy the aesthetics of these characters, but it is by far the intimacy (sexual and non-sexual) that really draws in fans. These may not be queer representations that fit for everyone, and that’s ok. But they do speak to a lot of queer people, myself included. Not to delve too much into my personal life but I’ve been in queer relationships that had to be hidden, with men who weren’t prepared to come out or were questioning their sexuality. I’ve had to act like I don’t like someone in public settings where outing our relationship might have fucked up both our careers. I’ve had weird and disconnected communication and then lapped up every time-limited private moment even when the code switching almost drove me mad. The overall emotional context is what speaks to fans. Most of us have been broken up with or walked out on when we’re vulnerable or maybe just starting to let ourselves feel something, we’ve had to bear witness to someone we love with another person, we’ve felt that pang of jealousy when our lover talks about someone else or we fear they might leave. We can relate to the yearning, the ups and downs, the difficulties, the obstacles; the emotional content.

Another thing that’s come up in my comments section are critiques that the roles of both couples are heteronormative, with the tops being the more masculine and the bottoms being more emotional and feminine. As a queer Intimacy Coordinator, a Gender Studies Teacher and Scholar, as a Filmmaker whose work focuses specifically on critiques of heteronormativity, heteronormative romance, and binary gender roles—I disagree with these critiques. Illya, Shane, Scott, and Kip are all masculine men. It’s worth noting that Scott and Kip are verse. This is more pronounced in the books but it’s also within the series. I’d also argue that being more sensitive and expressing emotions is masculine. Some of the most masculine men I know and have worked with are sensitive and emotionally expressive. The suggestion that Ilya and Scott are not emotionally expressive is another point I disagree with. Ilya is full of emotion; it’s just repressed under a hard Slavic exterior (again, personally relatable). His emotions read from the first scene; they just aren’t super obvious. Scott is emotionally available and very honest about the way he feels towards Kip. Ilya keeps his emotions deep inside. Shane struggles with how he’s feeling, and we see more of his emotions visibly, but there are many elements of repression in his character too. Kip is the most emotionally out there, but he has some emotional reservations. Regardless of the aesthetics of these characters, they are all deep, well written, well performed characters. They are not one-dimensional femme/masc couples. They are far more complex than such a simplistic statement. These are men loving men. These are masculine men with varying life experiences, challenges, and at different moments in their lives. If anything, I’d like to see some femme representation in future seasons. I’d love to see more feminine men in Heated Rivalry. But stating that men are feminine because they display more emotion or bottom is so very outdated. While there are elements of older queer conventions in the series such as queer coding and cruising, the show is quite current in terms of queer dynamics about men who love men. People are entitled to their opinions, but I do urge folks to think more deeply about the many layers in this show and not only relate it to personal experience. Let it speak for multiple generations and the many different ways in which queer men exist, communicate, feel, love, and fuck.

Communication, Boundaries, Meetings, and Actor Consent

Before we really dive into this week’s Intimacy Coordinator breakdown, it’s important to note that all the action, choreography, contact, amount of nudity, how intimacy functions within the larger story, and more, have all been discussed in great detail in numerous lengthy conversations in preproduction meetings. These will be discussed again in the lead up to each intimate scene, on the day of shooting each intimate scene, as well as during, and after an intimate scene (I discuss how boundaries function in more details in my previous article). I want to discuss how these preproduction meetings function but might do so in a Between the Scenes article where I discuss general IC stuff, because even though they are one of my favourite parts, they are quite lengthy to explain. However, I do want to emphasise here that ongoing and open communication is crucial to a well-functioning and safe set. Boundaries are discussed in preproduction meetings and continue to be discussed all the way through filming. Consent is informed and ongoing. An actor my change a boundaries or revoke consent at any time. As ICs we are the actors’ biggest advocates at times when they are often hyper-exposed (naked or simulated nudity) and feeling vulnerable.

Storytelling with Clothing – Wardrobe, IC Garments, and socks, oh my!

Alexa play Sealion by Feist!

We see Shane in his hotel room trying on a suit, which is so darling, but also tells us a lot about his character. Shane doesn’t know how to dress and he’s trying to look good for Ilya. He realises he’s going a bit overboard and settles on something more casual; something which says he’s just been hanging out in his hotel room not even thinking about Ilya (which couldn’t be further than the truth). I want to give a shoutout here to the Wardrobe Department on Heated Rivalry. Costume Designers and Wardrobe give us so much in the way of character expression and development. There are so many clues or personality traits that a characters’ clothing can provide the viewer. Intimacy Coordinators also work very closely with the Wardrobe Department, not just in the way of modesty garments (also known as intimacy garments, I personally use this term but modesty garment is more common, I’ll likely flip between the two), but also because as Intimacy Coordinators we need to know what the actors are wearing, how these items come off, how easily the actors can get them on and off before/during/after an intimate scene, what clothing can we hide intimacy garments, barriers, prosthetics, or other intimacy items behind, how will all of this effect the blocking and choreography of the scene.

Clothing and Choreography – Let’s get physical

Shane settles on a t-shirt, sweats, underwear, and a pair of white socks (Shane leaving his socks on was apparently something Williams pushed for as a marker of his personality, according to an interview). Shane also folds his clothes when he takes them off where Ilya throws his off with wild abandon. Ilya arrives in an open jacket, tank top, jeans, underwear, sneakers, and socks. It may seem a little silly to mention every single item, but an IC has to know all this. The removal of clothes is central to choreography.

For example, IC directions or choreography steps might be:

Ilya push Shane softly to the wall

Ilya put your hand right hand under Shane’s chin

Ilya kiss Shane softly

Ilya take off your jacket

Ilya kiss Shane again

Ilya take Shane’s t-shirt off

Shane undo Ilya’s zipper while Ilya takes off your t-shirt

Shane put your right hand down Ilya’s pants

Ilya take off your tank top

Ilya touch Shane’s face with your right hand

Shane touch Ilya’s shoulder and chest

We can see already how clothing is part of IC direction and how easily it can be taken off or not taken off can impact the choreography. T-shirts and tank tops are easy to remove as long as there is no tape holding them in place (this is usually removed prior to an intimate scene). For example, if an actor is wearing a very open V-neck dress, then it’s likely a clear double-sided tape, known as fashion tape, is holding it in place for other scenes, but will likely be removed or not secured for an intimate scene. We don’t have to worry about that in this scene (although it is likely tape has been used to make sure Shane’s infamous white socks stay up). We do also have to consider scenes where lav mics are used and removed for intimate scenes, as lav mics are usually taped to the chest of an actor under their clothes. ICs do use a variety of tapes including the same double-sided fashion tape the Wardrobe and Sound Departments use, as well as K-tape, or kinesiology tape, which is one of the most common tapes we use. It sticks well to skin, moves with the actor, and comes in a variety of skin tones. We also use body tape for larger areas where we might be covering most of the breasts in a scene. Tape is a crucial part of our IC pack or bag. More on tape later.

There is a part in this scene where Ilya moves to kiss Shane then takes his tank top off. To me it looks like he might have moved a step ahead then remembered to take off his tank top, but it looks so natural within this scene because Ilya and Shane are both a bit nervous and a little fumbly, which adds to the authenticity of the scene. It could be part of choreography, it could be choices made by the actor; it could be a beautiful misstep. We are moving between different camera shots here too. I’ll discuss editing in more detail later on when it’s more prominent to the effectiveness of the scene, but along with coverage (camera shots), editing plays a huge role in bringing these intimate scenes to life, and is also something an IC needs to be aware of. Where might there be a cut? How can we set up positions for this shot and change them for this next shot? Do we need to add or take away any k-tape, body tape, or change intimacy garments? Do the actors need a break, to hydrate, or talk?

Choreography – It’s like learning a dance

I started giving a short example of what some of these steps could look like in the above section regarding working with characters clothing. They are usually brief directions using the characters’ names and desexualised language. The actors learn the choreography (steps in the dance) which allows them more room for emotional exploration within the scenes. It’s less for the actors to have to think or worry about. It provides safety for everyone on set and the best intimate scenes usually bloom from some very strict choreography.

To continue:

Shane puts his hand down Ilya’s jeans

Ilya takes his tank top off

Ilya puts his thumb in Shane’s mouth

Shane sucks Ilya’s thumb while closing his eyes

Illya kisses Shane on the cheek

Shane kneels in front of Ilya

In an interview with Vulture, Hunter relayed about this scene, “I remember all of us working together to be like, now your thumb goes in his mouth, now you kiss, now your shirt comes off, and now you go down to your knees”. All ICs will communicate a little differently with the words we use, it very much depends on the people you’re working with and what those comfort levels/boundaries are.

Camera Setups

I’m not going to breakdown all the camera setups in this scene, I’m not a cinematographer—there are a few Cinematographers doing scene breakdowns and they deserve your views but will briefly mention a few of the shots as they relate to IC. For more info on brief camera setups and shot types check out my last article. For this scene, we have two areas being shot in: the inside doorway of Shane’s hotel and Shane’s bed. The most important shots inside the doorway are the tracking shot that pushes in on Ilya and Shane, as well as bringing the viewer closer as the action is heating up, where the camera stops at a medium shot is important. More on that in a moment. There is a lot of coverage when it comes to the bed but the important shots are the profile full shots of Ilya and Shane in the bed as well as the front-on or near front-on TTs or medium closeup shots. TTs is an outdated term but it still gets used, I will use it if drawing up a quick storyboard or if I’m trying to relay something to my Cinematographer—note I will write or say “TT” and not the whole term. TT is a slang term meaning Two Titty shot because the shot includes that area of the chest (I argue that this includes men, women, and anyone with a breast/chest area) but it can be offensive. I would never use the full name, but a medium closeup is a better term for this shot, I grew up on sets run and crewed by an older style and generation of filmmaking, and some terms just stick.

Modesty Garments

I try not to consume that may interviews about the show when writing as I want to try to give my perspective from watching and analysing the show, not just regurgitating what I’ve read in an article. But I did read a Vulture article today, so the guess work is now taken out of the modesty/intimacy garments. For most of the filming Williams and Storrie wore Covvier pouches that included padding, pouch for added barrier protection, and a tail (a strap the goes between the buttocks). The basic pouch or sock is explained in the shower scene article, but these pouches have extra stuff that make them easier to work with as most of what you need is right there. The padding provides sensitivity protection, which we try to avoid with positions, barriers (silicone or PVC, usually cut up yoga mats or other soft flexible PVC), padding, and modesty garments. The padding also provides a little more coverage for the person wearing it than the softer, thinner material of a standard sock. The extra pouches are awesome because we can add an additional barrier. But the tail is the genius part. This gets taped essentially where a thong would go; it gives butthole coverage. This is where K-tape comes in. You want to make sure the tail is secure and that the K-tape is providing enough coverage on the actors’ body, but you also don’t want the k-tape to be visible when the actors are moving or rolling around. While some of this can be taken out in editing, it’s best to try to get the intimacy garments and taping right. It’s an intricate process to get correct and an incredibly intimate one also. This taping of the tail can also provide a bit more concealment/coverage as the padded pouch (and potential added barrier) is pulled down and back. There is also a section at the top of the front of the pouch that is taped with k-tape. There is still a drawstring component for the actors to put their genitals in, but it is under padding and heavier material. These Covvier padded pouches are an outstanding tool in making intimate scenes safer and more comfortable for the actors. There are a handful of companies that make intimacy garments, Covvier and Intimask being the two leaders in the market.

In terms of who applies modesty garments it is usually the actors themselves with direction from the IC. Wardrobe may assist where needed, with an IC consulting and doing checks. I’ve applied many a roll of k-tape myself at the actor’s request, because it can be difficult to get the application correct if we’re seeing a lot from behind. Camera angles and editing do help regarding this, but we still want a good coverage with the less seen by the camera the better. A quick note that many actors will shave their pubic areas if they are filming intimate scenes because tape + hair = pain during removal. We carry oils to assist removing the tape as gently as possible, but it can still be painful. Less or no hair means that removal is easier for everyone. There are some shots throughout the season where you can see areas have been shaved. Just take my word for it, because these are things I notice as an IC, don’t be creepy and go looking for them.

Simulating Sex – Folie a Deux, ou Trois, ou Quatre, ou Cinq

Even though we had two actors in last week’s shower scene, we only had one simulating masturbation. I forgot to mention the term “anchor points”. This is a point where an actor will start an intimate action from that isn’t their actual genitals. I did describe this but forgot to mention the term. So, for the shower scene Ilya’s anchor point might have been his left upper thigh. This scene was an easier scene to shoot due to less camera setups, only one area being filmed, on the one set, only one actor simulating masturbation. It gets a lot more complicated when you are choreographing two actors’ simulating sex. This is not to say the scene was easy to shoot, it’s a shower scene with running water which presents its own problems.

One thing I want to note is that we never see either Ilya or Shane’s penises throughout the series. This is the same in Fellow Travelers, another queer show with impeccably choreographed sex scenes. They did use prosthetics in Fellow Travelers, but I don’t think we ever fully see them in shots (not from memory anyway). Tierney has spoken about the choice to intentionally not show cock in Heated Rivalry, as he didn’t think it added anything to the scenes or story, and I agree. Crave gave the team carte blanche to film how they saw fit, and this was the decision made by Tierney.

The first key action where we see simulation is when Shane drops to his knees. The level of Shane’s head needs to remain low enough to remain out of shot (this is why the mark the tracking shot stops is important). Shane is simulating oral sex by picking an anchor point and moving his head back and forth. His head is quite low and pointed down, so it might be under Ilya’s pouch. There will be distance between the actors while Shane is miming oral sex movements; Shane’s mouth or face won’t actually make any contact with Ilya; his mouth is most likely closed. It’s possible Ilya is helping Shane to keep his head below the camera line by guiding Shane’s head with his hands. This could be purely an aesthetic choice but could serve a dual function as a movement guide.

The sort of 1.5 action is the way Ilya and Shane get into bed. Neither of their manoeuvres are particularly natural but they hide their pouches which can often feel like half your job on days you’re filming sex scenes. The actors are constantly asking if the camera can see their pouch, and the IC is constantly giving direction on how to conceal the pouch.

For example:

Ilya bring your right leg up an inch more and tilt your left hip down

Shane walk to the bed, and turn right before sitting down and bending up your right knee

Williams and Storrie (along with Hunter) tie these movements into the character’s personalities and emotional state... Ilya is confident, lying in wait, whereas Shane is nervous and shy. Again, incredible work with transitional movements and character nuance.

The second key action is Ilya manually stimulating Shane, you’ll notice I’m again using character names and desexualised language. This is not language I would use in a casual conversation, but it is professional language used when educating, explaining, or working as an IC. Again, what language and words get used depends on who is working with who and what their level of comfortability is (as well as upholding boundaries). The use of profile shots allows the actors to bend one leg which looks aesthetically pleasing but also provides coverage for the pouches. The actors have a bit more movement with this coverage. Ilya rolls from his back to his side without the viewer seeing the pouch. Ilya’s back then provides coverage for the manual stimulation action. Ilya will have picked an anchor point here which looks like it’s on the lower stomach, maybe Shane’s left hip and Ilya simulates (or mimes) masturbation.

The third key action is Shane rolling towards Ilya and positioning himself to simulate oral sex. The positioning and movement in this key action are very fluid. There is a point where Shane moves Ilya’s leg under him which is likely to avoid contact or sensitivity but looks like a movement anyone might make in a real situation to get into a comfortable position. This part of the scene is shot so elegantly with Ilya bent leg providing coverage and allowing for Shane to choose an anchor point that avoids contact or sensitivity. The positioning here looks a bit low. I can’t be sure where exactly it is, but it might be below Ilya’s pouch again. There isn’t a lot of coverage from Ilya’s leg higher up, and an actual real life non-simulated position would be a bit higher than where Shane’s head is positioned. For the front-on shots, this is where “cheating” a shot comes in. This is very common in filmmaking. We move sets, furniture, props, and actors into positions that would look really weird from another angle put provide a continuity or other desired effect for a specific shot. In the front on medium shot where Shane is simulating oral sex on Ilya, Shane’s head is incredibly high above Ilya’s body. This looks fantastic onscreen and provides a lot of distance between the actors. It’s a cool part of the scene to watch because it looks amazing, but the height of Shane’s head makes me chuckle a little because I can’t help but see the position.

The fourth Key action in Ilya simulating oral sex on Shane. The movement to get to Shane is why K-tape is our most used IC item (if you don’t consider mints and mouthwash). The camera is at a good angle that we don’t see much but they few crew on that set would see a lot more than the camera frame cuts out. For the profile shot Ilya picks a similar anchor point, again avoiding contact and sensitivity. Shane’s leg provides a lot of coverage and there are points where Ilya’s head is quite high, not crazy high, but noticeable to an IC. During the partial front-on shots of this action, Ilya’s head is not as high as Shane’s head was because this is a slightly different shot. The slight side angle and slight down tilt means less coverage for Ilya’s head. While Ilya is closer in this shot there is still a considerable distance between his face and Shane’s body. It’s worth noting that different anchor points are used for the profile shots than the front-on shots, and again for each actor. These depend on how much coverage the actor has to work behind and how much of the choreography and actors’ bodies are out of the frame.

This scene is so masterfully choreographed that even movements that are perhaps missteps fit the energy and context of the scene. They could be intentional choreography, or actor choices, it’s really hard to tell from an analytical perspective. There are so many steps in this choreography to go through it would get quite boring to go move by move through the whole scene, but the key actions here are the hardest to position and film meeting the criteria ICs work by; avoiding contact and sensitivity as much as possible while also creating a sex scene that looks hot and engaging while also authentic by conveying characters’ personality, idiosyncrasies, emotions, nuance, and storytelling.

Stepping out of Character and IC Check-ins

I mentioned this last article but stepping out of character or “de-roling” would be an important after this scene in particular as it is both hyper-exposed and an intense scene to shoot. Some rest and aftercare would be important for Williams and Storrie after stepping out of character. And checking in with the actors afterwards to talk about how they feel the scene went and if there are any changes regarding boundaries, anything that felt uncomfortable, or any changes or input for upcoming sex scenes. Note this is just a check in, more formal meetings are scheduled before each intimate scene, with each actor separately, the actors together, then the director, then the actors and director. Depending on the communication and trust the actors, IC, and director have these meetings may not always take this shape before every scene but speaking to actors separately and actors together are incredibly important in discussing and gaging how to proceed with your job as an IC overall on a project, but also how to approach each scene.

Next week’s post will be Nashville...

See y’all at the Cottage!