So you’ve got your nudity and/or simulated-sex rider signed along with your contract, you are ready to shoot.
On the Instagram show I co-star in, THE REAL DAUGHTERS of POP, I spent three seasons shooting in various stages of undress as well as a post –coital scene in Season 3 that suggested full nudity. This show has a teeny cast and crew who have been together for all 3 seasons and so I was incredibly comfortable and never considered how shooting this scene would be different.
Now when it came to the feature, this would be the first time I was doing legit on-screen nudity. I’m not gonna lie…I arrived on set nervous and definitely had those “am I really doing this” moments when I was sitting in my trailer. But then I was too busy with making sure make-up was able to cover the tattoo on my ribcage and figuring out with wardrobe how we were going to get me to easily and quickly slip out of a costume from the 1800’s that had a million buttons in the back to focus on my nerves. I was working with an actor who I already knew which helped but there was still the awkwardness of “yep this is supposed to be super sexy but at the same time technical with how-to undress choreography and keeping in mind where the camera is as its dollies in and oh right there are 5 people in the room and it’s super not sexy.”
There are things you can expect on set because you’re working with pros and because you’ve included them in your rider: a closed set with only necessary crew, a robe and/or person from wardrobe on set for between takes, closed monitors or video village being dark depending on how you’re shooting, and technical rehearsals both robed and unrobed. Our director also gave us the right to call cut should we be in any way uncomfortable during shooting, something that’s not required by SAG-AFTRA (and was in no way needed during our filming) but did a lot in terms of providing an additional level of comfort and professionalism.
Your rider helps guarantee that you know what to expect when you step on set to shoot. The rider is you being a smart business person who is putting legal protections in place so that the you, the artist, can focus on creating the work and nothing else. Everyone else on sets gets that (and has dealt with it before) which is why they create an environment where at the end of the day the rider will probably feel like overkill because they’re pros who were going to provide those things anyway.
I hope this helps break down any confusion or nerves when it comes to approaching these types of projects and don’t forget the regardless of what level you work at…most of the sexiest work to watch is the least sexy to film. This behind the scenes clip with Brooklyn Decker and Patrick Wilson from the movie STRETCH brilliantly demonstrates that:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=EDk1WF1rU9U