How to Become an Intimacy Coordinator
Intimacy coordinators are unionized professionals in Film, TV and new media who help prepare and coordinate scenes involving nudity, simulated sex, physical intimacy, and other hyper-exposed material so the work can be performed safely, repeatably, and with real craft.
Intimacy coordinators have reached their first union contract through SAG-AFTRA. The role now sits inside a growing professional structure, with union standards, training benchmarks, registry resources, and a collective bargaining agreement covering intimacy coordination work on scripted television, theatrical, and streaming productions.
This guide explains what the job is, what training is required, how certification works, what it costs, and how to begin.
CINTIMA's position is simple: training matters, but minimum training is only the floor. A working intimacy coordinator needs knowledge of consent-based process, choreography, performer advocacy, documentation, production fluency, nudity riders, modesty garments, barriers, closed-set protocols, and interdepartmental communication. The job requires care, but care alone is not enough. It requires a full professional practice.
Quick answer
To become an intimacy coordinator, you need structured training in the core areas SAG-AFTRA identifies for qualified intimacy coordination:
• Consent
• Anti-harassment and anti-sexual-harassment
• Movement coaching and masking techniques
• Proper use of modesty garments and barriers
• Mediation or conflict resolution
• Gender identity and sexual orientation
• Anti-racist and EDI practice
• Bystander intervention
• Mental Health First Aid, trauma stewardship, or related training
Those areas are the professional foundation. The job also requires production fluency: script breakdown, performer advocacy, nudity riders, closed-set protocols, interdepartmental coordination, documentation, and the ability to support intimate scenes under real set pressure.
CINTIMA is a SAG-AFTRA accredited training program built as a full pathway for people training toward professional intimacy coordination: online foundations, production workflow, live choreography practice, mentorship, Mental Health First Aid, background check, and certification-stage evaluation.
You do not need prior on-set experience to begin Module I. To access Module III, CINTIMA requires proof of 10 days of work experience on a professional film or television set within the past 10 years.
On this page
What is an intimacy coordinator?
An intimacy coordinator, often called an IC, is the advocate, liaison, and movement coach or choreographer for scenes involving nudity, simulated sex, physical intimacy, or other hyper-exposed material.
The IC works with performers, directors, assistant directors, producers, costume, hair and makeup, legal, and other departments to make sure intimate scenes are clearly planned, consented to, documented, and repeatable.
The role exists because intimate scenes require the same level of preparation as other physically and emotionally demanding work on set.
A stunt is planned.
A fight is counted and choreographed.
A dance is rehearsed.
A camera move is marked.
For a long time, intimate scenes were often treated as something performers should simply figure out in the moment. That left actors negotiating exposure, contact, boundaries, and storytelling under pressure, often while the camera was already rolling.
Intimacy coordination gives those scenes a professional process.
That process protects performers, supports directors, and gives production a clear record of what has been agreed to. It also makes the work better. When the action is specific, consented to, and repeatable, performers have more room to act. Directors have more control over the frame. Production has fewer surprises. The scene can be built with care instead of improvised under pressure.
What does an intimacy coordinator do on set?
The work of an intimacy coordinator begins before the shoot day and continues through production documentation. The IC is not just present for the scene. They help build the conditions that allow the scene to work.
A typical intimacy coordination scope may include:
Script breakdown
The IC reads the script for intimacy beats, nudity, simulated sex, exposure, power dynamics, character relationship, and the story being told through the body.
This is not only a safety read. It is also a craft read. A trained IC looks at what the scene is asking from the performers and what the story needs the audience to understand.
Director and producer conversations
The IC speaks with the director and production team to understand creative intent, scene requirements, shooting plans, coverage, wardrobe, schedule, and production limitations.
A strong IC helps translate creative intention into practical action. What does the director want the scene to feel like? What does the camera need to see? What does the actor need to perform? What does production need documented before the day begins?
Performer conversations
The IC meets privately with performers to discuss the scene, boundaries, questions, concerns, modesty garment needs, and what is workable for them.
This protects the performer's ability to speak clearly before the pressure of the shoot day. It also helps production avoid assumptions, surprises, and last-minute confusion.
Rider and top-line summary
The IC supports the process around nudity riders and top-line summaries so the paperwork reflects what will actually be filmed.
That may include permitted action, restricted action, visible body areas, wardrobe, modesty garments, barriers, camera angles, and any specific conditions that must be met before the scene can proceed.
Interdepartmental coordination
The IC works across departments to make sure scenes are supported properly.
That may include costume for modesty garments and wardrobe needs, hair and makeup for continuity and body coverage, props for practical items in the scene, stunts for overlapping physical action, ADs for closed-set protocol, and production for schedule, documentation, and communication.
Rehearsal and choreography
The IC helps design the physical action of the scene so that contact, timing, breath, eyelines, rhythm, and coverage are clear.
The goal is not to make a scene mechanical. The goal is to make it playable. A repeatable structure gives performers freedom because they know what is expected, what is agreed to, and what will happen next.
Closed set protocols
The IC helps establish and hold closed-set conditions, so only essential personnel are present and the room stays focused.
Closed set is not just a sign on a door. It is a working protocol. It affects who is in the room, what monitors are visible, how communication moves, and how the scene is protected while it is being filmed.
Documentation
The IC creates professional records, including notes, scene summaries, rider-related details, rehearsal records, and end-of-day reports.
Documentation protects everyone. It helps production track what happened, what changed, what was agreed to, and what needs to be carried forward.
Do you need certification to become an intimacy coordinator?
Certification is not currently a legal requirement to work as an Intimacy Coordinator.
However, in professional film and television, the level and quality of your training matter. Productions need to know that the person stepping into this role understands more than care, instinct, or good intentions. They need to know the IC can work with performers, directors, ADs, producers, legal, costume, hair and makeup, and other departments while holding sensitive material with clarity and professionalism.
SAG-AFTRA accredits Intimacy Coordinator training programs, not individual ICs. A SAG-AFTRA accredited training program has been reviewed against standards for curriculum, instructor experience, and equity and inclusion commitments.
That makes accreditation a useful baseline when choosing where to train. Look for a program that builds beyond that baseline: one that teaches the full production workflow, covers the required training areas, gives you live practice, includes mentorship, and prepares you to operate with department-head level organization.
CINTIMA is built around that full pathway.
How to become an intimacy coordinator
Step 1: Choose the right training pathway
Choosing the right trianing pathway is typically about alignment. Start by choosing a training organization that reflects the role you are actually entering, and aligns with your values
Intimacy coordination is not only about being careful with actors. It is a production role that requires consent-based process, choreography, documentation, rider fluency, closed-set protocols, and the ability to communicate across departments under pressure.
SAG-AFTRA accreditation is one useful marker because it shows that a training program has met established standards. But the stronger question is whether the program prepares you for the full job.
CINTIMA's certification pathway begins online and on-demand, so trainees can start from wherever they are based and progress toward in-person choreography training and certification.
Step 2: Build the full range of skills the role requires
A single class is not the whole job.
Working intimacy coordinators need training across multiple areas, including consent, anti-harassment, movement coaching, masking techniques, modesty garments, barriers, conflict resolution, gender and sexuality, anti-racist and EDI practice, bystander intervention, trauma-informed practice, and Mental Health First Aid.
Many people enter this field with one strong entry point. They may come from acting, dance, movement, directing, education, advocacy, therapy, stunts, stage intimacy, somatic practice, sexuality education, adult-adjacent performance, or other body-based creative fields..
That entry point matters, but it is not enough by itself. The role asks for a full professional stack.
CINTIMA is designed as an integrated pathway so trainees are not left assembling core requirements from scattered providers without a clear sequence.
Step 3: Meet the on-set experience requirement
You do not neccessarily need on-set experience to begin your training pathway.
However to progress through CINTIMA training, particularly to gain access to Module III, CINTIMA requires proof of 10 days of work experience on a professional film or television set within the past 10 years. That experience can come from any department. It can be above or below the line, behind or in front of the camera, paid or unpaid, union or nonunion.
What matters is that you had real access to set and can document it.
Accepted proof may include call sheets, pay stubs, or a letter from a producer, UPM, or hiring department. IMDb profiles can also be accepted as proof in certain circumstances.
This requirement exists because intimacy coordination happens inside the pace, pressure, hierarchy, and communication systems of production. You need to understand the room you are training to lead.
Step 4: Complete the coursework and practical training
CINTIMA's training moves from foundations into applied skill.
Modules I to III are online and on-demand. They build the intellectual, ethical, administrative, and technical foundation of the work.
Module IV is a live four-day choreography workshop in Los Angeles. This is where trainees apply the work in person through scene study, director and actor communication, rider language, modesty garment application, and simulated on-set practice.
Some things can be learned online. Physical coordination, live communication, and embodied scene work need a live room.
Step 5: Complete the certification stage
After completing the four modules, trainees move into the certification stage.
This stage includes applied work, mentorship, a final film project, Mental Health First Aid, a federal or international background check, and final assessment. Trainees are evaluated on knowledge, practical skill, professional readiness, and alignment with the values required to hold the work ethically and responsibly.
CINTIMA certification is valid for two years. At the end of each two-year cycle, certified ICs complete a review process to confirm they are staying current with field standards, continuing education, professional practice, and CINTIMA’s certification expectations.
Certification is not just a certificate at the end of a course. It is a readiness process.
Step 6: Begin working and keep current
The field is still evolving. Working intimacy coordinators continue learning as standards, contracts, production expectations, and best practices develop.
A serious IC keeps their skills current, reflects on their work, documents carefully, seeks mentorship when needed, and stays in conversation with the field.
The goal is not only to get hired. The goal is to be the kind of practitioner productions can trust with sensitive material, complex rooms, and scenes that require both care and craft.
What training and credentials does the role require?
If you map out the role honestly, intimacy coordination is more than a single course. A qualified IC needs training and practice across the following areas:
• Consent-based process - particularly mapped to the work environment of Film, Television and New Media.
• Anti-harassment and anti-sexual-harassment
• Movement coaching and masking techniques
• Proper use of modesty garments and barriers
• Rider language and top-line summaries
• Script breakdown for intimate scenes
• Communication with directors, performers, ADs, producers, and departments
• Mediation and conflict resolution
• Gender identity and sexual orientation
• Anti-racist and EDI practice
• Bystander intervention
• Trauma-informed practice
• Mental Health First Aid or equivalent mental health training
• Closed-set protocols
• Professional documentation
• Supervised or mentored applied experience
• Professional background check
• Department-head readiness
Department-head readiness matters because intimacy coordinators often hold sensitive information, performer boundaries, legal documents, wardrobe needs, closed-set conditions, and production schedule pressure at the same time.
A strong training pathway should prepare you to operate with clear prep, clean notes, careful documentation, professional communication, and the ability to keep the process moving without losing the performer-centered core of the work.
There are ways to assemble this training piecemeal, and some aspiring intimacy coordinators choose that route, finding a range of trainings to cover on-set practice, consent, choreography, documentation, rider language, modesty garments, barriers, trauma-informed awareness, and production communication. CINTIMA’s pathway is built to bring the required training, live practice, certification-stage work, mentorship, Mental Health First Aid, and background check into one structured process.
What skills does an intimacy coordinator need?
Intimacy coordination requires care, but care alone is not the job.
A working IC needs the language, process, and production fluency to move a scene from the first script read to the final report.
Core skills include:
Department-head readiness
A working IC needs production communication, organization, documentation, and the ability to coordinate across departments.
The director may be thinking about story. The performer may be thinking about boundaries. The AD may be thinking about time. Costume may be thinking about garments. Legal may be thinking about rider language. Production may be thinking about risk.
The IC has to understand those needs and keep the flow of the shoot moving with clarity.
Script and scene analysis
The IC must be able to read for intimacy, exposure, story, power, tone, and risk.
A scene is not just a list of actions. It has emotional logic, character stakes, camera needs, and production requirements. The IC has to understand all of them.
Rider and top-line fluency
The IC must understand how to work with nudity riders and top-line summaries so the paperwork matches the creative plan.
This is where consent, legal process, creative intent, and production logistics meet.
Modesty garment and barrier knowledge
The IC must understand the practical tools used to protect performers during scenes involving nudity, simulated sex, or close physical contact.
That includes knowing what tools exist, how they are used, who needs to be involved, and how to coordinate with costume and performers respectfully.
Consent-based choreography
The IC must be able to help design intimate action that respects performer boundaries while serving the scene.
That includes knowing how to build the action, how to revise it, how to hold consistency across takes, and how to adjust when something changes.
Closed-set leadership
The IC must be able to help hold a closed set under real pressure.
That means knowing how to communicate with ADs, producers, camera, directors, and performers without inflaming the room or losing the point.
Documentation
The IC must produce clear professional records.
Good documentation is not bureaucracy. It is part of the safety and continuity of the work.
Who becomes an intimacy coordinator?
There is no single background that makes someone an intimacy coordinator.
Many people come into the field through one of these pathways:
Actors and performers
Actors often understand what it feels like to perform vulnerable material in a room full of people. That lived knowledge can become a strong foundation when paired with training, structure, and production fluency.
Dancers and movement professionals
Dancers, choreographers, and movement directors often bring a strong understanding of bodies in space, repeatable physical action, rhythm, timing, and rehearsal process.
Theatre artists
Theatre artists may come through directing, stage management, movement, acting, or stage intimacy. They often understand rehearsal rooms, actor process, and the value of clearly held agreements.
Stunt and fight professionals
Stunt and fight professionals already understand repeatable safety, counted action, physical risk, and the need for a clear plan before the camera rolls.
Directors, producers, and crew
Some people enter through production itself. They understand schedule pressure, department communication, chain of command, and how quickly a set can become unclear without preparation.
Educators, therapists, advocates, and facilitators
Some trainees come from adjacent fields that involve communication, care, group process, sexuality education, trauma awareness, or advocacy.
These backgrounds can be valuable, but they do not replace the need to learn production. Intimacy coordination is not therapy, advocacy alone, or generalized facilitation. It is a specific role inside film and television production.
Somatic, body-based, and intimate-performance practitioners
Some trainees come from somatic practice, bodywork, sexuality education, burlesque, cabaret, nightlife, adult-adjacent performance, or other body-based creative fields.
These backgrounds can bring a real understanding of embodiment, exposure, gaze, and negotiated performance. To move into mainstream film and television, that experience needs to be paired with production training, documentation practice, and a clear understanding of professional set protocols.
You do not need every background listed above. You need one real entry point, the humility to train, and the discipline to learn the full scope of the job.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
CINTIMA's pathway is designed so trainees can begin online and move at a sustainable pace.
Modules I to III are online and on-demand. Module IV is a four-day in-person choreography workshop in Los Angeles, held three times a year. The certification stage varies by trainee because it includes applied work, mentorship, Mental Health First Aid, background check, and final evaluation.
Many trainees continue working in other roles while they train. CINTIMA does not permit trainees to work or represent themselves as intimacy coordinators during the training pathway. That boundary protects the trainee, the production, and the professional standards of the field.
Current Pricing (2026)
Complete Certification Package
$7,499
Three and six month payment plans are available, as well as Klarna and Afterpay.
A-la-carte Pricing
Module I (new trainees start here)
$599
Module II
$1,999
Module III
$2,999
Module IV
$2,099
Certification Stage
$799
Complete bundle discount can be applied after Module I if you wish to continue to full certification.
You do not have to commit to the full pathway on your first day. Some trainees begin with Module I to understand the foundations of the work before deciding whether to continue. If they choose to pursue full certification, the bundle discount is applied to the remaining courses. Others choose the Complete Certification Package from the beginning because they already know they are training toward professional readiness.
Can you train to become an intimacy coordinator online?
Yes, mostly.
CINTIMA's Modules I to III are online and on-demand, so you can complete the majority of the training from wherever you are based.
Module IV is in person in Los Angeles because choreography, modesty garment application, actor and director communication, and simulated on-set practice need live bodies, live timing, and real feedback.
Online training can build the foundation. In-person work tests whether you can apply that foundation in the room.
Why train with CINTIMA?
CINTIMA is a SAG-AFTRA accredited intimacy coordinator training program for film and television.
This program is built for people who are not only collecting a credential, but stepping into a professional role. The work asks you to think like an advocate, prepare like a department head, communicate like a creative collaborator, and move like a choreographer. CINTIMA trains for the full job because the certificate only matters if the practice can hold up on set.
Training above the minimum
SAG-AFTRA training standards matter because they give the field a shared professional baseline.
However the job on the ground needs more than the baseline.
CINTIMA trains beyond the minimum by building a structured path from foundations through applied choreography and certification-stage evaluation.
The pathway includes:
• Modules I to III online and on-demand
• A four-day live choreography workshop in Los Angeles
• Practical assessments
• Rider language
• Modesty garment and barrier training
• Director and actor communication
• Simulated on-set practice
• Final film project
• Mentorship
• Mental Health First Aid
• Background check
• Final evaluation
The program is built around the real workflow
Intimacy coordination is not only a values-based role. It is a workflow.
The IC reads the script, speaks with production, speaks with directors, speaks with actors, supports riders, coordinates with costume, plans garments and barriers, rehearses action, holds closed set, supports the shoot, and documents the day.
CINTIMA trains that full arc.
It keeps care and craft together
The field can flatten intimacy coordination into safety alone. Safety matters. Consent matters. Performer advocacy matters.
But intimate storytelling also requires craft.
A trained IC needs to understand story, tone, camera, rhythm, performance, embodiment, and the emotional shape of a scene. The goal is not to stop the work. The goal is to make the work possible under professional conditions.
It is designed for professional readiness
CINTIMA's training is built to help trainees operate with the organization, communication, and judgment expected from someone entering a sensitive department role.
That means learning how to prepare, how to document, how to speak to production, how to support performers, how to collaborate with directors, and how to stay clear under pressure.
It is led by working practitioners
CINTIMA was founded and led by working practitioners who have helped shape intimacy coordination as a professional field.
The program is grounded in film and television practice, live production realities, and the belief that intimate storytelling deserves serious craft, clear process, and trained professionals.
Frequently asked questions
What is an intimacy coordinator?
An intimacy coordinator is the advocate, liaison, and choreographer for scenes involving nudity, simulated sex, physical intimacy, or hyper-exposed material. The IC works with performers, directors, and production to make sure the scene is planned, consented to, documented, and repeatable.
How do you become an intimacy coordinator?
You become an intimacy coordinator by completing structured training, learning the production workflow, building fluency in SAG-AFTRA recommended training areas, and gaining practical experience through coursework, mentorship, and set-based practice.
Do you need certification to be an intimacy coordinator?
Certification is not currently a legal requirement, but training quality matters in professional film and television. Productions need ICs who can work across creative, legal, performer, and production needs with clarity.
Does SAG-AFTRA certify intimacy coordinators?
SAG-AFTRA accredits intimacy coordinator training programs. CINTIMA is a SAG-AFTRA accredited training program and offers its own certification pathway for trainees who complete the full program and meet certification requirements.
Do I need prior film or on-set experience?
You do not need prior on-set experience to begin Module I with CINTIMA. To access Module III, trainees must submit proof of 10 days of work experience on a professional film or television set within the past 10 years.
Can I train to become an intimacy coordinator online?
Yes, mostly. CINTIMA's Modules I to III are online and on-demand. Module IV is a live four-day choreography workshop in Los Angeles because the embodied and practical parts of the work need in-person training.
How much does CINTIMA certification cost?
The Complete Certification Package is currently $7,499, with payment plans available. Module I is currently $599 for trainees who want to begin with the foundations before committing to the full pathway.
What background is best for intimacy coordination?
Many ICs come from acting, dance, theatre, choreography, stunts, directing, production, education, advocacy, therapy, somatic practice, sexuality education, or body-based performance. No single background is required. What matters is that you train for the full scope of the role and understand the production environment you are entering.
Start your path
If you are curious about the field, start with Module I.
If you already know you are training toward professional readiness, explore the Complete Certification Package.
CINTIMA gives you a structured pathway into the work: online foundations, applied training, live choreography practice, certification-stage mentorship, and the professional tools needed to support intimate storytelling on set.