What SAG-AFTRA's standards ask for
SAG-AFTRA introduced its Standards and Protocols for the Use of Intimacy Coordinators in January 2020 and later updated them. The document covers the coordinator's work in pre-production, on set, and in post, and it's the reference most productions follow even when a coordinator is hired on a non-union show. Its starting point is simple: intimacy coordinators should be hired for scenes with nudity or simulated sex, and on request for other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes.
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical contract added language on engaging intimacy coordinators for scenes with nudity or simulated sex, and on considering requests for them on other scenes. Then, after intimacy coordinators voted to join SAG-AFTRA, the union and the AMPTP reached a tentative first contract for coordinators on December 3, 2025. SAG-AFTRA's national board ratified it that month, and it took effect February 22, 2026 for scripted theatrical, television, and streaming productions starting after that date. The agreement sets daily and weekly minimums, overtime, and health and pension coverage. SAG-AFTRA posts the details on its Intimacy Coordinator Agreement page.
Prep: from the script to the rider
The work starts with the script. Per SAG-AFTRA's protocols, the coordinator meets at minimum with the executive producer or writer and the director to go through the breakdown of each intimate scene and settle three things: the degree of nudity, the specifics of any simulated sex, and anything else that matters for how the scene will be shot.
Say Scene 47 reads: "INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT. Dana and Eli undress. They make love as the neon sign flickers." That sentence could mean a lot of things. In the meeting the director describes the shots (a wide from the doorway, a close-up on hands, a two-shot in bed with the sheet at waist level), and the coordinator turns that into specific, written language: what is visible, what contact happens, how long.
Next, the coordinator meets one-on-one with each performer before rehearsal to confirm consent for the descriptive language in the nudity or simulated sex rider. SAG-AFTRA's guidance is that the rider must be given to the performer at least 48 hours before call time on the day the scene is shot. A performer cast less than 48 hours out is an exception, and even then the producer must deliver the proposed rider as early as possible and can't pressure the performer to agree. A performer should never be pushed to do anything that isn't already in their rider.
Working with other departments
The coordinator is a go-between for several departments. SAG-AFTRA's protocols name assistant directors, costumes, props, and makeup as the departments the coordinator works with so performers have the modesty garments, barriers, and prosthetics the rider calls for.
| Department | What the coordinator works out with them |
|---|---|
| First assistant director | Where the scene sits in the day, rehearsal time, who is on set, call sheet notes |
| Costume designer | Modesty garments in skin tones that match each performer, robes between takes |
| Props and set dressing | Barriers and pillows, and how the bed or surface is rigged |
| Makeup | Body makeup, prosthetics if the rider calls for them |
| Camera | Lens choices and frame lines relative to what the rider allows |
On the day
On a Day 14 call sheet with Scene 47, a 1st AD might put it right after lunch, with the coordinator's rehearsal at 1:30 p.m. and first shot at 2:15. Before the scene, the coordinator checks in with each performer, confirms garments and barriers are in place, and walks the choreography with the director and actors. During takes, the coordinator watches for anything that drifts from what was agreed, both what the camera sees and how the action is achieved, and keeps checking consent without stopping the production more than necessary. If the director asks for a new angle that shows more than the rider allows, the coordinator raises it before the camera rolls, and the performer decides on the change before anyone shoots it.
The 2026 agreement gives coordinators visual access to the scenes they coordinate and access to the final nudity riders.
How coordinators get the job
SAG-AFTRA has published recommended standards for the qualifications, training, and vetting of intimacy coordinators, including state and federal background checks, and it keeps a registry and pre-registry list of coordinators who meet them. Producers aren't required to hire from the list. The registry came after SAG-AFTRA set up industrywide accreditation for intimacy coordinator training programs.
Paperwork
Nudity and simulated sex riders, the coordinator's scene notes, garment and barrier lists for costumes, and call sheet notes. Storiara's schedule and call sheets pull cast for each scene from the script, which lets the AD team see which performers are in Scene 47 and plan the rider timeline from the shoot date. See the scheduling feature.