Baldur’s Gate 3 is quickly nearing its launch date, and developers at Larian Studios are putting out all the stops to tell gamers about the exciting upcoming title. In the past few months, those interested in the game have been treated to information about its 174 hours of cinematic cutscenes, potential 75 to 100 hours of story gameplay, and exciting world building changes. There are now new details coming from a recent interview with the British Broadcasting Channel, that explain what the developers did for actors who were required to participate in intimate romance scenes.
According to a BBC interview with two actors who worked on Baldur’s Gate 3, Jennifer English and Devora Wilde, intimacy coordinators were hired to help them feel comfortable, safe, and secure. Although it may come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with video games, big budget AAA titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 often use motion capture to bring players the best most realistic experiences. It requires real actors to enact scenes from the game and to bring the story to life. This style of video game making can lead to uncomfortable feelings among actors if not treated properly, which is why Larian Studios took a page out of the Hollywood book.
It has become much more common for film and television productions in Hollywood to hire intimacy coordinators for romance scenes. It provides a safety for the actors and safeguards liability for the film studios. This decision by the Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios could easily become the future of motion capture, as video games continue to advance in the field.
SEE: Larian Boss says Focus will Shift Back to the ‘Divinity’ Franchise after Baldur’s Gate 3
Definition of An Intimacy Coordinator and the Actresses’ Experience Working On Baldur’s Gate 3
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists describes an intimacy coordinator in the following way:
“An intimacy coordinator is an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes”
An intimacy coordinator plays many parts and the responsibilities does tasks such as:
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Acts as an advocate who serves as a liaison between actors and a production;
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Ensures that performers and other production personnel adhere to proper safety protocols;
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Serves as a resource in realizing a director’s vision;
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Assumes the role of a movement choreographer if requested by the director to enhance believability;
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Strives to build an environment in which actors understand what is expected of them in hyper-exposed scenes and to give their informed and continued consent.
The job of an intimacy coordinator is clearly a crucial aspect of film, television and now video games. If such a job had been more common in past Hollywood productions, it would have potentially prevented a number of unfortunate victimizations. Baldur’s Gate 3 is taking an important step by setting a strong precedent of bringing intimacy coordinators to motion capture. This will hopefully domino with other developers who are making similar AAA content.
SEE ALSO: Baldur’s Gate 3 Devs Provide Brilliant, if Unlikely Sick Note for Players
As for the interview with BBC, Jennifer English and Devora Wilde explained their thoughts on the experience and it was recorded as follows:
“Devora says she was pleased game developer Larian employed specially trained intimacy co-ordinators to make sure actors feel comfortable during romantic scenes… Jennifer admits there was some weirdness during recording but the game’s story never took things too far.
“I never felt ‘yuck’ in a recording session at all. And I’ve got quite a low ‘yuck’ threshold,” she says.”
Clearly, the intimacy coordinator was a good decision in the making of Baldur’s Gate 3, and it is assuring to know the actors completed their work safely and properly. As AAA titles continue to push the bounds of what can be done in video game titles, hopefully as Larian Studios desires, others will bring these valued professionals into the fold.
What do you think about Baldur’s Gate 3 hiring intimacy coordinators in the same way Hollywood does with film actors? Will more developers get on board with this crucial method? Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the future of intimacy coordinators in gaming.
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