Will there be kissing scenes in the 'new normal'? Directors discuss guidelines for filming

The practice of filming kissing scenes and other close-proximity interaction between actors for movies and TV shows is expected to change as the local entertainment industry attempts to adapt to the "new normal."

The Inter-Guild Alliance (IGA) — a network of groups representing different sectors of the local film, television, and advertising industries — has come up with a set of safety guidelines for filming amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat.

A 38-page document details recommendations for the practice of physical or social distancing during production, including an item that says: "Crowd, intimate, and other close-proximity scenes are discouraged at this time."

"We actually had conversations with actors and with all other guilds when we made the protocol," Paolo Villaluna from the Director’s Guild of the Philippines explained in an online press briefing.

"Meron kaming clause doon na ina-avoid sana ang crowd scenes kasi, obviously, pag may crowd scenes, hindi tayo puwedeng mag social distancing. Tapos dini-discourage din ang what we call close-proximity contact, ang ibig sabihin 'yung mga intimate scenes," he added.

The proposed guidelines specify that actors would have the right to refuse close-proximity and contact scenes as long as concerns and objections are relayed during pre-production and not on the actual shoot day itself.

It also says production could only proceed with filming such scenes "if full and explicit consent is secured in pre-production from all actors with roles that demand close-proximity content."

Nevertheless, Villaluna stressed that the IGA included guidelines that aim to insure the health and safety of the cast, staff and crew at all points of the production pipeline.

He also noted that filmmakers can use their creativity to minimize close-proximity contact during production.

"We (can) try to protect the actors technically logistically before the take, with all the precautions…But, on-screen already, we can be creative," Villaluna said.

"Example, what if the production decides to hire a real life couple na nag-quarantine already together, na they are willing to kiss on cam? Ngayon, kung walang mga ganong nuances at strangers lang talaga sila sa actors i avoid natin ang close proximity contact," he added.

The IGA is currently composed of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI), Lupon ng Pilipinong Sinematograpo (LPS), a Production Designers Technical Working Group, an assembly of Assistant Directors and Script Supervisors, a TV and Film Screenwriters Collective, a Technical Working Group of Freelance Line Producers and Production Managers, Sound Speed Philippines, and Filipino Film Editors in cooperation with a network of post-production companies.

After drafting the protocols, they had consultations and discussions with the Philippine Motion Pictures Producers Association (PMPPA), the Commercial Production Houses Group (CPHG), and various independent film producers.

More than 400 film and TV workers involved in the document's creation.

Earlier, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) also issued its Interim Guidelines On Safety Protocols For The Conduct Of Film And Audio-Visual Production Shoots To Mitigate COVID-19.

—JCB, GMA News