The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything about the way Hollywood does business – if any business gets done at all. As countries all around the world start to come out of quarantine lockdowns, Hollywood productions are trying to figure out how to get back to business, while keeping shoots safe for the cast and crew. That task becomes even more challenging when it comes to filming intimate love scenes for movies and TV shows, as it’s pretty much impossible to filmmaking the act of lovemaking from a proper social distance. Well, it seems as though there may be a workaround in progress: CGI sex scenes.
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The Sun reports that a new 22-page file from the film editor’s trade association details Hollywood’s new procedures for operating in a COVID-19 world. The procedures have been established as California governor Gavin Newsom authorized a plan to restart Hollywood film productions, effective on June 12th.
Reportedly, the guidelines stipulate that, “close contact moments” should “either rewritten, abandoned or CGI fixes them.”
The new sex scene stipulations are just part of the larger subset of new rules. Other stipulations include masks and visors for the entire backstage crew; new hand-washing and sterilization procedures for the actors; new “safe” setups for auditions (through plexiglass, etc.); and “coronavirus compliance officers” at events, making sure proper procedures are being followed.
As stated, Hollywood productions have been stalled since March, when the COVID-19 outbreak became a major concern for the US. Until the virus and its spread are negated by the vaccine, then the entire world is going to be on a start/stop stutter of trying to get back to normal, with businesses having to entirely reformat themselves for a coronavirus reality. The question is: how many of those changes will continue even after the coronavirus is defeated, as the world could potentially be forever changed in its approach to human contact.
As for the idea of CGI sex scenes? Hollywood has been using all kinds of tricks for years to make those seemingly intimate scenes happen. A prime example would be body doubling, wherein actors/actresses use the body parts of stand-in actors to create a better image of his/her physique. Since there’s already so much illusion involved in creating love scenes for movies, why not an entirely CGI sequence of two bodies coming together? Can’t wait for the conversations about the challenge of conquering the “uncanny valley” of human private parts.
Hollywood will resume production this month.
