Male Actor is Making a Kissing Scene Too Sexual...

Z

zackhosseini

Member
I'm the director of an indie film, I should mention I'm in high school, and these two actors happen to be as well, although I didn't know them before I cast them. They are working for free, being in high-school I don't have much cash to shell out for better actors, and these actors just want experience... but it seems like one of them is trying to get a little too experimental. I know you guys probably don't have to deal with issues like this because you direct more professional actors, and work in a more professional environment, but I'd like to know what you would do if you were in my position - I've never had to deal with this kind of problem before.

We're going back for re-shoots of a couple of scenes next week, one scene including a kiss that I'd like to try a new angle for (once I started editing I realized there was a better way to make it flow, etc.) and the female lead just emailed expressing that she was worried because last time, the male actor apparently frenched her with every take, had an erection (her words... no one else on the crew mentioned anything, not sure if she saw it or... made contact... or if that is even true at all), she also said she told him to stop using tongue but he kept on doing it (at this point, I really don't know why she didn't alert me, maybe she felt awkward, not sure, but what makes me suspicious of this is the fact that I'm just now hearing about it), and she basically begged me to use the footage we already have of it.

That footage won't work of course, so how can I make her feel more comfortable? Obviously I need to have a talk with the male actor, although be careful not to confront him because this actress isdating the associate producer so she could be lying to me for all I know just to get out of it. And about that, that came to be after we started filming... I still don't support it, fearing it'd be a distraction on set, but they seem to act as if they're not in a relationship on set.

Back to my point, how can I make this mostly unexperienced actor (who did alert me it was his first kiss a while back) realize that this is a fake kiss... act, the kiss is not for you, it's for your character? Any suggestions?
 
This male actor has got you, because it looks like you can't fire him without losing the film, so watch to see if he's talking to you from that angle.
Ask him to wear double underpants, keep his tongue in his cheek and get it in one take. If not you might have to keep the existing kiss.

Watch out for her father, the school principal and the cops, so you don't end up in the slammer.

Cheers.
 
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maranfilms said:
Show her yourself how it needs to be done:)>
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That could work! :happy:

Allan Black said:
This male actor has got you, because it looks like you can't fire him without losing the film, so watch to see if he's talking to you from that angle.
Ask him to wear double underpants, keep his tongue in check and get it in one take. If not you might have to keep the existing kiss.

Watch out for her father, the school principal and the cops, so you don't end up in the slammer.
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Yeah I think I'm just going to go with what I have just to avoid any unwanted outcomes. Perhaps I could get a shot behind one of them with their heads tilted, you know giving the illusion, to help out with my editing flow issue.

Thanks guys!
 
zackhosseini said:
Yeah I think I'm just going to go with what I have just to avoid any unwanted outcomes. Perhaps I could get a shot behind one of them with their heads tilted, you know giving the illusion, to help out with my editing flow issue.
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If you have the wardrobe from the previous shoot, and simply need a matching shot from behind, maybe try finding a look-alike to play the boy. Use some camera trickery and few people would probably ever know.
 
Or you could try cutaways? This builds upon Stephen's suggestion (using a double).

We don't have any context of the scene, but it could be a CU of hands on backs or going through hair or even a POV.

I'd sort out a solution that does not get them back together - at all. It sounds like there's a can of worms here, and if the actress is so uncomfortable that she begs you to use the footage you already have in the can, I think that really shows her unease... I'd get creative and think your way out of it.

It depends which of the two characters is the most important for your scene... and then plan around that.
 
Just how bad is your "editing flow"? I would exhaust all options in post before you reshoot a scene that your actress has already told you made her feel sexually violated.

I shot a scene when I was also in high school with high school actors that involved an actress removing her shirt to get into a pool. I did not want to show the entire motion, for risk of the moment being misconstrued as aimed at arousal. Well, I crossed the 180 line in the scene out of novice director skills, and was forced editorially between 1) showing the full shirt removal or 2) crossing the 180 line. I chose option 1, but have regretted since. I don't show the film to anybody anymore because of my embarrassment.

I've since found that any scene that makes an actor personally uncomfortable should be thoroughly blocked and discussed beforehand. So if you want to shoot a sex scene, you should not say, "Pretend to have sex. Go!" There's too much interpretation that can make your actors uncomfortable if one goes too far. Every touch should be blocked. Only if both actors tell you beforehand they're comfortable with anything and everything should you allow them to improvize around a sex scene.

Actors have to put a lot of trust into directors as part of their job. If you blow that trust, it is your fault. An actor has no personal or professional obligation to perform anything that wasn't explicitly written into the script.
 
Additionally, and more practically--

You are the director and you need to direct the kiss. "Kiss her like you're kissing your aunt." "Give her a closed-mouth kiss." Simple, straightforward stuff.
 
Drew Ott said:
Additionally, and more practically--

You are the director and you need to direct the kiss. "Kiss her like you're kissing your aunt." "Give her a closed-mouth kiss." Simple, straightforward stuff.
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Yeah when I directed them I said something along the lines of "It should be quick, keep it simple, it's a student film so don't get too touchy, put your hands on her arms that's it, it's a tight shot so literally just keep lips against lips"

They looked like they were doing great, they were laughing and joking around between takes (we probably did around 5) and the actress didn't say anything to me until now although in the shots I don't see any tongue, but I of course don't know everything that was happening in their mouths.

The editing problem is its a little unclear where they are in proximity with a dying character which they're about to approach. In what I have now, they stop kissing, when they hear a shout. turn and look into the background then it cuts to a "corpse POV" and you see the kissing actor look down at him.

What I'd like to try instead is have them hear the scream, look to the left offscreen, as I do a quick pan over to the dying character on the ground a bit far in the distance, but visible... because the dying guys location in regards to where they are is somewhat important.
 
They're not pro actors, they're teenagers in high school. Almost every take will be quite different from the previous one, the dying guy is obviously the only consistent one.

Many times, patience through stress is the first thing to go. And Zack, you're learning too, the more you think about the suggestions here,
the better the final result. Hang in there :)

Cheers.
 
If you look at most screen kisses there is a technique taught in drama school that involves kissing the top lip rather than a straight on mouth to mouth contact!
 
Can you post the script scene, and any video?

What is the purpose of this kiss?

Why is it in the movie at all?
 
Actors do get the occasional french kiss If called for in the script and If it will be shown on camera, so before calling any of them out as pervs you might want to look to your own directing and ask yourself if you ever did specify the kind of kissing they would be doing. What an awful thing for the guy if it would happen to be he'd simply gotten the impression the script called for a "real kiss" - Because unless you tell them specifically "This angle wont give away if you're using tongue or not so just fake it" or just not to use tongue, they wont know whether it will show or not - And as a young actor you'd most likely not want to be looked at as "The guy who couldn't even pull off a realistic kiss".
 
I think you should pull in a MANEQUINN right before the kiss, pull the female lead out, and tell him to do his thing. if anything you will have a good laugh, and some priceless BTS.;
 
Do you need the actual lips on lips shot? I remember a shot from an animated movie I saw recently (Tangled, maybe?) where the kiss was eluded to - medium shot of the guy going in for the kiss, CU of the girl's eyes/face as she got kissed (wide eyed surprise followed by a passionate eye close and returning the motion of the kiss). I think there's plenty of options out there - after all, we are in the market of make-believe :)

Adam
 
Has anybody bothered to ask the actress what she thinks would be the right way to express this to him? An actors most important tool is another actor. They need to be very present for each other. Your biggest problem is that he is not listening to her. In the craft of acting this is known as being selfish. I would definitely give them exercises for listening to each other and changing how they react based on what the other is doing or saying. Also who has decided it is too sexual? The director because it is not what he wants for the scene, or the actress because it is uncomfortable and inappropriate for her?
Remember, if you pass judgement on either of the actors you will lose them and you don't really know what the whole truth is in the situation, nor will you ever.
If you need to make an adjustment try to give the actor something to imagine which will change his intention and thus the way he is kissing. For instance tell him that this is the kiss he would be having on a first date and with a very shy and beautiful women whom he hopes to go out with again.
Lastly give her the right to react authentically while on camera if he doesnt behave properly, but whatever she does she must stay in her role. Firstly you may end up having a better scene with it that way and secondly he almost certainly will make an adjustment himself the next time around after she has knocked him into shape in front of the whole crew. The key is staying authentic, even under imaginary circumstances.
 
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