Intimacy on Screen

Daniela De Carlo was the recipient of the inaugural NBC Female Forward program; Daniela helmed an episode of the primetime network show “Chicago Med,” which aired in the Spring to an enthusiastic audience of executives and fans alike. Daniela’s first auteur feature film, a semi-improvised ensemble cast drama “The Blackout,” is now entering the festival circuit while “Mother of Mist” and a few other projects are in development, including a coveted biopic about Brazilian iconic pop star, Xuxa. Some of Daniela’s previous work includes the fiction short “When We Were in Nice,” written by renowned playwright Dan O’Brien; the short doc “On the Brink,” about acclaimed choreographer Ryan Heffington; the docu-web series “Growing Up Derby” (about a Junior Roller Derby League) and “Inspiring Women” series. Originally from Argentina, Daniela worked her way up from P.A. to writer/director/producer, collaborating along the way with a myriad of industry heavyweights such as Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, David E. Kelley, the Weitz brothers, Forest Whitaker and Tony Scott. Daniela lives in Los Angeles and is repped by Paradigm Agency.

Carly D. Weckstein comes from the exciting new field of intimacy direction and has years of experience in both theatre direction and sex education. I have extensive practice directing actors in sexually charged material, with particular consideration for holding safe spaces in which to make uncomfortable art. I believe excellent storytelling does not have to be sacrificed to bring consent culture into an artistic space. Instead, the specificity and mindfulness that intimacy directors can provide allow actors a safe, agreed-upon container to be accessible to explore and take risks. Telling challenging stories that include sexuality requires artists’ vulnerability and growth—it never needs to come at the cost of anyone’s dignity, respect, or mental health.

In 2017, Alexandra Creswick (she/they) was approached by a Producer who asked her for a particular service: to do a ‘consent pass’ o’ a female-driven R-rated, raunchy college comedy written, produced, and directed by men. She was able to identify and explain several problematic jokes/scenes and suggest minor changes that removed problematic elements while keeping the scenes and story intact. Since then, through word of mouth, they have been working steadily as a Sensitivity Reader. Sensitivity Reading (sometimes also called “Expert Reading” or” “Authenticity Reading”) “s an emerging practice of making notes pass on literary works–manuscripts and film/TV scripts included–for issues with representation, unconscious bias, unintentionally insensitive language, cultural inaccuracies or inauthenticities, cultural diversity and authenticity, and recommending changes that alleviate those concerns without undermining the integrity of the story.