Regardless of your role in the film world, I’m sure you can remember a time (or countless times!) you felt uncomfortable, overwhelmed, distressed, or unsafe on a project. It’s my job, as a Mental Health Coordinator for film production, to work to not only support you to restore your emotional health and wellbeing when that happens, but to serve as a resource in preproduction so that instances like this are minimized, happening less and less in this industry.
This feature film was the first I had ever worked on that had any sort of intimate scenes, and that can be scary going into when you’re not sure how all of it works. Amanda, from the moment that I signed onto the film, was there to explain everything and it put my mind at ease knowing that our boundaries and comfort were the #1 priority. Amanda not only cares about how you feel throughout intimate scenes, but any scenes that may be difficult and emotionally draining. She made the entire cast and crew feel safe, cared for, and heard, and it was an absolute honor to work with her!
Emily Richard
Why Use a Mental Health Coordinator for Film Production?
As a Trauma Therapist and Intimacy Coordinator, I’m intimately (see what I did there?) familiar with all stages of production and the incredible work that goes into creating the magic we see on screen. I know how long the hours are, how stressed and irritable we feel over the course of a project, and how alarming some of the material can feel in our nervous system. This is why Mental Health Coordination starts with the script.
My job begins with a consult with production and Directors to best understand what they believe they need from me for a project. Perhaps there’s a character with a mental illness and they want to be sure they’re portraying symptoms accurately and appropriately. Other times, there’s a highly emotional scene and they know they’ll need mental health support on-set the day that shoots. There are also jobs where they’ve hired someone with a known mental illness and want safeguards in place.
From there, I dive into the script and complete a risk assessment. I provide production with insight for scheduling highly exposed and escalated content to best support cast and crew in managing their emotional states and give a “heads up” on what resources they may want to have readily available on those days.
Next, I meet with actors to best understand how I can support them. In a confidential meeting, we discuss as much as they’d like: trauma history, potential triggers, what works/doesn’t work to “get them there” in a performance, de-roling practices, and how they foresee the project going for them and their mental health. This allows me to not only advocate for the most appropriate working conditions for the actors but also to mitigate risk, reducing interruptions in shooting schedules, and supporting actors to step into the bravest performance possible.
During filming, I’m there on-set with a Mary Poppins style bag of mental health tools (everything from fidget toys and essential oils to dark chocolate and blank journals!), a well-regulated highly-attuned nervous system, and a watchful eye, ready to tap in with anyone present who needs immediate mental health support.
After a day of shooting, Mental Health Coordination serves cast and crew with de-escalation, de-roling, debriefing, and processing events and emotions of the day, as needed. Everyone from the medic to the actors to the PA’s need a safe ear sometimes to feel safe and settled after the day is wrapped. These opportunities to feel heard also serve to reduce gossip and animosity in a cast and crew, something we all want!
Why Should Film Use a Mental Health Coordinator
If safeguarding the mental health and emotional wellbeing of cast and crew isn’t motivation enough, how about safeguarding time and money?
When we are thoughtful in how we schedule, plan for, and execute highly emotional material in film production, everything is better! Cast and crew are more productive and efficient, communication between departments is more effective, delays are minimized, and performances are that much better!
Ultimately, everyone walks away believing they made something great and no one was injured in the process – really, the ultimate goal in film-making.