S E X Scenes

[matthewrobertblack]

I want to open a script with a sex scene, a la Basic Instinct, minus the Ice-pick murder. Anyways, just wanted to hear what people's thoughts were on both how to write a sex scene WELL: what makes them good, bad, sexy, unbearable, important? AND also, whether or not you think they're effective in conveying character, plot, theme etc.

Thanks.

[icerose]

American History X started with one I believe. I think it all depends on the mood you are trying to convey, the tone you want to carry through out your story and such.

I personally prefer the kiss and turn out the lights type. I figured people have a good enough imagination they figure if a couple is in bed or go into a bedroom, you can guess what they are up to and you don't have to show it. But that's just me.

[Simon Woodhouse]

There's never enough 'action' to satisfy the hardcore crowd, but there's just enough pumping and grinding to make then embarrassing to watch with your mother in the room.

Is watching two people faking it supposed to be titillating? It doesn't do anything for me.

I also prefer the kiss and turn the lights off approach.

[clockwork]

You may have already seen this but this is how it's written in Basic Instinct...

*******************

INT. A BEDROOM - NIGHT

It is dark; we don't see clearly.

a man and woman make love on a brass bed. There are
mirrors on the walls and ceiling. On a side table, atop a
small mirror, lines of cocaine. A tape deck PLAYS the
Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil."

Atop him... she straddles his chest... her breasts in his
face. He cups her breasts. She leans down, kisses him...

JOHNNY BOZ is in his late 40's, slim, good-looking. We don't
see the woman's face. She has long blonde hair. The CAMERA
STAYS BEHIND and to the side of them.

She leans close over his face, her tongue in his mouth...
she kisses him... she moves her hands up, holds both of his
arms above his head.

She moves higher atop him... she reaches to the side of the
bed... a white silk scarf is in her hand... her hips above
his face now, moving... slightly, oh-so slightly... his
face strains towards her.

The scarf in her hand... she ties his hands with it...
gently... to the brass bed... his eyes are closed...
tighter... lowering hips into his face... lower... over his
chest... his navel. The SONG plays.

He is inside her... his head arches back... his throat
white.

She arches her back... her hips grind... her breasts are
high...

Her back arches back... back... her head tilts back... she
extends her arms... the right arm comes down suddenly...
the steel flashes... his throat is white...

He bucks, writhes, bucks, convulses...

It flashes up... it flashes down... and up... and down...
and up... and...

**********************************

Works for me. Even without the ice pick stuff. Although this is Joe Eszterhas who could
write pretty much whatever he wanted. I actually think it's pretty restrained for his style.

This is how Jonathan Hensleigh et al do it in 'The Rock'

********************************

EXT. GOODSPEED'S HOUSE - ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Tarpaper and gravel roof. Candles burning. Loretta
Lynnls "Stand by Your Man" on the boom box. AMONGST THE
RUSTY SUPPORT SCAFFOLDS of an old sign from the 120's --

CARLA and GOODSPEED are, to put it delicately, madly
passionately athletically f*cking. Standing up. They both
have robes on. A CORDLESS PHONE RINGS. Again.

********************************
And to balance it out, this is from Meet Joe Black by Bo Goldman.

********************************

She gets up, closes the door, sits back down again next to
Joe. A warm, awkward silence, they move closer to each
other, now they fall into a foreplay which Susan recognizes
as such, Joe, on the other hand, participates hungrily but
has no knowledge where it is leading. His movements are
instinctive, the smell of her hair, the shape of her fin-
gers, odd things about her seem to interest him. This
excites her because she senses his untutoredness and the
very sense of that stirs her, their reactions to each other
are intuitive and spontaneous; even though Joe has no know-
ledge of how to make love to a woman, ironically his actions
are such that they never beg the question -- has he done it
before.

Strange territory for Joe, not to be 'in control' and exert-
ing his power, but his inventions and responses in lovemak-
ing are so real that an emotional exchange between he and
Susan builds. Joe has found himself in an unexplored land
of feeling and passion, he loves what is happening and yet
at the same time, is terrified by it. He feels himself being
lured by some power he has not only never been aware of, but
is deeply dangerous to partake of; he knows what he is doing
is putting who he is at great risk, yet he goes right on.
The powerful contradiction is transmitted to Susan, and in
the end there is the knowledge they have together made a
journey, they both have been swept away in a stream of events
they have created; and they don't care about the consequences.

Spent, they lie in silence. Finally Susan speaks:

********************************

I've only ever written one horizontal mambo scene and I have to say, I took the Meet Joe Black approach, though not to that level of minutiae. I think the most important thing you can do is make sure it's appropriate to the tone of the story and in your case, where the scene actually opens the story, it's really important to get that tone right from the get-go.

[xhouseboy]

You might also want to check out the scene in Body Heat, where Ned and Matty go at it for the first time.

[endless rewrite]

The sight of Michael Douglas 'sexy' dancing in his Farah slacks was enough to freeze dry the sex organs of any right thinking person. The ungodly vision of him thrashing about naked would have finished me off.

[dpaterso]

I prefer the tease approach (her bra falls to floor, she walks to the bedroom door and coyly looks back over her shoulder, he follows her inside, fade out) to the gung-ho approach, but there are times when the gung-ho action shows character, whether tender, brutal, or otherwise. So, depends what you're writing, all examples above are valid, take your pick and be as coy or as inventive as you want.

Michael Douglas dancing... huh, funny, I honestly don't remember that scene, yet there are other scenes I DO remember. :)

-Derek
My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)
Take the critiques you get with a grain of salt. Invariably, some of the critics will be kooks, bitter curmudgeons, or complete fools. ~odocoileus

[endless rewrite]

I liked the way the old films used to handle sex, when twin beds and stout pyjamas were compulsory and the man always had to keep one foot on the floor in a bedroom scene. But back then, the leading men were often gay so probably were more comfortable keeping their women at a coy distance. I like those sterile sex scenes, but then I am English and horribly repressed. I even feel uncomfortable in the root vegetable section at ASDA.

Rock Hudson is long gone and now there is no longer any need for such restraint in film for the actors or audience. Today we have Hollywood heartthrobs such as Colin Farrell, Tom Cruise and John Travolta to show us what really goes on in the bedroom - men who can handle a rough skinned parsnip without a second thought.

[scripter1]

needs to fit the requirements of the film.

It's all about what the audience needs to know and feel.

If we just need to know that a couple has hooked up, then slipping into a room will suffice.

If we need to know one or both of them has certain traits and personalities then we'll need to see that acted out.

HOW characters move towards having sex, WHERE they have sex, and WHAT they do when it happens are all important clues to character.

Anything vital to the plot needs to be written down.

Then there is the target audience to consider and the genre.
Thrillers and horror tend to push things more, dramas and adventures are more restrained.

[madmaxmedia]

Scripter's tips are fantastic. Yes it's a sex scene, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't serve the story, just as any other scene.

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[matthewrobertblack]

MMM, great article. Not too sure what I'm going to do yet. Should be finished though over the weekend; will post for review in a few more days.