Screenwriting : Writing a love scene: by Billy Dominick

Depends on the script. In my period romance I went for the "fully clothed kissing, but we all know what happened" approach. But in my crime drama the action is in much more detail. It all depends on who your target audience is. My mom loves period romances, but would never watch one with a graphic bedroom scene. But most of the people who enjoy the crime genre won't bat an eye at a little graphic love making. Just make sure that you stick to the basic spec script writing rules of only describing what the audience can see, and avoiding camera direction.

I think that to some degree it will depend on the demographic. I find I fast forward a lot of sex scenes on movies I rent or stream. I often feel, as an adult that has been there and done that as well as a few other things, that they are usually not realistic. More importantly, they are not really important to the story. That said, I felt the sex scene in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) actually added to the story. Full disclosure requires that I admit I adore Rene Russo, but even so it added to the movie. I think most of the time, implying that they had sex is good enough.

Billy, there have been previous threads about this subject. If you do a general search in the Lounge many will be listed. Perhaps that will be helpful. ;) In regards to your question; it depends. How is it relevant to your story? Is it to be known that your characters consummate their relationship? Or, is there something more going on? For example, in Black Swan the sex scene only occurred in the mind of the protagonist and had a haunting element to it. In the script it is written with detail because there is an internal power struggle happening within that scene. But, generally speaking, you write enough to paint a picture in the mind of your audience. Utilize subtext. Let your readers fill in the gaps. You write a love scene as you would any other; vivid, terse and economical. Unless you're writing something like 9 1/2 Weeks where sex is a large part of the story, then there's no need to go overboard. Don't be gratuitous. Write what works best for your story... and perhaps your desired film rating. LOL! :)

I think it's only natural for this topic to be brought up every so often, especially by writers who are just starting out. If you are writing something like 9 1/2 weeks, the scenes are necessary, but the natural insecurities experienced by most writers leads them to ask, "Does this read like porn?". None of us want our artistic endeavors to be mistaken for a skin flick. Besides, these questions are what the S32 community is here for.

I was wondering how everyone did it in their personal scripts. There are some movies that I wish I could fast forward through the whole thing when I'm at the cinema.

This has been asked and answered before... 1) When the boy really really loves the girl and wants to put a baby inside of her... It's the same as any other scene. Story and character.

thanks for the comment Beth. I finally got around to the proper search: had to try different phrases until one worked.

Great, Billy, I'm glad it worked for you. :) Yes, utilizing the general search can be helpful. Often the same subjects come up in the Lounge.

Yes, it depends on your intention. I wrote a disability drama for the stage and then for film, where the theme was really the lead character's acceptance of his deformed body. So when he has an affair with an able-bodied woman, I felt it was important to show the pleasure, the awkwardness, and everything else about their sexual encounters. As in COMING HOME with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight. I think you have to ask yourself: How relevant are the details of their sex to the story? The age-old cross-fade to the sun coming up through the window can tell us that they had sex. How important is it that we see the scene?

I always thought I could just write... "they make out on the floor... or... on the kitchen table or... in the garage or a spaceship... or wherever"... later the director will decide and choreograph it with whatever the actors are comfortable with. The important part is still... "they make out"... the exact location may be added in the 'shooting script"... xo

In my scripts, I find it important to say how "they make out"::She draws out every moment of making out with him. or for a more aggressive example::she shoves him onto the bed.

It does add to the story but I'm not likely to post the entire story on here when asking an opinion on how others approached this topic.

Justo describe what you want the audience to see