Dylan Murray
Learning about the inner workings of filmmaking is often times very fascinating, as it can sometimes give you an even deeper appreciation of the media you are consuming.
When you begin to understand why things in movies and television work and can appreciate the vision behind it, a whole new layer of enjoyment could arrive for you as a viewer.
Even beyond the more overarching examples of this – such as an enticing and well-orchestrated plot pyramid – smaller things can make a big difference when it comes to evoking emotion and capturing an audience.
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For some, this can even be seen through a movie’s intimate scenes, as some are crafted and simulated far better than others. For example, one intimacy coordinator named Jessica took to TikTok to explain why the 'spicy scenes' in the new Anne Hathaway movie The Idea of You work so well and capture the attention of the audience very well.
Jessica explained that, despite the film’s intimate scenes not being particularly risque or revealing, the people making the film did small things to make the scene as great as it could be.
“Sound actually left a big impact,” Jessica explained, calling out the first kiss between the two main characters as an example.
“If you pay attention to this very first kiss scene between these two, the sound goes absolutely dead silent,” Jessica added, “They turned the volume way down on the actual lip-to-lip contact.”
While most wouldn’t consciously think much of this decision, Jessica discussed how most intimate scenes go to pretty extreme lengths to capture the sound of kissing, making this movie’s lack of such ambitions a bit out of the norm.
However, Jessica notes that this aided in making the scene have more tension for the viewer, saying: “The soundscape for this is really intentionally chosen to be silent, with just the faintest hint of lips and breath.”
“Because of that lack of breath, it actually leaves the audience holding their breath.”
Jessica then spoke about the science behind this sensation, alluding to the fact that media can sometimes make you emulate the things you are hearing and seeing subconsciously.
“Those mirror neurons are firing off in our brains, so when you hear people being breathy, you breathe,” Jessica explained, “But when you don’t hear the breath, you don’t [Breathe].”
“As a viewer, that leads to a sense of suspension.”
While Jessica noted that the sound choices were not the only thing that contributed to making the intimate scenes captivating, they did have a major effect on its sensual nature.
Luckily, The Idea of You landed on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month, so viewers can watch it with these intricacies in mind in the comfort of their own homes.