Help us to make porn

[zebrafink]

I like the FORMER porns of Mario Salieri. The newer ones are only pieces cut out and put together from his old successful films, at least what is offered in German Video Shops.

[Ridley44Lev]

Don't you want someone in the productins? Editor, cameraman?

[alec]

beutelwolf wrote:

> I'd like my porn to be like soft porn, but going all the way.
>
snip
>
> I want a proper lot, good cinematography, and some decent
> acting.
> The sex should not be wall-to-wall, it should be at places
> where it naturally fits into the film, and the sex scenes
> should not go on forever (there have been too many porn flicks
> where I have been fast forwarding through the sex).
>
> I also like the sex to include foreplay, to be erotic,
> seductive, to build up to a climax. I don't want instant
> nudity, instant arousals and instant penetrations. The film
> should build up to that.

Absolutely. There should be, as often as possible for the plot, (and, only a few days after what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, to paraphrase the supposed real meaning of "Norwegian Wood" i.e. knowing she would) -
hoping she might,
suspecting she would,
knowing she will,
realising she is just about to,
and then seeing she actually is,
and any variants as appropriate as long as you don't lose too much pace.

The build up doesn't have to have all those stages or last a long time- see the scene between Dudley Moore and Bo Derek in 10 to Ravel's Bolero playing in the background (and from my distant memory):
Derek "I like to do different things to different music."
Moore "And what do you like to do to Ravel's Bolero?"
Derek "Fuck."
In a porn version, this would then followed by a (preferably short) hardcore scene.

I realise eroticism is in the eye of the beholder and therefore very difficult to accomplish (e.g. not everyone would agree with the above being erotic), but very few hardcore porn films have achieved it at all and it's what some of us are looking for.

Unfortunately for European porn with performers from many different countries, dialogue can be very important and, even if the acting is passably good, the dubbing is usually awful. It can be worse for the viewer than not understanding the dialogue.

[jj]

"It can be worse for the viewer than not understanding the dialogue".

Which is why I continue [usually accompanied by howls of uncharitable laughter,
when I dare mention it] to watch my smut with the sound OFF..... the nearest
analogy I can draw is to radio- which, not having pre-imposed imagery [in
contrast to TV/cinema], tends to have the best pictures.
Most porn lacks vital ingredients such as anticipation, suspense and tenderness,
and thus largely fails to attain eroticism. But I suspect, that's pretty much 'the
nature of the beast'.

[Deuce Bigolo]

No dubbing for certain...Better to go for a soundtrack that matches the action
Add in the real oohs and aahs of the actual performer as needs be.

Suitable dress sense to show off the girls best assets
If shes 6ft with tits like augmented beestings(see brenda logan) cover them up and emphasize the ass & legs

Camera Angles...no closeup anatomy lessons on the male ass or face
Its the reactions on the girls face that are important so full body shots or at the very minimum closeup of penetration with her face in the picture

Fake oohing and aahing....watching someone screaming like their on their 4th/5th orgasm for the day just after being penetrated(see petra short)
is beyond silly

[jj]

Agree... and someone above mentioned those marathon-length scenes- maybe I'm
getting old [maybe??!!!] but I just don't have the stamina or the attention-span
to watch a single-girl scene [OK, with perhaps a couple of exceptions] longer than
30 minutes.

[dano]

Hey Fireboy26,

I cannot agree with you more. I spent some time in EU and California and the way a lot of people operate is appalling. Sadly, a lot of these types somehow manage to make money. And their DVDs are watched by many.

I have some fresh styles, but here in Australia not much girls with open minds. Perhaps we can help each other? I need to get talent over here, you need to get advices.

We should talk

Dano

[Len801]

Good point, JJ. Take for instance BIG NATURALS 17 (2010,Reality Kings).
I know, I know, it is not a Euro title, but it features 7 female performers (the only Euro I believe is Dominno). The movie is 4-hours long!!
Say you went to rent it during the week (presumably after work) and you had to work the next day, do you have to time to watch the movie without hitting the Fast forward button (and rather frequently)? And if that is what the general vierwer would be doing, is there a point in making and releasing such a movie with that long running time?
I think the movie lengths for porn movies are getting a bit ridiculous, especially when one considers that a lot of the running time really does not involve sex, but rather nonsense (especially for a gonzo features, when endless chatter and dialogue does nothing to enhance the movie quality of erotic content).

[jj]

We seem to have gone from the 10-second anals of the 80s to the opposite
pole, where a scene often resembles a proctology practical..... I concede that
there can be a certain frisson in seeing just how far a girl can be pushed- but
around that point it's more painful than erotic [not to say tiresome] to watch.

I get through an awful lot of remote-controls; for some reason it's the FF-button
that always goes first : -)

[Corte]

This sounds promising? the fact of asking for viewers? preferences means you are thinking along the right lines. Below are a few suggestions, from what ruins awful movies and the very, very occasional one that shows craft, preparation and imagination.

GONZO IS DEAD ? START AFRESH
Your movies? interest for the viewing public will be stronger if you can project a distinct European character. US and German gonzo and single-fetish porn of the last 15 years is now stagnating (see public comment in this and other recent forums/ reviews). Try to set your work apart from the outset as something original.

Avoid making production-line porn where the same hotel room format, the same lighting and the same tedious formula porn of blowjob, vaginal, anal, facial is repeated over and over again on often uninterested and under-used female performers. Viewers of Devil?s Films will recognise this Henry Ford car-manufacturing style output, where women seem mere physical props. You could argue that plenty of gynaecological German and French gonzo output falls into the same trap, where (as argued earlier) the male producer-performer is simply indulging himself.

DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE
One way to give the movie a fresh direction is to ditch this recent past and try something more related to theatre-direction. For a start, make it a group effort with male and female actor/actress collaborators ? they ultimately are the one you want to perform the piece so their fullest commitment will be achieved if they have some input into the evolving project ? story, setting, sex ideas, style and costume.

Start by calling yourselves something that gives the project an immediate identity, for example, Erotic Theatre of Prague, or The New Czech Erotic Theatre to mark the distinction. By this I mean form a core group of actors from whom many of the parts would be filled. But always plan to have some fresh faces and the odd ?name? (see below) that will help draw interest.

Then expand your project into a group that share a common aim, some of whom may be volunteers ? be it on food, drawing up scene drawings, finding props or suitable locations.

Look for former or current art students, people who have drama knowledge who can help actors prepare. Talk to established Prague porn film people for advice ? e.g. Eromaxx/ Bob Marshall and perhaps seek technical assistance.

A CREDIBLE DRAMA
Use a workshop approach so that before filming the cast and director collaborate to enhance the basic (non-sex) screenplay idea through improvising, and perhaps some pooled suggestions for character, design and story to form a mini-play for each scene. Tape it (sound) to playback the resulting emerging dialogue as an aid to rewriting.

ENCOURAGE ACTING AS A CRAFT WITHIN PORN
This encourages the actors to extend their roles with little nuances of behaviour, attitude and movement to create dramatic interest beyond performers simply mouthing lines the director gave them 3 minutes before. Above all involve the cast, female performers especially as they are the focal dramatic and erotic interest, in developing the idea of the story and how it unfolds in their minds and therefore on camera.
To see the very best, watch Silvia Lanc?me?s lead role in ?The Gift? (Valtuena, 2006).

IDENTIFICATION
Keep the drama local/ low-level and believable ? avoid car-chases, firebombs or clich?d drug-deals. Erotic situations that arise in familiar surroundings will work best.

To succeed, plots need to relate to what your cast can feel familiar with.
Ask yourselves if the audience and the cast can see themselves in these situations or identify with the roles created.

Perspex platforms, plaster-cast make-up and mascara like rose thorns are just ludicrous ? keep it as near everyday as you can, yet still attractive, so viewers can believe in it.

BUILD YOUR CHARACTER
Few porn films put any effort to creating a character, even when there is a plot.

Give her/him a job, home, friends, interests outside work be it sport (show her at tennis, football, running etc) or cooking, shopping, at an art gallery, walking beside lake or sea, in hills etc.

A static character tends to be flat and dull. Give them a life ?in motion?, even in a 90 second montage of images/clips. Add snatches of impromptu conversations on life?s ups and downs from football to food, travel or domestic life. This can add a glimpse at the character?s aims in life, and lead into their sexual instincts and how they intend to pursue them.

These are only brief sequences, but when edited together will create some substance. Even a cheaply-made hand-held camera vignette of this kind create interest in your character, so do not be obsessed by film quality ? the editing will concentrate the action so the lack of a 20 strong crew here will not matter.

ACTORS - LEARNING SCRIPTS

Memorising script from printed pages can be hard for beginners. Ask those new to acting to record their lines on a cassette and play them back as they practise lines on their own at home ? the played-back sound will stick in the mind when print may not. Do not assume relatively inexperienced performers cannot learn lines and perform ? if they are keen to succeed they will try hard, especially if the production sets a high standard early on.

LETTING THE ACTION RUN
Once cast members take the initial script and make the lines their own, you will have a more dynamic and credible drama that is more erotic for being believable. Much of the best independent filmmaking in France and Britain adopted this in recent decades. Aim to have each scene completely understood by the cast before the camera rolls, so the sex can then be allowed to run uninterrupted.

There is nothing as fatal for audience interest as some oaf like Christophe Clark bellowing out director?s instructions ? do this, do that ? in the middle of a scene. Or worse, cutting off the scene just because the man has finished his shift.

Clearly, all this may affect the way you allocate your budget. However it need not be an extra cost burden. Why? First there is no law in porn saying you must have five separate gonzo style scenes each with a different group of performers. Instead, contract the actors for the film as a whole, with perhaps three of four acts in which a smaller overall cast reappear in a number of mini-scenes or more. Your filming schedule needs to be a work of fiendish precision to get several sequences that require key cast members in the days allocated.

In other words, concentrate your resources. Fill out major set-piece scenes with whatever ?extras? you can call upon from your and the cast?s circles of friends, where you want a bigger or imitation ?public.? Borrow your props from furniture to clothes, cars, even cameras. Save your money for the cast and key scenes. Work out when interesting settings ? from parks and gardens to exterior of public buildings - are quiet and accessible.


PLACE- SHOW THE SETTING
If some of the cast are willing to help develop indoor and outdoor ?vignettes?, then a mini-camera can at little cost replace an obtrusive larger camera unit in some of the linking parts that make it a drama of place by taking in a Czech location, be it urban, rural, night-time or day-time.

Rapidly made gonzo is too claustrophobic and interior. Take the camera outdoors in the city for plot exposition in non-sex sequences that show your character in his/her natural context, and inject the element of ?place? that is so often missing.

A story needs this context to be memorable, and it need not be familiar tourist landmarks. A few seconds getting on/off a train, a moment sitting outside a caf?, coming out of a bar, a walk in a rural setting, will all enhance the drama.

SEX SCENES TO REMEMBER
Sex scenes ? it follows from what has been said that you should think about being fresh and original in what brings a sex scene to a close. Female pleasure and excitement is paramount, so her face is the focus your camera should keep returning to, once all the footage is edited down. The US/French convention that action stops once the male performer has delivered a cumshot is nonsense, and this often ends a good scene far too early.

Avoid purely gynaecological cumshots ? if the woman?s face is not clearly visible, so we take in her response, it is going to be a flat ending.
That is not to reject internal cumshots ? simply that we want to register her excitement.

Ask female cast themselves how they could add a surprise at key points.
Cum-play between women, or the women going on to another man, or masturbating among themselves - while letting cum as a fetish in itself lie on their faces or tits - will put the interest back where it belongs, on the unrestricted sexuality of the female lead.

Also, remember that some very successful scenes involve actions of secondary or supporting females joining in, ?spontaneous? new performers, or voyeurs who want to watch and masturbate. Audience females join in the oil orgy in Magma?s ?M?sen in Ol,? (Other novel twists have involved a back-stage lesbian seduction of a make-up artist, or even the director?s translator.)

Supposing you are going to have group scenes with the erotic tension of a gang bang arising from the plot, try to give it a novel interest by having some women among the gangbangers, using fingers or a strap-on ? perhaps in total 4 males, 2 female bang-bangers and the gang-bang girl herself. In large group scenes the lead woman can easily be blocked out, so your camera positions need to be clear in advance.

A nice touch then after the men disperse would be to go with the three females for a behind-the-scenes follow-up, perhaps in a shower scene where, with some dialogue, kissing/lesbian sex resumes as if in documentary mode, maybe filmed POV by a woman with them.

KEY : THE LEAD ACTRESS?S EXCITEMENT

Aim to project and bring out the woman?s/women?s excitement in the scene, from the moment she arrives, through the good-humoured upbeat mood on set, and in the behaviour of male performers towards her. A beautiful woman showing genuine pleasure at having the time of her life is what viewers enjoy most.

A smiling, and ultimately triumphant debauched female lead is one element that will make a film truly memorable, and recommended, over time.

THE MUSIC TRAP

Synthesised ?elevator? music kills eroticism. Use music sparingly.

To see how a music soundtrack can work perfectly, watch Harmony?s ?Maison Erotique? ? the Baroque sequence. In less than 30 minutes a classical student with a cello might record a simple intense, deliberate theme that could be played in different ways as the action develops.
Put a simple ad on a music college notice board.

It may raise atmosphere within your movie to a different level. Remember it is one of the blend of ingredients ? with well-planned casting, lighting, location, dialogue, costume and camera-work ? that together add up to something special

BTS

A good behind the scenes section reveals much about how the cast may have contributed. Let them make their own commentary on preparation, fooling around together then edit it down. Roberto Valtuena once even had Dunia Montenegro doing Brazilian football tricks (superbly too), while Lesly Kiss did a marvellous off-set parody of ?The Hunchback of Notre Dame.? I can think of a few US dvds where the BTS outshone the main movie. Weave in here some before and after cuts.

NO DUBBING?

The words spoken by your cast in their own language will sound much more erotic than an awful foreign-sounding US accent adding an English soundtrack to a European movie.

If you are starting from an English-language script, simply add that as your sub-titles ? no one will mind much if the cast swing it around to their taste in the spoken Czech. Europe is not (yet) a county in Texas or a suburb of Los Angeles.

JJ above is I suspect only one of many who switch off sound rather than be put off by bad dubbing, music, clich?d scripts or dick-head directors talking in the background.

ENGLISH?
If choosing an English language audience as your target market it will make life easier to cast a lead that can operate easily in English in at least some scenes that might have a pivotal role in the story.

Stracy Stone/Bijou seems to speak fairly good English. If you were to cast one rising ?name? star at a higher fee to boost international sales, she would have a strong international profile. Her acting in the Greek Olympics movie ?Athletes, Sex and Drugs? (Sirina) carried the film, despite lousy overall direction/-missed opportunities.

A useful Czech collaborator also with excellent English you might consider involving is the website performer Zuzinka of Zuzinka.com who may be working along similar lines to yourself, judging from her website output.