instead of the relentless gonzo...

[DanG]

What Bruce said!!!

Firstly....the 'gay gangbang law' (as it is called) is simply mind boggling....I was aware of this when I used to work in video distribution, but surely this law cannot stand a legal challenge? After all, it clearly discriminates against homosexuals, does it not? I'd like to see the gay community kick up a stink about this and see how Blair and co. (especially gibbering Jack Straw, a known pornophobe) would deal with it.

Also, your 'strangled at birth' analogy is so right. If producers could legally sell via domestic mail, you would see a huge change in the balance of power. As it is, if licenced stores don't want to carry your stuff, and instead prefer to stick to the stuff they themselves licence from abroad, then you are up shit creek without a paddle....unless you choose to transcend the UK laws, which, unless you have Mr. Sullivan's legal team, is not a particularly smart idea.

Oh, and there's a good reason that most sex shops in London are on the one side of Charing Cross road....if you think Westminster charges a lot, see what Camden (Charing Cross Road divides the two) charges!!! Of course, what do you get for your money? All of the pirate video outlets are still there doing a roaring trade, and nothing ever seems to get done about them....meanwhile, you pay ?24,000 for the privelige of two annual inspections (usually one week before and one week after Xmas and New Year) and a load of legal hoops to jump through. Crime of the century!


Good discussion this....lets hear some more!

[davewells]

Right & Wrong really.
The fact that there are so many of us is that these days anyone can pick up a camera and be a producer. They really are idiot proof cameras nowadays. So whatever the standard it can and does sell. But the problem with that is that when you go in with something of any quality. The distribs will knock the price down because they can get any of these new guys to shoot it a lot cheaper. So the quality doesn't mean anything. I don't think it is a healthy market. The money to produce is awful, the work sometimes painstaking ( and before some of you say I'll swop with you. That is exactly what is happening ).
A fully funded properly organised film production company with the right maketing WOULD succeed and I'd love to run it. But I don't think many of the others would bother as most 'seem' to be happy producing the cheap stuff.

[videokim]

Hi Guys

The quality is important but even some of the best shoot films have been bland & boring, before making a film a producer should know if its viable to sell or at least make their money back as like anything films go in & out of fashion so whats in the shop now sometimes has already gone out of fashion with punters by the time a sequel has been made.
I've been saying for years to pull together but there will always be the odd few that think they are a class above & they are the ones who are going to struggle. ?300 or ?3000 camera its content that sells & always has done e.g. Deep Throat & Debbie does Dallas were low budget films knocked by their peers at the time as cheap but 30 yrs down the line its still films like this that are remembered as classics. stop what if's & concentrate on todays market producing & distributing before even thinking of a life in the industry.

Kim

[Phil mCc]

On the subject of quality, it is not helped by the camera sellers telling the buyers they are broadcast quality. XM1's for example like the rest in that range are not. They may well be used on occasion by some documentary crews but it's only because they process on 200k edit suites and they compromise the quality to allow use of them. I have been looking at two JVC Hi-Definition cameras for this year to replace the JVC dv-500's but I am not sure I can cope with them being auto-focus I think the word auto means idiot.
Lighting is where most amatuers let themselves down,,,so guys buy some lights or let me come round with my pussy light.

Phil McC

[joe king]

the gay gang bang law is going to be changed

[joe king]

does this sound a bit similar
?

[davewells]

Jim is right and this is what I mean by quality. Anyone can film a couple or multiples of - shagging. But it takes years to know how to light it properly and indeed shoot it to the acceptable 'broadcast' quality ( on broadcast standard equipment of course ). Only a few of us have had stuff shown on terestrial TV. And I don't mean the porn channels.
To sum up Gonzo can only cheapen things - that is the whole purpose and nature of it. I don't say it shouldn't have happened and good luck to Lindsey, Terry, Marino and all the other prolific shooters. But I just believe the fact is that porn before Gonzo was shot on the whole better by pro's.

[Phil mCc]

Joe does that meen it is going to be compusory,
The whole system is about to change Dave with Blueprint/AVN in UK there will be an encouragement for those who can shoot higher quality. This should leave the market to those who choose to shoot Gonzo to themselves and in theory it should be better for them too. Its should be simple there will be a magazine to focus adult entertainment in the distributers like Harmony, ABS, Queensway will advertise the products they buy, consumers will buy the DVD's because it has a good review telling them if it is their bag or not.
The best films/actors/producers/photographers/actresess/distributers every year will win awards in each area of production just like Vegas. The distributers want to win awards so they will pay producers more money to get better models as well as quality. They need the awards because of the prestige and like the oscars the more awards it wins the more likely a punter will buy it. All seems simple to me but I have been fortunate to see friends win some, win a few with Violet, myself and Hans and watch Ben not get one he deserved (not a pretty site) then watch him win it second time round. Anyone who says they don't want one is talking bull. It helps sell the product. Anyway Evening of 29th May in Brighton hopefully at the Grand in a black suit affair we will see who is really up for the industry or not.

Yet again I am sinking my hard cash and work where my gob is,

www.philmccavity.com/plusshow should be bigger in morning

Phil McC (Jim Deans)

[golostruda]

Thanks to all of you for your advice.
I bought a Relish DVD from Soho last night (an army spoof) and watched the trailers first - all looked good.
Unfortunately the film itself jumped and froze all over the shop - it wouldn't play for more than a couple of minutes before freezing up and requiring ejection.
When I looked at the reverse side of the disc it was covered in scratches and chips all over it.
It had come shrink-wrapped, for Gawd's sake.
Either duff disks are being rewrapped or there is something very wrong with their production set-up (possibly a side effect of the process that printed the elaborate colour image on the other side of the disc).
Suffice to say I won't be buying one of their films again - what is the point of investing money on a production if you will (as I am assuming they have) cut costs in the duplication process.
It's not like I can even take the DVD back to the shop - I'm sure they will be as disbelieving of a disc coming out of a shrinkwrapping in such a battered state as I was.
Ho hum.

[Phil mCc]

I would bet they will replace it free of charge, I do and I normally send a freebie as a sorry, don't I guys

Phil McC