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This subject has been discussed extensively in the past ... but you're never going to get UK Porn that delivers quality productions like Platinum X, Mayhem, Evil Angel, RLD .... the list goes on. America does seem to be able to get decent productions from relatively low budget movies. I don't know if it's a culture thing, but we don't have people like Michael Stefano or Jules Jordan in the UK industry and most scenes lack any sort of intensity ... just a lot of banter and a bit of half hearted action. Even UK starlets that have succeeded in the US, their UK offerings are rather tame by comparison ... R18 has a bit to do with it as they are basically self censoring and limiting a lot of possibilities. UK producers have derived a formula for making porn that meets R18, doesn't offend anyone and stick to it time and time again and the results are that a company may put out 10 movies a year ... but they may as well put the same movie out 10 times, because no one is willing to push the boundaries or try anything different (because they're tied up in red tape and R18 legal stuff).

Excellent point, pagangod. Two things I'd like to add:

1. I think that the more amateurish tone of British gonzo actually fits it very well. Whether you like the product or not, it's correct for the market. Not to say that there isn't a smaller audience out there hungry for more upmarket UK gonzo but by and large I think the majority of the audience like it cheap and cheerful.

2. The Americans know how to entertain and they take pride in that knowledge. It's an absolutely key word in how they've been able to seduce the rest of the world with their popular culture. And part of telling a good story well (and even a gonzo sex scene is a story) has to do with the lighting and camerawork. Even some of the xxx video websites are spot-on technically.

Very interesting to see how they've been pushing things forward recently, also in the realm of TV drama with stations like ABC and FX taking their cue from HBO.

Bang on I'd say. The biz here simply isn't big enough to command any decent budget and compared to L.A. it is miniscule and always will be until the laws on how to sell it for a start change.

PS Lata - gizza a job ?

People are always talking about "production values". Why does porn have to contain "production values". If I want these I go and see, "War of the Worlds". American porn contains the same "production values" in every Goddamn film, swimming pool, stupid blue light hidden behind the sofa, venetian blinds, stupid twat in shades and bandanna, stupid twat girl with big hair and false tits,stupid cliche'd scripts done again and again.
I have such an aversion to Yank porn, that I turn the film off before the opening credits are finished..............long, long, before we even get to the swimming pool shot featuring stupid stud doing "The drug/arms/illicit goods/deal.
As for their Gonzo..............well thats shit to!

No give me good 'ol Blighty Wholesome ,Does What It Says On The Tin, Wobble-Cam porn any day. Brit Anti-Production values are the way ahead. If I ever turn up at a location and find it too clean and tidy..............I muck it up! Drag on a Draylon sofa, rub some vaseline on the head rests, (to give it that greasy lived in look) smoke 40 fags to add atmosphere and turn on the 100watt ceiling light.................now thats production value matey, Brit style.

The best lighting's free, the stuff coming in through the windows.

I Hear Music, sweet sweet music.
Lata the problem with brit-porn is they just don't have a clue how to film. They actually kid themselves in to believing that their viewers enjoy watching their low lighting shaky camera bad angled shite and to make it worse they will come on here to deffend it but then moan that they have low unit sales and blame all their problems on the pirates.
Please continue with you sweet sweet music its what these arse kissing forums need

DG

Just to put across an artistic point of view. Why is a "Steady camera" shot right and a wobble shot "wrong". Who is to say what is a "good" or a "bad" angle. Many ex broadcast people come on this forum wearing their training as a mantle of excellence. In fact it is a creative handicap, as an ex- lighting designer I know. It is the same difference as a brilliant draughtsman and an artist. So you know how to white balance a Digi-Beta and shove some blue in front of red-head, and hold the camera steady (on a tripod), so what, it matters jack-shit creatively.

In the right context there is more creativity with one camera light, than a rig of 100 lights.

Is it not the broadcast industry with their expensively trained crews and enormous budgets, that are bringing us........what.........er.........non stop reality crap television. We in Brit porn make reality television as well, except our total budget amounts to your 1 day coffee and tea bill and we don't even get 1 girl with a clip-board.

Porn is a brilliant creative outlet, except I believe the source of this creativity is in the cast, NOT in some daft set, or scenario. As it happens having made both glossy and personality led porn, the gonzo style is far more challenging, because it relies on life and is uncontrolled. Making glossy porn is like falling off a log if you know what your doing. Thats why the Yanks make it, because you can churn this kind of shit out, day in day out and perhaps because I understand this, I know I'm being cheated and therefore I immediately dismiss it all as crap.

Shit. Now I'm confused. I agree with Digi-Guy AND Mr Slip.