I recently read a pretty neat article on xoJane all about porn. It wasn’t particularly ground-breaking as someone who works in porn and spends a lot of time thinking about it, but it’s totally radical for a mainstream audience, I believe. To a certain extent, it’s well-tread territory for those of us who think critically about porn all the time, but they bring up the “Dunhamisation of porn”, which I’ve figured out is linked to the show Lena Dunham’s show Girls and the idea that they look and live like, well, pretty average people… Albeit young ones in Brooklyn, from what I can tell.
The article begs the question, do we actually want porn that looks like us? Obviously, there’s porn that looks like me because, well, we are on a site devoted in part to me talking about my porn… But do you value the everyday side of porn to the extent where you wished that more/even all porn looked like everyday life? Would you want to watch porn with someone like you and/or your partner in it? Would that be a turn-on for you?
And I don’t mean amateur porn… I mean high quality porn, even mainstream porn, but just with an undeniable casting choice to pick very normal, even “average” looking people. Maybe real couples, maybe real love, but maybe just believable actors… I’d love to know what you think. I am committed to making the kind of porn that I want to make, but I would love to know just how far you’d ideally want to see this idea reach.
That’s a tricky question, and I’ll answer in a salomonic way: there’s space for both.
As spectator, sometimes I really like to see something absolutely artificial: gym boys and Californian blondes in luxury environments making incredible positions… I like it and I’m aware it’s fake, in the same way I can enjoy a fantasy film plenty of elves and wizards.
But it’s true that seeing average people like myself makes it easier to emotionally (and erotically) connect with the scene, because I perceive it as something I could really have and do. That’s the secret of amateur sites: we feel we can be that guy or that gal.
In your case, what it works is that we all know you and Mike are in love and it shows. Everything it’s very well filmed and edited, but it wouldn’t work so good if you blew a different guy each week, someone with no real connection with you (besides a contract). That’s a untouchable value lost in mainstream porn.
That is such a great response, Lascivo! There is a valid reason for fantasy and for reality, and ideally we just need both in equal measure, clearly defined as such.
First of all, I loved this article; the writer is hilarious and wise, and “Vagna Carta” is my new favorite phrase.
As for adding more diversity to my perversity, I am all in favor of it. Give me supermodels AND average Janes and Joes. Give me tall, short, skinny, stout. Give me the “matryoshka dolls” range of breasts and cocks. Give me women in glasses banging guys with beards. Give me dads with limp dicks tongue-fucking the hell out of moms with mastectomies. BUT no matter what they look like or what they’re doing, give me Real Passion. I don’t care if it’s Mrs. Noah squirting the second flood or a nutless trannie wringing out a one-drop cumshot. I don’t care if it’s Camille and Mike, Lilyanne and Max, or Sophie and [?]– just make me believe the pleasure in real.
I’m no pornstar, but when I look in the mirror, I know I’ve loved and been loved. That’s all I ask from my porn in return. Love and be loved.
Can’t argue with you Cal.Very well put.Its all about the passion and common people can bring it as well as anybody.But,the porn industry is not unlike the fashion industry.There has to be some objective of beauty.Lets face it,the gourmet meatball served on a platter looks a whole lot more appetizing with basil garish.
I mean Garnish! sorry
Without the garnish, it’s garish indeed!
Oh, you two and your wordplay!
I can see what you mean, but I think that porn and fashion will always have the difference of being more personal somehow, so there’s value in the element of variety. Anyone can be garnished.
I love everything about this comment so much. I would love all of it! Real passion and love don’t seem like such unachievable goals.
Ok you sorta lost me at nutless trannie but I totally support your proclamation of real über alles. I will take average but real over beautiful and fake hands down every time.
Fortunately, we have the very real AND stunningly beautiful Camille Crimson and thus this conundrum vexes us not.
Awww. Well, shucks. I know I say it a lot, but you flatter me so.
My short reply to that is “What’s not to like?”
Although I may be quick to flatter you, as a person I’m not easily impressed and certainly not in the habit of showering praise upon people. But you are that rare person who impresses the hell out of me on a consistent basis. And when you impress I find it hard not to say what I think, even at the risk of sounding like a fan boy. Doth Hrothgar praise too much? Perhaps.
Its your fault Camille. You’re just too many kinds of awesome. You compel me to flatter.
Awww. You’re the best, Hrothgar! You don’t praise too much.
Interesting topic, and great responses.
When a major motion picture is made, it’s obvious that the casting is concerned with looks. I don’t think that any of us would complain about that. But some of my favorite movies are independent, low-budget movies with no-name “actors”. It’s refreshing because there are no expectations. Remember Charlize Theron in Monster? I especially like the documentaries (I mean the real ones and not this so-called reality bullshit that is infesting our lives). When we see characters that resemble us in movies, I think it feeds our ego somewhat. I think that all of this can be applied to porn also. Although, I still hesitate to call TAOB porn.
On another note, I tried my hand at a simple webcam capture of myself and a partner having sex. I must say that whenever I watch it, I get extremely turned on. Even more than watching anonymous porn. I am even impressed with myself. Without thinking, I pull off some pretty impressive moves, if I may say so myself. As with Camille and Mike, it’s the passion and sensuality that comes through that makes it exciting.
That’s so cool that you managed to tap into that side of yourself! Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a way to share it and be part of the erotic conversation!
I’m not that fussy about looks unless the glamor (or the experience of the performers) gets in the way of the scene. It’s hard to believe that [insert pornstar here] is just your average girl next door when she’s wearing enough make-up to make a drag queen blush or that he’s a nebbishy nerd when he’s buff and, oh yeah, he last starred in “Jizz Master 75″.
There are exceptions. I’ll buy Bobbi Starr as an innocent (she was a hot Velma!) or James Deen as either a gentleman or a raging asshole, but they’re uncommon in my experience and the scenes tend to do a bit more to establish their characters than a single line of dialog.
“But Professor Dickens… I REALLY need this grade!”
But in the main, I don’t really care about looks or even how much is shown. One of the hottest sex scenes I’ve ever seen was in The Cooler. William H Macy is handsome and Maria Bello is beautiful but they’re hardly supermodels. And yet… oh my god that turned me on more than damn near anything I’d seen up until that point! Maybe since (no offense
).
So long as I can believe that the couple is really into each other (like you and Mike) or that she really has been taken advantage of (I really like Kink’s output) or whatever, I’m game.
Hell, I can buy in to the Avengers and that’s pretty unbelievable… except for those interactions and character moments and emotional connections and…
Hrmmm… I think there might be something to that
I think you mentioned two pretty stellar and multi-faceted performers. James Deen is going mainstream Hollywood. Maybe Bobbi could follow suit?
But I absolutely agree with you… Believability really means everything for me. It’s hard to be turned-on when you know how the sausage is made, so to speak.
Hmmm…porn that looks like me. Well my girlfriend thinks I’m hot but the general public might beg to differ.
If using average actors creates an experience that is, or appears, more intimate and authentic, I’m all for it.
But if you remove the real element from average people porn, what are you left with? People of middling sexual appeal faking it like hot porn stars. That can only add up to some distinctly below average porn.
I think I agree with your logic… There should be no accounting for lack of genuine passion. That’s what’s important here.