High Heels And Broken Hymens

Parallels Between Porn And The Mainstream film Industry

Media is the same the world over. It doesn’t matter whether you’re making a mainstream movie, or a hardcore porn flick, some rules apply equally.

First of all you have to have a hook. While porn varies in the level of story that it attempts to depict even the most cynical of porn directors always incorporates a thread into a scene. That could be a well thought out scenario or it could be the fact that the scene is a porn movie. There are a number of studios and series of porn titles that rely on the fact that they are depictions of porn performers doing what they do – waiting around in a villa in LA, Spain, or Italy until it’s time for them to fuck and produce a pop shot.

As with mainstream films there are a range of styles, there needs to be to suite all tastes. However, although the honesty of the “look we’re porn stars” is interesting to begin with a constant procession of pretty similar scenes does get boring.

So that leaves broad two styles that have an enduring appeal, the gonzo porn and the professionally produced output from the established studios.

Gonzo’s rise in recent years is due to the widening avenues of distribution and the increased availability of HD cameras and editing facilities on home PCs. Some is good, some is bad and some is bloody dire. There are even actual “amateur” stars of gonzo like Gang Bang Nikki, for the most part though the Gonzo performers are as disposable as the stream of “new girls” from eastern Europe.

Porno with story and the occasional bit of acting, porno with more thoughtful editing and costumes, proper makeup and lighting can at its best look almost like a mainstream film. It requires time, resources, ideas, talent and of course a reasonable budget to produce. Like a big Hollywood movie that also means a movie needs known performers to guarantee it will be spotted on the shelves or lists of downloads.

Because of this some names become regulars for certain studios. Mixed with a sprinkling of new talent for variety this can make big bucks for the producers. It is a difficult equation though. Too much investment in one title that doesn’t quite sell could bankrupt a studio, especially with the current contraction of disposable income. Too little investment, or the wrong mix of performers, a bad review or poor promotion can lead to the same problem.

The “Stars” of porn are an interesting part of the equation. There’s an underground network of message boards and forums talking constantly about them. If you mention a name like Linsey Dawn McKenzie or Georgina Bailey you’re bound to get a buzz started within the chattering virtual fan base.

In Georgina Bailey’s case she’s quite valuable at the moment due to the uproar over the calls to her grandfather (Andrew Sachs). But like all stars of the porn world her light will fade and be replaced by another one to be hoisted up and draw the punters in.