doesn't having a plot actually protect you if you get slammed with obsceinity by the feds?
Printable View
doesn't having a plot actually protect you if you get slammed with obsceinity by the feds?
Well, "protect" might be too strong a word, but since one of the 3 prongs of the Miller test is "Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" then anything you do to provide artistic or scientific value to the work as a whole would (or, to be precise, *should*) be a pretty strong defense.
Since all 3 parts of the Miller test have to be met in order for a work to be considered obscene, a work by definition cannot be obscene if it lacks any of the three prongs.
excellent idea. Thats such a noble thing for that guy to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by boyfunk
I dont think its a risky film at alll, I think your customers will seek out more of your videos as a way to say thank you for being responsible and getting a safe sex is hot sex message out there.
I love the bloopers that result from filming a movie with a plot, and we happily include them on the movie. "Ashton's Eleven" had some great bloopers. "Field of Creams" had so many bloopers we actually had to sift through the footage to pick out the best ones! They were hilarious! I think it was 18 hours of video for a 2 hour movie.
As an artist, I cannot make a porn without a plot. I won't compromise my integrity as an artist and film maker simply to make a quick buck.
Wait until our new movie, "The Dicks of Hazzard" comes out later this year... you will see what I am talking about.
Here's the current cover (pre PhotoShop on Brent's hair):
http://www.eonfilms.com/myspace/dicksofhazzard.jpg
I will always make movies with a plot.
Rocky
I don't think it's fair for you to say that. There are studios that just interview the men in their videos before the action starts, and I don't think they've comprimised their integrity, and I think the interviews can have more artistic value as a documentary than if the same guys were memorizing crappy dialogue and stupid facial expressions for "entertainment".Quote:
Originally Posted by EonFilms_Rocky
having a plot doesn't make something art. look at all the sitcoms and movies out there that have plots. some are as far from art as you can get.
i shoot videos without a plot and i'm proud to say that a couple of our last shoots ARE art - they are evocative, luminous. we made use of light to create a mood and to make things look beautiful, to show off the physiques of the models and even to play with light.
and i've seen some wonderful wonderful videos by many other people that didn't have plots but left you feeling not only horny but also a world of other things - and that's what art does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EonFilms_Rocky
I am not saying that companies out there are or are not artists or are compromising their integrity by shooting movies with no plot. I am simply saying that I, as an artistic person by nature, will not do it because I would consider MY PERSONAL ARTISTIC NATURE compromised by doing so. Much like I will not paint a picture simply because someone asks me to do it. This is not to say that other artists will not paint a commisione painting. DaVinci did it, and that does not make him any less of an artist. Michaelangelo was commissioned for the Cistine Chapel, and he unquestionably a great artist.
I am simply saying that I will not do it because the movie I make is my art, as much as a painting or a website I create is artwork.
Rocky
Reviewers like plots, fans like sex, directors like everything to work properly and on time, producers like to make $$$ not spend $$$ and "porn stars" hate dialogue, especially if it is difficult and complex as in a Paul Barresi film, for example...and God forbid "Q" cards with that man!
And, we know that some performers are naturally verbal, others are not and need to be coached... we even need to coach guys to make "noise" while slurping on cock! Has anyone ever tried dubbing or doing sound over of cock sucking sound? Now, we're talking finicky directing!
As a reviewer, I actually do not have a preference as to there being a "plot."
Movies that are all sex/no plot (the old phrase for this kind of movie is a loop film) are fine too.
I think the puzzlememt you get on the viewer's end is when they watch a movie that has all this spoken dialogue and extra scenes, but it comes off as so distractingly bad you wonder why they bothered.
I'll tell ya, if you are a filmmaker and you do not necessarily want to force your models to display their inner thespian abilities, consider this: Plotless movies are incredibly enhanced if there is a good setup.
What is that?
An example, MSR's Manhattan Sex Party is a simple orgy film shot on one single set. But the director did some really neat stuff to set everything up before plowing into the actual movie. During the opening credits, each model in their street clothes approached the camera one by one as his name was credited below. The model held a ticket/pass as if he was getting into a real event, and he was walking up to the box office.
Some models smiled broadly. Some looked serious. Some looked shy. Some looked really eager to get inside and started. The viewer got a little anticipation and capture of the guys who they are about to see unleashed onscreen.
And then the movie starts, and I think Manhattan Sex Party is one of the best "orgy flicks" around. Compare that to the recently released World Splash Orgy 2005 from All Worlds, which unfortunately comes across as a busy, crowded set of individuals where nothing remarkable really gets through or stands out.... kind of like the 1980's We Are The World music video.
That's the kind of touch I am talking about when I suggest that a movie, although it's all sex/no plot, can really be enhanced with "setep" It doesn't have to be an orgy film... any film. To get to the top of the mountain there are many different possible roads.
Steve
We almost always have some type of "set-up"...
We're working from our frame of reference...the 70's and (earlier)
I've coined the phrase "situation sex" for most all of our flicks...you know, encounters of the sexual kind...
My process when it comes to films is to, first, create a premise. This is usually pretty simple, as we tend to lampoon Hollywood movies (IE "Ashton's Eleven", "Field of Creams", "The Dicks of Hazzard"... you get the idea). Once a premise is established, I write a script. I work the sex into the script so that it isn't cheesy. There is always a biz of cheese when it comes to random sex in a movie, even in theatrical films, but I do my best to make the sex incidental. There is the realm of possibility that the scenario could happen. Not along the lines of "Hi, did you order a pizza?" "Yes, come on in while I get some money" - cue funky bass line "bwam chica waa waa" music.
Once the script is done an the story is laid out, I do a rewrite to find any plot holes and make sure the plot fits the movie. It has to have character development and the dialogue needs to remain energetic. Stale dialogue brings everybody down and slows the film (porn or not) to a sluggish crawl. Once the scenes are established, I find the music to accompany them. I usually use FreePlayMusic.com. They are relatively inexpensive and have easily downloadable forms for licensing records. I have also recently come across Music4xxxcom. They are doing the parody theme song for "The Dicks of Hazzard". For the music on each scene, I am once again using FreePlayMusic.com.
After the music is picked, then I begin storyboarding. The reason I storyboard after I pick the music is so I can plan the action and camera angles around the flow of the movie. Each scene is storyboarded so that when it comes time to shoot, I do not spend all day reshooting the same scene multiple times to get better angles. The action stays fresh. As a sidenote, when I write the sex into the movie, the scene simply says "AD LIB SEX." I do not dialogue the actual moaning and groaning and "oh fuck me's." I want to keep it real.
After music, I begin casting. Casting is difficult and I use a number of sources for it, from ads on Criagslist to agencies. Once we have casting, I create a budget for the movie and (according to everyone's availability) I create a shooting schedule. A typical shoot takes five to ten days, then it is off to editing. I also submit storyboards with my tapes to the editor, so that he knows how I want the movie set up with music cues and dialogue. After I get the final edit back, I send the film to IDM for replication, authoring and printing. Once I receive the final product, the movie goes to the distributor (who I am proud to announce, Eon Films is now with D&E Productions).
And there you have it. From conception to filming to the market. That's how I do a movie.
:-)
Rocky
Hey! What are you saying about pizza delivery scenes! After shooting some 250 scenes, we decided we had to do one... and it's on our recent title "Sticky Situations"... it's tongue in cheek, and we've gotten lots of good comments on it, 'cause our audience gets and appreciates the humor. So be careful whom you're slamming here :P :Quote:
Originally Posted by EonFilms_Rocky
Yikes! I don't consider $300 for 4 minutes of music to be cheap!Quote:
I usually use FreePlayMusic.com. They are relatively inexpensive and have easily downloadable forms for licensing records.
http://freeplaymusic.com/licensing/ratecard.php
But I gotta say... you probably put a lot more time and effort into production than the majority of studios do. Whether, at the end of the day, the audience understands and appreciates it is hard to tell... our experience is that the audience is way more concerned about the sex than any of the subtlety, and we could probably get away with even less than we do as far as editing and post, but I do believe that having pride in your product is a wonderful thing :)
[/QUOTE]
This is a very interesting Read and I'm really enjoying this thread regarding plots, acting, no-plots...etc. Oh! by the way...just wanted to say hello to everyone :groovy:
Everyone has there own style and being in the DVD production and distribution end of this business I find that most guys prefer somekind of set-up as desslock mentions. It can be a few lines or a great set-up, just as long as the viewer has somekind of idea what the video is going to be about, its all about fantasy. The most important part of the whole video is to make sure that you have hot attractive guys with really hot camera angles to show-off every sexual move and activity, if a viewer doesn't like the acting or the set-up 90% of the time, they fast foward to the action scene or to there favorite scene and enjoy the entertainment. However, for some reason, if you just do a video with all action with no plot or set-up then the video doesn't make sense to the viewer :frown:
With that being said, we all have our own style/niche and that is a great thing because if we all filmed the same, and did the same thing...it would be boring and nobody would be able to sell videos. Variety is the spice of life!!!
Enjoy watching.....and keep jerkin!!!
-David
D&E Productions