There are many negative aspects about gonzo and it's human nature to want improvements(there are several threads about this), but I wanted to talk about some of the positive changes that you think have come in porn during the gonzo era. Many of these are assumed and left unsaid but I think this kind of discussion can flesh out what progress has already been made and be appreciative. This can also help shape the thinking on future threads about what the future of porn should be. Here are a few of my opinions based on what I've watched.
1.)Fewer uses of slow motion
This really kills my suspension of disbelief, as it just doesn't seems less like real life for me. What exacerbates this is when real time sound is used over the slow motion. It gets hard to tell when and why a girl is screaming/moaning/talking during a scene.
2.) Reduced music in scenes
I'm sure people have different opinions about this (music can enhance the mood for a scene) but I really don't have many complaints that it's not used in as large a number of movies anymore. I especially hated it when the scene had no audio except for music. I want to hear the performers.
3.) Less "Looping"
Unless most directors are tricking me, there seems to be less looping in scenes today. By looping I mean reshowing the same part of a scene either from the same angle or a different one. Which makes a short scene seem longer. This became much easier to do using slow motion also.
5.)Increased numbers of interracial scenes
This part may be controversial, but I think it's a good think that race (and all of the social ramifications) are becoming less of a factor in girls decisions for scene partners , and that girls that find men of an opposite race attractive can do scenes with them, without fretting as much institutional and societal pressures. In some cases I think this has required personal growth, for both performers and consumers.
6.) Lesser usage of "stunt butts"
This one was a personal pet peeve of mine , where one girl is in a scene, and a close up shot is shown of the girls butt having anal sex, but without any facial shots to show that the girl who's face you saw during the vaginal part of the scene is the same person as the butt you see during the anal. (There have been many rumors about this occurring, some of them verified by the performers themselves) I could understand the argument, though, that this was more a problem in the 80's than the 90's
(Just as a quick note: I'm not saying that these things don't still happen, but a smaller number of the movies I've seen , still use them.)
It's only been a year or so since I started collecting porn DVDs, and one of the things that I have been doing is getting some forgotten classics on DVD. I'm 31, so a forgotten classic to me is something that came out in the early to mid 1990s that I watched but never owned.
If I ignore my feelings of nostalgia, I'm discovering that many of these movies are not nearly as good as I remembered them. There are exceptions, and there is often a great scene or two in these movies, but on the whole they are not that great.
I can think of a couple of possible reasons for this: 1. I am a better informed viewer (thanks to IAFD, ADT, rog, etc....) 2. I have watched a lot of porn since then, and am not as easily impressed and not as willing to accept a movie's flaws. 3. My likes and dislikes have changed. This isn't a reason for me. 4. Although I find fewer good surprises in porn (probably because I have watched so much), the technical (sound, picture, camera) aspects of porn have improved to the extent that the majority of relatively low budget porn is not ruined by technical flaws. 10 years ago, most porn in this lower range of quality (i.e. the lowest 33%) would be unwatchable.
One positive recent change for the informed consumer is the availability of decent porn at bargain bin prices. On average, I pay less than $10 per DVD by buying them online. I can now buy many DVDs at the same cost as renting them locally a few times. Now I own more porn DVDs than I can store easily.
I am discovering that the late 1990s to early 2000s is a good porn vintage for me because the technical aspects are much better than they were a few years earlier but the circus acts, quacking, and “jackassization” of porn had not yet become prominent.
Of course, I still like some of the porn that comes out today.
"You play an evil demon summoned from hell to clean out this meth lab." 73 Posts 7/06
Posted - Oct 15 2006 : 3:58PM
The production quality is finally... quality. 70s-90's porn BLOWS for this... blurry crap.
And simliar to what Pagoda said... its nice to not see Max Harcore/Ed Powers/Ron Jeremy or any of the high percentage of pathetic looking dudes in porn from back in the day. Nothing worse than some out of shape shrimp dicked dude on top of a good looking girl who would have ZERO chance with that chick were it not for the $$$ she was being paid. Seriously, Ed Powers is vomit incarnate.
Not to mention the BORING ass lame plots that people tried to put into movies back in the day... I know its porn, but its really sad almost ALL porn actors have the ability of most 3rd graders, or worse.
Edited by - edward james almost on 10/15/2006 4:00:25 PM
absynth makes the heart grow fonder 434 Posts 8/06
Posted - Oct 15 2006 : 6:39PM
Now porn actresses actually take their shoes off in some scenes.It wasn't always that way, especially in the 80's (because of the shitty sets and the hazzards they posed to people walking around barefoot, I'm sure.)
Anyway, this alone has made porn alot more enjoyable for me.
Also, the fact that a place like this exists and provides a medium for fans to voice their opinions to industry insiders (and that we're taken seriously) benefits the industry.
Funny, I was going to start a thread about just this thought the other day. Basically, I kind of view 1998-2003 as the second "golden age" of porn. If we could marry the porn-style from this period with today's significantly higher technical quality, I'd be a very happy camper. The transition to the DVD as the dominant media has also improved the technical aspects tremendously. At least there are no more 4th-generation VHS bootlegs out there being sold as new :)
The girls, Sista's in particular, are much better looking.
There are more young girls in the biz. Some hate that, I love it.
Interracial has become more prominant, I agree.
In many cases the lighting is much better (new senations comes to mind).
Less limp performances.
Much more variety and niche specific content.
Internet high speed VOD. 50,000+ titles at the touch of a button. And GAWD is it cheap!
Natural large breasts on small framed women. Because the talent pool is larger, there are more of the real deal to choose from without having to go the fattie route.
M.I.L.F. Older chicks are the shizzle, and I love seeing the older stars of the 90's getting a victory lap.
1) Message boards and websites with detail scene-by-scene reviews of movies 2) Companies deciding to include trailers of their DVDs on their websites. 3) Online DVD shopping, especially on a site like this one where I can find different prices for the movies I wish to buy 4) The growth and popularity of Gonzo companies 5) The fact that all my favorite genres of porn (some of which are named in the following list) are no longer limited to being released and directed by no talented and low-rated companies and directors A) Aggressive anal gonzo B) Interracial C) F/m strap-on movies D) Shemales 6) The increasingly growing number of very beautiful female performers who are willing to push the envelope by regularly doing acts like anal / double anal / gangbangs, during the prime of their career.
The internet has made shopping easier and cheaper.
More fetishes are catered to, e.g., bukkake, gokkun, cum swallowing.
I'd still like to see less abusive treatment of women and more emphasis on the women's pleasure/orgasms while maintaining the wall to wall sex of gonzo.
Why say no, when it feels so good to say yes. 117 Posts 10/06
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 11:15AM
More POV incorporated into films. Even non POV films have elements of POV in them now which I really like. The undershot has started to go away some. Not as much of this unrealistic angle which I hate. The voyeuristic elements have been replaced with more POV elements.
More sex. I really like themed porn and plots but I hate when they cut into the sex too much. Older porn seemed to have a lot less sex in it. Sometimes there would only be 2 sex scenes and the rest where all bj/lesbian scenes. Now you typically get at least 4 to 5 sex scenes+.
More sexier clothes. It's still rare but at least there are a few guys like Jules Jordan dressing girls up sexy.
A lot less closeups on the guys face.
A lot less 12 inch away closeups on the penetration. I hate all the extreme closeups now in porn but I think it has really improved within the last 2-3 years. Seems like the further you go back, the more closeups there are of the penetration. The camera would just sit there for what seemed like a whole minute.
Being a baby boomer who just turned 60, I have seen the the main stream porn world from the beginning circ 69 after returning from Vietnam. I am sure there are a couple of guys in the forum who remember the Stag films of the Rotary Clubs and such, but even I am too young for that. To me this is the hayday of porn, not the borning fast forward films of the so called "Golden Era". I agree with most of the quotes in this topic except the "Shemales" but to each his own. 1. One of the things that I hated was running two sex scenes together. 3 minutes of one scene and then 2 minutes of another until the 10 minutes were up. 2. Scenes today are normally over 20 minutes. Almost twice what they used to be. 3. Video's used to cost $89.95 in the 80's
1. The only thing I miss is "kissing" Wayne In Dallas
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duffy Deactivated User
208 Posts 4/06
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 8:39PM
And the #1 positive change - I no longer have to be seen ducking into the scuzball Cameo Theatre on 8th Ave. to see ugly-ass Aunt Peg and have some dude whispering in my ear while I try desperately to get off!
the main positive changes are, that real sophisticated movies are coming back. The Devil in Miss Jones remake is great, it has many sublimal hints and insinuations, reflecting and playing with the golden age of porn.
Many retro-movies, like neu wave hookers, docus like seeking seka etc. These movies have received good critics in Europe. New ideas, like the interactive series, with Nautica Thorne, Miko Lee etc. Or DVD X-rated movie games like chasing stacey. I think 10 years ago, there hadnt be a market for this. But to be honest, this is only the peak of the ice-mountain, 95% porn movies are still crap. But at least there are quite a lot of movies that every man/woman, demanding more than "action", can watch.
Juliet Anderson was one of the greats. I always found her attractive.
Now, I wasn't watching peeps on 8th Avenue, but, in the features I was watching on film in movie theatres, Juliet Anderson was always one of the better-looking women performing at that time.
Paying trib-ute to SinncentVanSage 1412 Posts 12/04
Posted - Mar 10 2007 : 9:19AM
- Squirting - Gushing - Pussy Juice - Female Ejaculation - Wet Female Orgasms - Hue change of pussy (from b&w to pink) - Some tits are natural today - The usual technical stuff - Plus of course liquid love juice flowing freely from dripping wet snatches, yum
Panties - maybe not the best thing in the world, but next to it.
If you're talking about interracial scenes within interracial-themed films, I would say this means that race is more of a factor in determining who screws who, not less. There are entire films defined along racial lines, like black male & asian female, white male & black female, etc. Some of these movies play up racial stereotypes, so I don't think they're getting beyond the "social ramifications" of race at all. You may be referring to interracial scenes outside of interracial-themed movies, but these are comparatively rare as directors have found the interracial genre profitable.
And do girls really decide on their scene partners? I always imagined it was the director who made this decision, though some performers may refuse to work with particular individuals. Maybe I'm cynical, but I see porn casting decisions as a function of the bottom line, not as expressing the performers' true inclinations.
1. It's easier to find a movie with decent picture and sound quality........although bad color and overexposure still ruins a lot of porn.
2. I believe pornographers, in general, are trying harder than they typically have in the past to put out a quality product. They may be limited by financial constraints and/or the general rules of the game but I've seen signs of improvement pretty much everywhere I look.
3. Women have more freedom to express their sexuality now than they typically have in the past. More porn is made with the input of females taken into consideration. It is still largely a male-dominated business but any progress at all in this area is encouraging. Hardcore is nice but sometimes, I want to see something soft, romantic and erotic.
Comstock Films is a prime example of positive changes in porn. Not just because of TonyC's production values, but because he's actually doing pretty well without help from the old distribution channels.
Also, I agree that the Internet has had a positive impact. You can actually get your hands on foreign porn fairly easily. You can communicate with producers on sites like this one. Online retailers have more direct relationships with their customers and can do a better job of catering to their tastes. Last, but not least, you can swap posts with Kimi!
Better quality video and better lighting Bigger talent pool Less crappy music Better looking and more fit men, less closeups on fat ugly guys More focus on women's pleasure More trimming of pubic hair More niche stuff, like quality shemale porn
Negative:
Almost all people are shaved (yawn, how about some variety) Still too many sleazy male stars Too much "gonzo" (painful anal, Double this and Double that in every hole, spitting, bukkake etc)
I guess its all about personal taste, but I think of the 90s as the golden age. Still good bush, but trimmed, and not too much gonzo.
Paying trib-ute to SinncentVanSage 1412 Posts 12/04
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 12:31PM
Hi, Swiss_Pornaddict
What a coincidence, I am male and live in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, plus in a month I'll be 29, too.
Don't know if I'm a true pussy fan. In my opinion pussy is the best thing that can happen to any man, so I'd say any man should adore pussy as much as I do. But I've realized that's not always the case, so I guess I'm a pussy fan, yeah.
I'm not too fond of chatrooms, though. Bad experiences with them I'd rather forget.
Panties - maybe not the best thing in the world, but next to it.
3. More foot-fetish titles (eventhough most of them lack quality in my opinion but at least they're being shot).
4. From VHS to DVD and all the benefits that came with it.
5. More interracial (BM/WF) series.
6 Trina Michaels ;-)
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duffy Deactivated User
208 Posts 4/06
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 1:22PM
I'm amazed by all these dudes from Switzerland/Holland/Sweden wasting time sitting in front of a computer with all those hot Euro babes wandering the streets looking for guys.
Paying trib-ute to SinncentVanSage 1412 Posts 12/04
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 8:59PM
Our girls don't give me the impression of wanting, not to speak of needing, a guy. Unless they find one who treats them bad... then they will never leave him again. So why not go online and look for girls I understand at least partly?
Panties - maybe not the best thing in the world, but next to it.
I don't know if is good or bad,but i know that few years ago, girls were paid more then now and were more proffesional actors then now. That means the market extended and some companies prefere to take cheap girls and to make cheap products,not caring about the good quality of a good porn movie. Elly Jaine.
I agree with all of the above, except that I miss Bruce Seven style movies. The lesbian stuff was more erotic than the ones I've seen as of late. Maybe I just haven't seen the better ones. Also, I liked it when he had the girls dancing very seductively with each other.
1) The camera work: It still sucks but it's infinitely better than when I watched in the 80s. Back then it was all extreme hardcore closeups cut with R rated medium shots. There's still a frustrating lack of medium shots outside of Sineplex and Christoph Clark titles.
2)Mandatory anal: OK, there's still some holdouts, but the average chick getting into porn these days has to expect all holes open for business, if not immediately then down the road.
I totally agree with you. Whatever you're into there's probably at least a couple of series on it. If you like a certain type of girl or body type or sex act it's out there. If you like gonzo or features or compilations it's out there.
Overall the girls look better. Thanks to today's technology production values are better. The girls are more daring. More variety of girls and body types. DVDs are just so much better in so many ways to VHS. More product more often.
IMHO it's a very good thing. The customer can have great hardcore sex if he pays for it, I remember the time when I rented movies praying God to have one decent scene in it. Now I know several companies that make excellent gonzo porn, I bought "This Butt's 4 U #2" knowing that it'll be an AWESOME flick. If the girl doesn't want to do hardcore porn it's fine, there's a lot of other opportunities apart from hardcore gonzo
Modern porn >>>>> Older porn - better technical quality - better looking girls - hardcore sex (DP, DAP, creampie, blowbang, gangbang,...) - a lot more variety in girls (black, asian, latina, young chicks,...) - interracial - a lot easier to find what you want (you want IR? buy a IR flick,...) - bye bye cheesy music, plot, costumes, haircuts - shaved/trimmed sexual organs - and I should add, since I'm french, no more stupid dubbing
I guess some of this comes down to personal taste, but a few of the positive changes for me have been :
1) More diverse range of titles (especially big butt titles!) 2) Better blowjob techniques (no hands please) 3) Euro studs coming to America to show how it's done (Steve Holmes, Manuel Ferrera) 4) Longer sex scenes, covering more positions like cowgirl, spoon 5) DVDs instead of VHS 6) All types of girls in porn now, the 90s seemed to be all blondes with fake tits
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10000 days Deactivated User
Keep on trolling. What a bullshit! Im fucking unstoppable now ... 717 Posts 3/06
Posted - Mar 16 2007 : 12:49AM
Porn in the golden age was too short. Who in their right mind would only want to see Christy Canyon having sex for 8-10 minutes? Can you imagine a female of Canyon's quality now in a title like Boob Bangers? Not fair at all!
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The Squirt Fighter Deactivated User
15 Posts 3/07
Posted - Mar 16 2007 : 1:22AM
I have a funny story about the great Christy Canyon, when she was 18, she used to babysit me when I was only 12 years old :) she was so nice to me, cuddling me , making me feel special...how I didnt know one day she would making adult movies ...true story