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All Forums > The Porn Pool > The Porn Pool Forum Page 460 > Scientific study of porn
AuthorPost
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:02AM
I've just come accross a scientific study which found that men looking at porn pictures usually focus on the women's faces first and foremost. While women looking at porn pictures usually focus on the sexual acts the studs are performing.
I think this study has some important implications for the way porn movies should be made.
I know from my own experience of watching porn movies that I really do want to see the lady's face while she is having sex with a guy or two. And I do feel frustrated when the camera shows a lot of close-ups that focus on the sexual acts and not on the lady's face.
Too many porn films neglect showing the lady's face during the sexual acts. And perhaps this is one of the reasons why they end up getting poor ratings from reviewers and poor sales among porn fans.
Of course, I wouldn't want to watch a porn film that shows only the lady's face and leaves you wondering just what kind of sex is she having and who exactly is porking her? I want to see both, the sex act and the lady's face at the same time and preferably within the same shot. And the scientific study I've mentioned above says that this is not just my personal taste in porn, but this is what most men watching porn want to see.

Edited by - Dan on Apr 18 2008

conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:10AM
The study you linked to deals specifically with still photographs. Then you go on to talk about movies. [o\|]
Dan do you think movies and still photographs are the same thing? Or that linking a study about still photos is somehow relevant to movies?
Edited by - conquistador on 4/18/2008 1:13:13 AM
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:17AM
In terms of sexual arousal, both are the same thing. Because both are porn.
It's the content of the pictures and not whether they are moving or not that's important.
Loraine
Senior Member

1559 Posts
3/04
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:23AM
Even without the science - when you are watching a film, just about any film, the face is the part of the body on which we read reaction, it's pretty simple. You can look at a cock pistoning in and out of a pussy and other than signs of wetness, a little flush and perhaps the woman's hips lifting you're not going to be able to read reaction. Without seeing the face he could be fucking a cadaver for all we know! So yeah, a skilled camera person (or more than one camera and some editing!) should be able to bring us a selection of shots.
Just an aside Beautifulagony.com survives just showing faces during orgasm - that's how compelling faces are to humans.
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 3:27AM
Why do you think that would be true? They don't mention anything of the sort in the article.
You don't understand how this science stuff works, eh? To say that the content of the pictures was the only important part and it wouldn't have mattered if the test subjects had been shown movies you would have to recreate the conditions of the study and instead of using stills use movies. It's pretty clear you have no clue what you are talking about.
Leave the science to scientists please. Your assumptions do not constitute research.
 
leatherface
Senior Member

1258 Posts
7/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 8:21AM
100% agree.
Tommy Kaye
Member

135 Posts
2/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 10:49AM
100% agree as well. I love to show close ups of a beautiful sexy face during a scene. It gives the viewers a more intimate connection to the girl. A well shot scene should contain a wide variety of shots at different focal lengths, not just close ups. I can't watch a POV movie because they feel claustrophobic and lacking in a visual sense.
Walter All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1445 Posts
3/05
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 11:17AM
I love well done POV scenes, but I agree that the right balance of camera angles and mid-range (not too near, not too far) perspectives is essential to a well shot scene. This is true of both POV and non-POV scenes. Close-up penetration shots should only be used sparingly, usually as a transition between other perspectives. Too much focus on close-up penetration shots without showing the rest of the body and the face makes a scene bland; it might as well being any girl fucking when this is done. This used to be a common problem in porn, but thankfully most directors don't do this anymore.
Zoid
Senior Member

Boobies and Anal
2004 Posts
5/04
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 11:53AM
Well, if you have a movie with the main focus on gaping assholes, showing too much face might be counter-productive.
But other than that, yes - I think faces are important (admittedly women's faces), but I imagine it's not always easy to shoot/show. It depends on how many people are there, what positions they are in, and where they are doing it (ie. couch, bed, floor, standing). Personally, I prefer shots that kind of show both, and with an occasional close-up.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 12:32PM
Doesn't the eroticism in a "gaping video" consist in large part of the woman's aroused reaction to being gaped? If so, showing her face is as essential as in other erotica.
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 12:42PM
Not to diminish the importance of faces, but you've overlooked the importance of voices -- which are absent from still photography. Women's voices are the other principal thing that men focus on when watching porn.
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:20PM
The trick is to show both at the same time, the lady's face and her sex action. Which can be done with any kind of sex action, including the gaping asshole.
All the girl needs to do is look behind her over her shoulder either at the camera, or at her ass-man, or in the direction of her gaping asshole. And of course the camera-man must back up a little to show both the lady's gaping asshole and the expressions on her face.
It's the expressions on the lady's face which communicate how she feels about the sex she is having that make her face so interesting and desirable for men to watch. And that's why it's so important to show the lady's face during the heat of the sex action on her and not at some other time. Porn fans like me want to see how the lady feels when a guy is banging the crap out of her ass. And they want to see the strain and the effort on her face, when she tries to gape her asshole wide open in order to entice the big man's cock back inside her ass. And of course porn fans want to see the expression on this lady's face, when the guy plunges back inside in response to her open invitation.
Now that I think of it. Facial expressions do show feelings and emotions a lot more and a lot better than groans, moans, yells, whoops, and hollers do. Although vocalizations can add to the heat too. Perhaps what needs to be done to express the lady's enthusiasm is to combine her vocalizations with her facial expression and show both. The moaning and hollering lady needs to make emotional faces at the camera in tune with her vocalizations. And the camera shot needs to show both, her distorted facial expressions and the reason why she is making those faces, which is the penetrative sex-action on her.
It's no use to show the lady's face before her fuck or after, which is what many porn films show. It's during her fuck that men want to see the lady make faces at the camera and show how she feels about it.
Edited by - Dan on 4/18/2008 1:22:10 PM
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:32PM
One of the basic principles of any scientific study is that such a study must isolate one factor only and show its causes and effects separately from any other factor.
I'm sure female vocalizations also play a role in arousing men who look at porn. But the vocalization factor should be the subject of another scientific study. And it doesn't belong in the study I've mentioned.
When you try to study simultaneously two factors that interact with each other. Then you end up with a confusing mess that doesn't tell you much about which factor is important and in what way.
Zoid
Senior Member

Boobies and Anal
2004 Posts
5/04
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 1:41PM
No. It's about the size of the hole. However, I am not an expert on gaping, so I can't claim anything with certainty. For me it's just entertaining to watch -- talking assholes and other nonsense like that can be funny, but not necessarily arousing.
What if she feels badly? Would you want to see it? After all, having horsecock-sized dildo or a fist fully stuck up your ass may not always be experienced as pleasurable.
Edited by - Zoid on 4/18/2008 1:41:49 PM
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 2:04PM
Lack of emotion or seeming indifference is even worse than a negative emotion. And a lack of emotion is what you end up with in the film, when the camera doesn't show the lady's face during her fuck.
But negative emotions or a mixture of both positive and negative emotions are very interesting to watch too. That's why mainstream action films with all the verbal and physical violence and gore are so popular among fans.
Many porn fans want to see big studs take the sexy lady to her sexual limits. That's why there is so much emphasis on bigger than average cocks, huge dildoes, anal gang-bangs, DAP's, DP's, a2m's, and DPP's. And if taking the lady to her limits is the name of the sexual game. Then it makes no sense to hide the lady's reactions and not show the faces she makes during her fuck.
Porn fans who want to see the sexy lady get the maximum fuck will be most pleased to watch this lady's facial expressions that show how she reaches her sexual limits. That's exactly what they want to see. And showing the distorted faces the lady makes together with her maximum fuck is the best way to show how the studs take this lady to her sexual limits.

Edited by - Dan on 4/18/2008 2:05:20 PM

 
Zoid
Senior Member

Boobies and Anal
2004 Posts
5/04
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 2:20PM
I agree with this. I just think there should be a good balance between emotion and "action", otherwise you'll end up with just emotion (as you say), and not much of a porn.
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 2:29PM
Let's just say that sex action which doesn't show the lady's reaction is a flop in any porn film. But showing only the lady's reaction without making obvious what the sex action on her is would be just as much of a flop.
You need to show both equally and simultaneously, the fuck and the lady's facial and vocal reactions to it in order to have a good porn film.
Edited by - Dan on 4/18/2008 2:46:22 PM
Blink
Deactivated User

78 Posts
2/08
Posted - Apr 18 2008 : 10:06PM
That doesn't address the point Zoid made.
There's a big difference here. Violence in mainstream action films is staged; no one is purposely harmed. Violence in porn, on the other hand, is generally not staged. If a woman is on the receiving end of rough anal insertions and is making pain faces/sounds, then they're likely to be genuine.
Edited by - Blink on 4/18/2008 10:14:47 PM
Endless Loop
Senior Member

Tomatometer
1129 Posts
8/04
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 4:29AM
Given the disparity of taste, I've learned to take what the porn of the moment has to offer, and adjust the imagination as needed.
It generally works well for nearly any shortcoming faced outside of monotony.
Edited by - Endless Loop on 4/19/2008 4:30:06 AM
jrsl76
Senior Member

Perfection
4024 Posts
8/07
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 6:35AM
I can't speak for anyone except myself, but the face IS the first thing I look at. If a video neglects the girls face, I'm not interested.
Dan
Senior Member

2056 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 3:59PM
It's like that for me too. The only problem is that you don't know whether the video neglects the girl's face or not, until you spend some money on it and waste some time watching it.
It's a hit and miss kind of situation. There is no easy way to look for and choose films that show both, the sex and the lady's facial reactions to it. The cover doesn't give you any information about it. And film reviewers seldom mention this kind of thing too.
jrsl76
Senior Member

Perfection
4024 Posts
8/07
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 5:17PM
I don't need to see the face all the time, just don't neglect it. I'm interested in her experience, so I want to see her face.
GentleAman
Member

19 Posts
12/05
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 5:45PM
I agree with face, but disagree with her experience.
I would like to see more of close up of pussy w/o dick. any recommendation? good solo or lesbian? My taste seems to change toward the beautiful face and body and good look at her private parts after years of watching porn.
Dither
Persona non grata

I love America
650 Posts
8/05
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 7:37PM
I'm with science, +sin(pi/2) for face.
jrsl76
Senior Member

Perfection
4024 Posts
8/07
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 7:50PM
What I meant is, I'm there because I want to see the girl, therefore, I want to see her face, her reactions. I think this is a big reason why I really hate "big" performances and if a girl clearly isn't into what she's doing, it just ruins any enjoyment for me.
 
tom_servo
Member

I'm huge!
128 Posts
3/08
Posted - Apr 19 2008 : 8:10PM
I understand what Dan is saying and I agree. It all starts (and ends) with the face for me. I think that the beauty of a face itself, plus conveying emotions, how our brains are designed to recognize people by their faces, all of that factors into this.
And I want to see the girl's expressions during the sex (hopefully enjoying it but to be honest anything real instead of seeming faked gets me off). The voice is key too.
Echoing what Loraine says just check out Beautifulagony.com. It's porn without being pornographic, but very compelling from a porn point of view, some stroker material there. But I want to see some of the girl's goodies too, the action involved, hear what the girl is saying/moaning - not just see the face - if I am going to whack off to it.
As far as closeups go although I like seeing her pussy closeup I don't need it there hogging screen time for the majority of the time, or see so much of the action shown from gynecological closeup angles, I would rather see more of her whole body during sex with many closeups of her face sprinkled in showing her reaction to the action.
Everybody has their own thing though.
SexyHard
Member

673 Posts
6/07
Posted - Apr 20 2008 : 9:51AM
Loraine
Senior Member

1559 Posts
3/04
Posted - Apr 20 2008 : 9:58AM
^ Nice pick up Sexyhard - it's one of my fave moments in the film, makes my pussy warm seeing that screen capture in your review. The detail when he's stroking her clit and the intensity builds is another lovely moment.



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