Top marks Woody for your candour, hopefully people from other studios will follow your lead. I've got 3 questions: What girls do Vivid currently have under contract? Is ClubJenna still in business and making movies? Will "Briana Loves Jenna Againa" ever see the light of day?
But Vivid gave a broad hint with the director's name. "Chuck Lords" is Paul Thomas' nom de plume for product that doesn't fit the name "Paul Thomas" which is a trademark for top-notch feature porn. But I agree with you that even the bread and butter productions deserve editing without such obvious continuity errors.
Woody, Does that also apply if you're only selling them as downloads? E.G., there were a couple older (early-mid '90s) movies I was looking for and I found one of them, but it was only available as a download, so I bought it that way. For the record, the other one I'm still trying to track down is an Ariana feature called "Public Enemy" from Gourmet Video. As for the original topic, I have to admit that I'm more of a Vivid-type porn fan. No one watches porn for the stories, but for me having a video where you just see two people having sex is too random. In the past when I've ordered DVDs, occasionally the vendor would throw in a freebie with some ridiculous title like "World's Biggest Cocks" or something like that; videos like that just aren't my thing. That's why I never really got into gonzo either. Just because someone enjoys drinking a Samuel Adams once in a while doesn't mean they want to guzzle down a case of Budweiser - it's too much of a good thing and not exactly the same experience. To be honest I haven't watched a recent Vivid movie in a while, though I do have some older ones from the late '90s. This isn't because I'm biased against Vivid, it's more because when I first started watching porn I bought from a company that sold mainly Vivid titles. Once I started shopping around and realized there were so many other studios, I decided to try them out. Anyway, maybe I'll try some new Vivid since you are making the effort to reach out to us here on the forum. (Which is not to say that other studios don't, that's not what I meant.)
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 5:43PM
If i didn't care or Steven didn't care he would not have asked me to forward all of these posts. I have no problem addressing these issues, I just think your abrasive way of expressing yourself is a little disrespectful and a bit irritating. I spent 2 hours with B.Skow Sat., my day off, discussing all these problems. The funny thing is we agree with a lot you say and they are insightful, it helps us fix the problems. But you really don't have to be so heavy handed in the way you write me.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 6:19PM
PORN STARS AT HOME was edited differently than most of our movies. It was edited in a tv reality show style and this is clear from the beginning. You do see the camera guy every now and then on purpose (but not during primary sex scenes), and the thought throughout the movie is that a camera is following Hanna. This specific scene was Hanna crashing a porn shoot, there is a sex scene going on and yes you see the boom and camera on purpose. She leaves and talks to a guy upstairs and another couple start to have sex, so actually this scene is three different sex segments happening, so when Beverly appears with clothes again, it's because this happens later, and it's a different sex scene, there is a passage of time between Alex and Beverly fucking naked and them re-clothed starting another scene later. The editor's choices were conscious and PT reviewed and approved all of this.
Once the main two couple scene begins, continuity is maintained.
I stand corrected. I never saw that portion of your reply because you screwed up the quote/end quote logic and your post was indented as if it were part of a post that you were quoting, not new text. So I didn't read that portion. I apologize. I guess that the best answer that I can give is that none of them were anything that I wanted to watch more than once. I typically want to watch movies (or really specific scenes) that I really like, more than once.I didn't say anything about the boom because it was perfectly logical that it might be seen in a room where a sex scene was being filmed (Beverly & Alex). I'm talking about seeing a camera in the Hanna portion of the scene which was supposed to be in the other room, away from where the sex scene was being filmed. It was obvious that it didn't belong there because the first camera man quickly moved the camera so that he could no longer see the second camera.I disagree completely. Beverly & Alex were having sex in one room (where the Internet shoot was taking place). Hanna left the room to join Mikey upstairs and they begin having sex (simultaneously with Beverly & Alex having sex in the first room). IIRC, there were a couple of cuts back & forth between the two scenes. As the Hanna/Mikey scenes progresses past the blowjob, and the camera pulls back from Hanna & Mikey, we see Beverly & Alex fully clothed in the same room having sex. These are people who were just downstairs, undressed, fucking in the other room. My immediate reaction to seeing them was "How did they get in the room?" It didn't make any sense whatsoever, from a continuity standpoint.If everything in that scene was intentional, that brings me back to my original point that I don't think that Vivid (especially PT or Steven) really cares about the quality of the sex scenes that they put out. As far as other movies are concerned, given the good reviews that it got, I tried watching the first scene from Bounce yesterday. For whatever reason, I couldn't get into it. I like both Hanna Hilton & Whitney Stevens. But I found myself being bored 10 minutes into the scene. I ended up watching a Brazzers scene instead. Maybe I'm just wasting my time trying to give Vivid another shot. I guess I'm done here. Edited by - Bill on 7/20/2009 9:35:49 PM
If that is really what PT set out to do then you have a big problem on your hand if you want customers to like vivid. I watched that movie and in no way thought it was a reality show. Now that you wrote that, I think it was a bigger piece of shit then I originally though it was. Also, what is the reason for the shitty lighting and bad editing during the sex?
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 2:35PM
Thanks for your comments, believe it or not they are quite helpful. We actually agree on more than you know. After reading your comments Steven said this type of movie will never be made again. Steven does care and PT needs to hear this so his direction can evolve into something else. Besides what we have in the can, you will never see another Chuck Lords movie, PT will put his name on all his work. I don't think we will ever please the raincoat crowd, but we certainly are making a big effort to make a great product. I like chocolate, you like strawberry, that doesn't make either one bad. Again thanks for taking your time and your comments. Hopefully you will see something you like due to your help here in the future.
#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 2:56PM
I haven't seen the movie Bill is talking about, but it sounds like an intentionally disjointed, intentionally shitty movie-within-a-movie that PT made under one of his fake names to show how stupid he thinks porn is and how above it all he thinks he is. If you go back to the 1990 Tori Welles movie Miss Directed, it's an intentionally disjointed, intentionally shitty movie-within-a-movie that PT made under one of his fake names to show how stupid he thinks porn is and how above it all he thinks he is. You really think this guy is going to "evolve" into something else after all these years? He should evolve into retirement and Social Security.
Woody, This is the point we are trying to make. It's a "no brainer". It is crazy nonsense you are pulling your hair out fretting over 1000 copies and fearing many of them will not sell. Just offer digital downloads of ALL the old out-of-print stuff. And then demand a fat raise because of your cutting-edge brilliant idea.
It is not that easy. The films you're talking about were shot on analogue material. To digitalise this properly takes some time. Because the analogue material is so old there will be need for restoration.
I think we can all agree on a special edition of BAD WIVES. I'm sure this is the classic with the biggest commercial potential. If Vivid produces an edition similar to Wicked's "Flashpoint X" and it sells well, we can give you further suggestions.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 5:19PM
I have said all I can about this movie, but what I can say in PTs defense is that he is one of the best and most award winning directors in the business. If he could shoot what he wanted, without restrictions, someone would go to jail. He is truly a sick person. Again I did not come on here to have a bashing party, I respect you guys and ask you do the same. I have had many great and helpful comments here, I forward them on to Steven and Pt just like I will this one. I asked PT to come on here too. He said he will tonight. But corrective criticism is what will help, not name calling and bashing.
Well, so much for me being done here. The above comment is exactly what I didn't to hear. I thought that the concept of Porn Stars at Home was a good one and, if executed correctly, could have been a really good movie. Personally, I love stuff like Buttman, early Seymore Butts and the stuff that Brazzers is putting out. Productions from these companies/directors don't just consist of sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes. Every scene has a small story behind it, there is some level of tease, followed by a sex scene. In the case of Buttman & Seymore Butts, the story line has continuity to it from scene to scene. But each scene can stand on its own. You don't need to watch the entire movie to know what's going on in a given scene. Brazzers discs just consist of individual scenes with a common link (schoolgirls, MILF's, etc...). But every scene has it's own little storyline that can get the viewer into the scene before any sex takes place. Unlike Buttman & Seymore Butts, the cameraman in Brazzers scenes isn't "part of the scene". The viewer doesn't know that he/she is there. Personally, I have no preference as to whether something is in "first person" (Buttman) or not (Brazzers). It's the setup & execution that's important. If done correctly, Porn Stars at Home could have almost been a combination of Buttman & Brazzers in style. There was an ongoing storyline which allowed for completely separate scenarios that didn't need to relate to one another, other than they were experienced by Hanna while in search of a place to live while she is in LA. And the option for the cameraman to be part of the plot (or not) existed (but if he was part of the plot, that would have needed to remain constant throughout the entire movie). Where it all fell apart, was in the execution. Personally, I think that, in order for a movie like this to work, the director has to be shooting something that turns him/her on. Otherwise, it's just a formula and doesn't work.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 1:13PM
I think he meant that movies done incorrectly won't be made. Hannas House is very Brazzers style, I think you might enjoy it. B.Skow said it was very well done.
I think this one would be a great title to see how some older titles might do. If an uncut version of Bad Wives can't sell then it probably isn't worth you doing other older titles anymore however I'd bet that Bad Wives would sell out a run of 1000.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 3:40PM
we did re release all of the following titles. Bad Wives is in there. here is the list of re release. VIVID 25TH ANNIVERSARY 50 PACK BOX TITLE (AWARD WINNER/YEAR) CLUB GINGER (87) BLAME IT ON GINGER (87) PHOENIX PLAYTHING CHRISTY IN THE WILD IN DEFENSE OF SAVANNAH (92) RACQUEL IN THE WILD SAVANNAH SUPERSTAR BLONDE JUSTICE TAMING OF SAVANNAH INTIMATE JOURNEY AFFAIRS OF THE HEART BLONDE ANGEL PHOTOPLAY BLONDAGE (95) MASSEUSE 2 (95) ABOVE THE KNEE LUNA CHICK STARTING OVER WHITE WEDDING HAWAII THE LAST ACT ENCORE CHASEY SAVES THE WORLD (97) TORRID TALES ROLLING THUNDER HOUSE ON CHASEY LANE BORDERLINE (96) NYMPH CHASEY LOVES ROCCO JENTEAL LOVES ROCCO NIKKI LOVES ROCCO BOBBY SOX (97) BAD WIVES (98) DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: THE NEXT GENERATION DANGEROUS MASSEUSE 3 (99) ORIGINAL SIN SEVEN DEADLY SINS (2000) JEKYLL & HYDE (01) AWAKENING FAÇADE (01) BAD WIVES 2 (02) FADE TO BLACK (02) LOOKING IN (04) HEART OF DARKNESS (04) THE 8TH SIN (05) PRETTY GIRL (05) TO DIE FOR (07) FADE TO BLACK
Is this release uncut or is it the cut release that Vivid originally released? I know there was talk many years ago about Vivid announcing an uncut Special Edition of Bad Wives, but to the best of my knowledge they never released it. I still haven't bought the original cut release waiting for the uncut version.
I will say that I believe Vivid's quality of product only recently has gone way downhill. Vivid needs to be what Vivid is known for-Plot-driven films done with georgous girls and stuff more closely related to real world sex. It's gone downhill because it seems to have taken a reactionary approach and tried to do more "filth" and gonzo and "harder" stuff. That's not Vivid. And, there clearly is a market for what I describe above: look at the success of Wicked. Vivid needs to get back to the type of stuff that-among others-Paul Thomas directed. IMO, right now, Vivid has a fairly mediocre roster of steadily performing contract girls (especially if Monique Alexander is not steadily shooting for them as I suspect) along with an even more mediocre roster of guys that regularly work with them. And this roster of talent is shooting weirder stuff than what Vivid is known for.
My suggestion is for folks with interest similar to yours to stick with the MYRIAD of companies already rolling out films like this. Vivid needs to give us something different IMO.
I have noticed poor lighting in Vivid films. But, I would say this is primarily a recent occurence and more a matter of it being too bright or just plain unflattering to the talent.
I can agree with this to a degree. In the past, you used to have 8-9 minute scenes between lots of plot. I want 25 minutes and up scenes with limited cutting/editing. Lots of plot is fine, but not at the expense of the sex scenes.
Vivid was #1 for a LONG time. No other porn company to my knowledge has such a notcieable high rise building and name reputation as Vivid. There's a reason for that. What they did was in demand. Now, I know they put out quite a bit of stuff over the years with 8 minute scenes with girls not interested in the scene. But I'd wager that many of the people critiscizing them here haven't watched Vivid in several years.
You obviously just hate Vivid. I suggested that because Skow is probably one of the best cameraman shooting porn. I know there is a ton of all anal gonzo out today and I watch lots of it, but it would be great to see one that was lit really well with the girls looking hot and great tease instead of the same shaky cameras, lens flare, cameraman that wont shut up, overexposed picture, porn that is all to common. As far as features go. I just watched THE PINCH and it was funny as hell with great long sex scene's. Hollywood, I hope you are not going to stop shooting features, because if they are like the pinch I would buy more and I'm not really a feature guy.
skyway, I think that the direction that Vivid has moved into is fine. We are in a gonzo age and by producing such films Vivid is just doing what is good in a business sense. They still release plenty of features and I see nothing wrong with variety. I also like the fact that some of the stuff they are releasing now is more hardcore - you still get the quality product that Vivid produces along with the more hardcore stuff which I am defintely a fan of.. I think it's great that Vivid is producing more hardcore, gonzo-like movies (as well as features) as it caters to a wider fan base.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 2:33PM
Your sentiments are what seem to be echoed amoung the buyers the most. B Skows stuff is without a doubt some of the best stuff around. You can tell he really cares. I am a bit suspect when {skyway} says if his name is on it he avoids it. I have found just the opposite to be true.
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. George Carlin 1567 Posts 2/07
Posted - Jul 27 2009 : 7:37PM
My main man Fingerbangger I must agree with you. If some of the Vivid haters gave Vivid another chance they would be quite surprised. B Skow said to say hi to you. He will come on here the first chance he gets, he is swamped and up to his ears in pussy.
Another thing that Vivid might consider is doing podcasts of their trailers (like Jules Jordan, Digital Playground, etc.) -- I believe that they used to do this, but they appear to have long since stopped. It would help generate interest.
Introducing Brandi Swan
Posted - Jul 18 2009 : 8:54AM
