you're right. sorry... the part about "directing" the actors i neglected. i guess i focused on what he said about telling them what to say (the writer's job) and what to do (partially the writer, partially the director, partially the actor), rather than how to react (both the director's and actor's job, and a bit of the writer's job, and certainly part of the editor's job in terms of how those reactions play on the screen.)
Jimmy D blows me away. Has there ever been someone in the porno biz so self-righteous who had achieved so little in it?
Since you are obviously so vastly superior to "non-diretors" like Stagliano, Jules, Silvera, Rocco, Pat Collins, etc, etc, etc, you will avoid lots of the pitfalls of failure in their lives. You know, like $100K cars, huge bank accounts, mansions in the hills. Life is rough when you're "only" a gonzo director.
I stil think there's a huge gap between some of these gonzo-style directors and people like Andrew Blake, Nic Andrews and Michael Ninn. But then again, there's a huge gap between Steven Speilberg and Paul W.S. Anderson too, isn't there?
Isn't it already an accepted assumption that we're talking about porn? We're on a website called "Adult DVD Talk" discussing something in a forum called "The Porn Pool". Does anybody really think that Jules was comparing himself to Alfred Hitchcock?
well, actually, since (somewhere in all this) porn directors like nic andrews and michael raven were injected into this debate in terms of comparing jules to them. and since nic and michael do try to adopt and use mainstream-like directorial practices, and they do conduct themselves on a set much like mainstream directors, i think we are talking about directors vs. porn directors. i think--tho i could be wroing-- that that's the initial point robby d was making.
Ya know, if adult performers (or porn stars or "actors") tried to pattern their on-set and on-camera behavior based on mainstream Hollywood, they would get laughed out of the business. Can you imagine Krystal Steal trying to discuss Lee Strasberg? Or Evan Stone bringing up Laurence Olivier or Henry Fonda before the big DP scene.
The adult performers who really deep-down believe they're actors, not sex performers (Steven St. Croix is a good example) are generally regarded as chumps who can't hold their own in the sweaty trenches of gonzo. And no matter who you are (less a few super-hot girls), gonzo pays your rent in the current industry climate.
I'm sure Jimmy will find that comparison ridiculous and unwarranted, but in that context, doesn't Nic Andrews sitting in a directors chair next to a boom mic and a big tracked 35mm camera look a little silly (not to mention the shorts he always wears... but that's another topic)?
While ignoring for a moment the question of what a gonzo director does or doesn't do, I must say I'm absolutely sick to death of assholes who somehow think that "$100K cars" and "mansions in the hills" are in any way the true measure of a man, and certainly of an artist. If nothing matters but material possessions, well then, everybody from Roy Kroc to Charles Keating to George Bush to (name the Columbian drug dealer of your choice) has everybody under discussion beat hands down, from Jules to Stag to Nic Andrews-- and oh yeah, everybody from Ernest Hemingway to Picasso to Jesus, too.
Fuck everybody whose minds and souls are so wizened & tiny that the only rule their peabrains go by is that puerile bumpersticker ethic, "He who dies with the most toys win."
This does not mean I question anybody who's been lucky enough to garner material success from their hard work. It does mean I think every loser (whom I doubt himself has $100K cars, said mansion, etc) who thinks $$$ is what life's about is welcome to a heapin' spoonful of my diarehea, thank you very much!
I find Jules Jordan to be a very talented director. He exhibits a phenomenal talent for lensing graphic, nasty sex. I also consider him to be as much of a director as myself or anyone else in this industry. I think we both have an understanding and respect for the energies required to create what we do. I've seen Jules's movies. His creations demand no less attention to detail than a feature. Casting, the setting, the mood, the pacing, the visual style, all of these elements are some of the responsibilities of the director and I find him to be at the very top of his game. Having said that however, it is important to mention here that all who create and piece together a series of audio/visual elements are directors. Some are obviously better than others. Some possess greater technical skills and yet others exhibit a mastery over one particular visual style, but in the end when the puzzle has been assembled it will either resemble something that the viewer can relate to and appreciate or a chaotic mess of a trainwreck that is too painful to watch. I find little merit in the argument about who is a true director and who is not, but rather the questions that should be asked are which directors excel at their craft and which need improvement? Or more importantly, as a consumer who do I like the most? Who's movies entertain me the way I want to be entertained? Robby D. is a creative and talented filmaker. I find his works entertaining and original. Jules Jordan impresses me with his uncanny ability to conjure a high degree of sexual magic from the performances of his talent. The bottom line for me is that whether you are lensing a DP with a facial glazing of a finish on some 18 year old hottie -or- "some fake ass dialog or bullshit pyrotechnics", it's still directing....and I happen to enjoy shooting both.
Regards,
Michael Raven A TRUE FAN of both Robby D. and Jules Jordan
If anything we should be happy in the fact that people in the business have their own style..none of these directors should be compared!And if its any consolation some talent is never recognised in terms of awards.(Alfred Hitchcock never got an oscar)Sometimes being in that postion makes you work harder and become even more edgy..If anything ive started to check out Jimmy Ds work now...and im liking what i see.
wah'd'ya want me to say? basically, i agree. not necessarilly about the st. croix part. cuz i've seen him get as nasty as the best of them. but yeah, what you said is kinda the point of a lot of this discussion.
i think michael hits it on the money with his post as well.
i don't know if this would be surprising to you, but many--if not most--of the directors in this biz (feature, gonzo, or whatever) get along pretty well and are friendly and respectful with each other and of each others' work.
Since you were knitt picking on what people are saying there is a difference between nigga and nigger. In your comments you seem to dog people because they are doing better than you. Bottom line is Jules is a director, I agree with Michael Raven when he said "He exhibits a phenomenal talent for lensing grahic, nasty sex," he is very good at what he does and he deserves what he gots if not more!
sales are sales, although your company does need a team that has it together, the quality of your product develops and continues your buzz which creates continued high sales volumes.
I also think everyone is bearing too much emphasis on $100k cars and mansions in the hills, if you got your business right you can write those things off when it comes to tax season (and maybe those personal povs with no tape in the camera)
Thats kind of sad, he has been in the business over 10 years, it took Jules Jordans fame and legendary financial success for simple jimmy to latch on to, to get noticed. Jimmy has gotten good at photo shopping pictures of himself. Skeeter Kerkove
Porn producer, director, performer. I am a huge fan of hardcore porn
Porno movies, sexy videos, xxx. Adult DVD Talk at your service. 6409 Posts 11/99
Posted - Mar 11 2005 : 11:39AM
skeeter - please. jimmy didn't latch on to jules. he posted in a message forum and was noticed.
i, too, am really sick of money being some kind of measure of success in pornworld. there are some people who've done some great things for the industry, who've produced some creative product, and aren't making tons of money.
first off, i don't know where all this poor "simple jimmy" shit comes from, but poor "simple jimmy" is quite content, living life, and doing things that he enjoys and that aren't always about porn (gasp!) and that even do make him money.
if someone has not heard of me, i'm not going to lose any sleep over it. if i wanted to be more well known, here on ADT for instance, I'd post more and would regularly and loudly shill my shit like skeeter and others do.
$100K cars? nope, not me. but i've paid for way over a quarter million in equipment over the past years. And I own that shit now... that's not "leased" stuff.
house in the hills? actually, i do live in a house in the hills. i also have my own 2,000 square foot photo and shooting studio in the valley that's pretty well equipped.
You say po-tah-toe, i say po-tay-toe.I haven't been shooting that much. I shot "The Vampire Chronicles" recently with the big hi-def cam. (not that little piece of shit sony hi-def wannabee that some people are using but,fortunately for them, has a full "auto" mode.) I shoot most of the "Playing with..." interactive DVDs for Anarchy. For the series, I've shot Ariana Jolee, Nautica Thoren, Cailey Taylor, and just recently, Dani Woodward. I'm shooting Gia Paloma in her "Playing with" tomorrow.
Next week I'm shooting principal camera for (mainstream) director Larry Clark. Clark's a world-renowned photographer and photo-essayist (Clarks' books: "Tulsa," "Punk Picasso," and more.) "Tulsa" and Clark's work was a big part of the inspiration for Coppola's "Rumble Fish," Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy," and Scorsese's "Taxi Driver." Clark has also directed a number of films, including the critically acclaimed, "Kids." The thing we're doing is a short film, commissioned by the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art. So I guess my camera work will be "museum quality" after next week. Some of my porn associates will probly catch up with that as soon as The Met commissions a Sodomy Exhibition.
I also do a lot of still photography now--porn and glamour stuff... some fashion and other commercial.
I'm also now a pimp... I mean a talent manager. Just starting out, actually. (Bad Girls Modeling) We've also started a fashion/clothing line (Bad Girl Rags) and will soon be producing our own content (Bad Girl Entertainment)
First off, getting noticed on ADT ain't exactly "getting noticed" in the broader sense of the term. But I appreciate you feeling sad for me, Skeeter. Just don't have an anxiety attack over poor simple me latching onto legenday Jules to get noticed. I'm okay. Okay? Feel better now? Oh, btw, photoshopped pics of me? like those of you on your box covers ya mean??? What's that i heard once about "throwing stones" and "glass houses?"No, that wasn't my initial point, Jules. But you and i both know its true. The work's gotten harder cuz we're expected to do more with less. Directors do more with less for a variety of reasons: some just wanna stuff more in their pockets. some are working with smaller budgets. with some, its a combination of both. i hear Skeeter shoots his own camera now. I'd guess that's more about artistic matters than financial considerations. I just had a long convo on just this subject the other day with Metro director Michael Adam. (I'm not sure how legenday Michael is, tho--so i don't know if it will help get me noticed.)Ain't that the fucking truth!!!!
Anyway, guys, I'd write more, but I don't wanna sound like i'm shilling, touting, bragging, crying, complaining, whatever-- lord knows none of the 'directors' who regularly come on ADT are ever guilty of that.
Feature films are small fraction of the film and video that gets produced each year, and there are plenty of people, working in all aspects of film and video, who do creative, competent work, (as well as fine livings) who will never work on a feature. For many other people, feature asssignment are the overwheming minority of their work.
The gap between porn and feature filmmaking may be large, but deciding whether or not someone is "really a director", or is a "porn director" and not a "director" on the basis of whether or not what they know/do would qualify them to pilot a Hollywood production is not a sophsticated or knowledgable way to make such a judgement. (In any case, I'm not clear on why such a judgement need be made.)
to many--if not most--people in porn, that is the ONLY measure of success. that's not to say their aren't those who try to do a good job while lusting for dough. but generally, greed is why consumers are ripped off so often with misleading boxcovers, supposedly new titles that are actually one new scene with 4 old ones, comps that are passed off as new shit and a whole bunch of other grifter-like crap. its also amazing how many of porn's success stories started out by "latching on" to people. (and i ain't talking about ou jules, so don't get your panties in a twist if you read this and think i am.) from personal experience, i've had a few latch on to me over the years.
anyone in porn who tells you--AS THEIR PRIMARY REASON-- they're doing this for any reason other than money is full of shit. Sure, male talent may be doing this for the sex as well, but the money is what's really driving them. If that weren't true, they'd sometimes be pickier about who they fuck on camera... same goes for women.
porn, in some ways, is one of the laziest and easiest ways to make a living. i know a company owner who says its like "printing money." working in porn is sometimes a lot of fun too. its a place where the most dysfunctional people can make a living--sometimes a very good living--in spite of their dysfunctionalness. its also a community where people aren't overly judgemental and where they often look out for each other. when you're in porn, you're part of something. and a lot of people who are part of porn, wouldn't easily be accepted as part of many other things and/or groups on this planet.
Given the general subject matter of this forum and others like it, and regarding their relative importance in the grand scheme of things, it's all silly talk-- every post, every word, every emoticon and metaphorical bit of punctuation.
There will surely be some people who disagree with this statement, but almost exclusively, every *great* (and I mean great literally, very good doesn't count) gonzo shooter in this business during the gonzo generation (1989 on) has been rewarded with a handsome financial windfall. The only exceptions I can think are those who squandered it due to bad business acumen or substance abuse.
Speaking as a pure stroker, the guys who have influenced my ejaculatory path since 1989 include the likes of John Stagliano, Chris Alexander, John Leslie, Joey Silvera, Tom Byron, Jules Jordan, Rocco Siffredi, Christoph Clark, Alex deRenzy, Patrick Collins, Lexington Steele, Seymore Butts, Mike John, and Vince Vouyer. As far as I can tell at first glance, the only guys on the list who can't afford a $100K car are probably Mike John (and that's only because he's new at owning his own product - Lex I'm not sure, but he too would fall under that excuse), Seymore Butts (legal defense fund ate his money), and Tom Byron (cause he picked the wrong horse and tied himself to Rob Black).
Everyone else on that list is extremely successful financially. Therefore I have to conclude that in most circumstances, good porno directors are rewarded with money (when they don't make bonehead mistakes).
I'm sure DAC will disagree. While I have no personal beef with the guy, I have to say that while he has always had a fanbase, Clark's movies have never connected to the mainstream porn audience. Movies from people like Jules Jordan, Buttman and Shane's World have wide appeal. You can argue all you want, but hot California blondes with big tits will outsell everything else everytime.
if every porn flick was intended to connect with the mainstream porn audience, there'd be a lot of pissed of people who are into a variety of niche content.
ya know, there was a time--not that long ago--when anal scenes were specialty scenes.... almost niche market scenes. now, there are companies who won't put a title out unless every scene is an anal scene. the formula, gonzo or feature, used to be 5 scenes: 3-straight B/G, 1-anal, 1-G/G. that was the formula used to connect with the mainstream porn audience for thousands and thousands of porn flicks.
didn't skeeter write something about every scene he's ever shot is an anal scene? that's got a lot to do with when skeeter started shooting... which wasn't all that long ago.
what a boring fucking industry this would be if all of its products conformed to the (perceived) expectations of the mainstream porn audience; which is practically how it currently is... boring, without as much variety, and trying hard to connect with a (perceived) middle-of-the-demographic audience.
IAFD, supporters of beastiality. Just say no. 7564 Posts 11/02
Posted - Mar 13 2005 : 6:29PM
I am offended now. A lot is at stake: my wages, dammit. Somebody should lock this thread -- or at least move it to The Nonsense Thread. My livelihood depends on it.
KimiLixx said: "I dunno if I can be the Queen of Nonsense - Steph said I was the Queen of Chat. Can I be Queen of two things? Like, I'm biqueenual?"
Funny that's the first thing on your list when you earlier pointed out all the work you do for Anarchy's Playing With series, a series which has so much misleading and outright false advertising on it that I've had to dedicate an entire section of my reviews to see how misleading all of the cover claims are. You've done some good camera work, but methinks you protest a little too loud here...
"Vegetarianism for me is about saying ‘yes’ to things - even meat." - Coupling
If I want to watch acting or Comedy,there are thousands of movies or sitcoms out there. I only watch Porn coz I want to be entertained by people Romping.So I will rather watch Gonzo,than the wannabe mediocre actors or C-grade Comedians! I used to be pissed off when watching those Jacks Playground series, hearing that retard Black Dildo speaking in a fake hommie accent(alas Snoop Doggy Dogg),and yet no black performers were ever hired. At least Handheld pictures is moving away from that silly stunt. So in this case,Jules is victorius hands down.