EDIT: This is an old article, back when I was still a feminist, but the content of this post is actually still relevant to the question of authenticity in porn. Just remove the word ‘feminist’…
Genuine, real, authentic… Beside fair and ethical, these adjectives have often been used to describe feminist porn, but is authenticity really a criteria?
Real Real Real
Some directors, like myself, or Ms Naughty for example, like to work with real-life couples, with the intent to capture the intimacy and connection between the couple. There is a sense of comfort and true passion when filming two people who already share their lives and know each other’s body. I guess many of us crave that sense of authenticity because we have been fed mainstream, fake, plastic porn for decades. After the reign of the 70s porn, adult films became almost inhuman. No emotions, no fun, but an endless series of positions and bad moaning. So, it’s only to be expected for some people to want something more, something with a little bit more soul. But, is it only achievable with real couples?
This is the trailer for Shine Louise Houston’s award-winning Bed Party, a documentary-style film starring real-life couple Eden Alexander and Sebastian Keys. Watch the full film now!
A Performance
Other directors hire actors to give life to their scripts. They imagine stories and the talents embody them by following the script. I also started shooting with actors – real life couples can be a bit flaky – and I was worried that the result would have less “flow”, that it would feel fake, like a bad play.
If it’s a performance, does it make it any less real? Or less hot?
It’s all explicit sex, so it IS real. When you watch a regular film, with good actors, nothing is real, but you still feel and get attached to the story and its characters. I think that it’s the same for porn, except that what makes all the difference, is chemistry. Chemistry between the actors and the director whose job is to guide them. For example, when I shot Don't Touch Me, with Bianca Resa and Juan Lucho, who didn’t know each other at the time, I was worried that it would feel… “soulless”, but the two of them had such a great chemistry together, that the result ended up being really great, and that’s what the audience saw.
Pleasure is what matters
So I guess my conclusion here would be that it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not, what matters is making sure the actors are comfortable and that they’re having fun, and that the end result looks and feels great. However, this is not exclusive to femporn, but to all porn, in my opinion. The cornerstone of feminist porn is feminism, nothing else. It can take any shape, star actors or amateurs, as long as it respects the feminist values and treats the people right. It’s that simple.
