Who is ... ? Или замечательные люди в порноиндустрии

[ethanegrace]

Raven Touchstone


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Raven Touchstone wrote her first script for an adult film 25 years ago. She has six AVN awards and has worked with such outstanding directors as Henri Pachard, Bruce Seven, Michael Zen, and Paul Thomas. "I had so many good opportunities to leave," she recalls. "But when I realized it, I already had a writing career!"


AVN: How did you start writing scripts for adult films?
Raven Touchstone: I was renting an apartment with a nurse who had previously lived next door to Scotty Fox. She knew he was looking for screenwriters and introduced us. I thought I would write a couple of scripts, earn a little money, and that would be it.


AVN: What did you feel when you saw the first film based on your script?
RT: The first film was “Intimate Couples” for VCA. Scotty Fox was the director. John Holmes was the producer. When I saw it, I was HORRIFIED. The acting was pathetic. I grew up on the repertory of one of the best theaters in the city. Of course, I expected much better performances from the actors. But that was my first experience; afterwards, I knew what to expect.


AVN: What should porn scriptwriters keep in mind?
RT: 1) A script for porn should contain the same elements as a regular film's script; there should be a basic plot line and character portrayals.
2) Don’t forget that you’re writing about sex.
3) Work collaboratively with your director before you write a script. Incorporate the best ideas. That way, the director will perceive the script as something familiar and close. It will save you from a lot of rewrites.


AVN: What should be captured in your script?
RT: About your own experience. Film, porn, or anything else – it’s a joint effort of many people. It requires a writer, director, editor, actors, and a whole team to make the project successful.


Published: AVN AUGUST '09, p. 66
Translation: alcozar

Raven Touchstone


Рэйвен Тачстоун написала свой первый сценарий для порнофильма 25 лет назад. У неё 6 наград AVN и она работала с такими выдающимися режиссёрами, как Генри Пачард (Henri Pachard), Брюс Севен (Bruce Seven), Майкл Зен (Michael Zen) и Пол Томас (Paul Thomas). «У меня было столько хороших возможностей уйти», - вспоминает она. «Но когда я это поняла, у меня уже была карьера сценариста!»


AVN: Как Вы начали писать сценарии для порнофильмов?
Raven Touchstone: Я снимала квартирку вместе с одной медсестрой, которая до этого жила по соседству со Скотти Фоксом (Scotty Fox). Она знала, что ищет сценаристов и свела нас. Я думала, что напишу парочку сценариев, заработаю немного денег и на этом закончится.


AVN: Что Вы чувствовали, когда увидели первый фильм по своему сценарию?
RT: Первым фильмом был «Ближние Париж» (Intimate Couples) для VCA. Режиссёр Скотти Фокс. Джон Холмс (John Holmes) был продюсером. Когда я увидела, я ВОЗНЕСЛА ВИДЕЛА этот фильм. Актёрская игра была плачевной. Я выросла на репертуаре одного из лучших театров в городе. Конечно, я ожидала гораздо лучшего исполнения от актёров. Но это был первый опыт, потом я уже знала чего ждать.


AVN: Что прежде всего должны иметь в виду сценаристы порнофильмов?
RT: 1) Сценарий для порно должен содержать те же самые элементы, что и сценарий для обычного фильма, должна быть основная сюжетная линия и образы персонажей.
2) Не забывайте, что вы пишите о сексе.
3) Работайте совместно с Вашим режиссёром, чтобы перед тем как вы напишете сценарий. Примените лучшие из этих идей. Так режиссёр воспримет сценарий как что-то знакомое и близкое. Это избавит Вас от множества переписок по делу.


AVN: Что должно запечатлиться в сценарии в вашей работе?
RT: О своём опыте. Кино, порно или что-то иное — это совместный труд многих людей. Требуется сценарист, режиссёр, монтажёр, актёры и целая команда, чтобы проект был успешным.


Опубликовано: AVN AUGUST '09, p. 66
Перевод: alcozar

[ethanegrace]

Рейвен Тачстоун


Фрэнк Бакквид начал карьеру в адалт-индустрии как сценарист в 1994. Через два года он уже участвовал в эпизодах у режиссера Кэша Маркмана (Cash Markman). С того времени 55-летний актер снялся более чем в 400 фильмах, от маленьких однодневных проектов («Trailer Trash Nurses 7») до крупнобюджетных блокбастеров («Pirates»).

AVN: Как Вы перешли к исполнению?
Frank Bukkwyd: Когда Кэш сам начал снимать, он попросил меня помочь с производством...

AVN: Вас часто приглашают как преподавателя актерского мастерства. Кто из актеров произвел на Вас наибольшее впечатление?
FB: Когда Вы видите исполнение Бена Инглиша (Ben English) в «Pirates 2», то понимаете, что это действительно интересный персонаж...

AVN: Как добиться хорошего исполнения?
FB: Никогда не учите свою роль слишком много...

Опубликовано: AVN JULY ‘09, p. 68
Перевод: alcozar

Raven Touchstone


Frank Bukkwyd began his career in the adult industry as a screenwriter in 1994. Two years later, he was already involved in episodes directed by Cash Markman. Since then, the 55-year-old actor has appeared in over 400 films, ranging from small one-day projects (“Trailer Trash Nurses 7”) to big-budget blockbusters (“Pirates”).

AVN: How did you transition to performing?
Frank Bukkwyd: When Cash started directing himself, he asked me to help with production…

AVN: You are often invited as an acting teacher. Which actors have impressed you the most?
FB: When you see Ben English's performance in “Pirates 2,” you realize he's truly an interesting character...

AVN: What’s the key to a good performance?
FB: Never learn your lines too well…

Published: AVN JULY ‘09, p. 68
Translation: alcozar

[ethanegrace]

Guy DeSilva



Гай ДеСилва дает новое значение термину ветеран-исполнитель. 53-летний лауреат премии AVN Award начал карьеру в 35 лет. Сегодня он уже снялся более чем в 1100 фильмах для взрослых, включая заметную политическую пародию «Obama’s Big Stimulus Package» от Hustler Video.


AVN: Наши поздравления! Вы достигли золотого периода без необходимости по-настоящему работать. Как Вам это удалось?
Guy DeSilva: Я работал достаточно много, когда начинал, по 4-7 съемок в неделю. Но я также работал для Fed-Ex и был свободен с 15-30 до 21-30. Это позволяло мне сниматься днем, а по совместительству работать в Fed-Ex вечером.


AVN: Что же Вас заставило посвящать индустрии все свое время?
GDS: Когда кто-то из Fed-Ex купил журнал, в котором был я с какой-то девицей, это вызвало разлад на работе. Я полностью перешел в порно.


AVN: Трудно ли сниматься с молодыми девушками 18-24 лет?
GDS: Девочки сказали, что считают меня своим папой. Со мной они чувствуют себя защищенными. По возрасту я вполне подхожу им в отцы и даже в деды, но отношусь к ним так же, как и к более опытным актрисам.


[b]AVN:** Трудно ли работать с режиссерами, которые моложе Вас?
[b]GDS:** Совсем нет. Если они хорошо знают свою работу и относятся с уважением и юмором, то это просто.


[b]AVN:** Что бы Вы хотели, чтобы люди о Вас узнали?
GDS: Что я вежливый, честный и жалостливый. Эти черты «держат корабль на плаву»: дружба, сотрудничество, отношения.


[b]AVN:** Что бы Вы хотели, чтобы люди о Вас не знали?
GDS: Что у меня один «шар» больше другого.


Опубликовано: AVN OCTOBER ‘09, p. 78
Перевод: alcozar

[ethanegrace]

Suze Randall



Suze Randall has been a leading figure in erotic photography for over three decades. Born in Worcestershire, England, she worked as a nurse and model in the early 70s before becoming a full-time erotic photographer. She has worked for Playboy and Hustler magazines and has photographed numerous Penthouse models. Today, Suze runs her own company, Suze Randall Productions, with her husband, writer Humphry Knipe.


Website: Suze.Net
Favorite subjects: Energetic girls and big penises (there’s a lot to focus on!). She also loves working with inexperienced models, teaching them to move, feel confident, and beautiful.


Biggest challenge: Keeping up with the times. With the economy struggling, it's necessary to adapt to the market and keep evolving. Quality is still paramount, and achieving it in a frantic survival mode is definitely a challenge. It’s a tough, oversaturated market—some boundaries would definitely be helpful!


Memorable photoshoots: Recently, there was an unforgettable photoshoot with Lisa Ann and CJ. It was so sensual, romantic, and wickedly naughty—I almost forgot I had to take pictures! In the past, shooting Tracy Lords on the beach at sunset was amazing!


Published: AVN NOVEMBER ‘09, p. 202
Translation: alcozar

[ethanegrace]

Lee Garland



Lee Garland has been a makeup artist in the adult industry since 1987. Over 20 years, he contributed his talent and expertise to many of the industry's greatest films, working with directors such as Michael Zen, Michael Ninn, and Brad Armstrong, and participating in large-scale projects for Wicked Pictures, Vivid Entertainment Group, and VCA. Lee became a good friend to many performers, especially Jenna Jameson, who appeared in her best films with makeup and hairstyles by Lee Garland. Often required for non-sex roles, Garland always knew how to "play along" well.


Today, Lee Garland is one of the industry's leading stylists. He successfully collaborated with director Axel Braun on the parodies "This Ain't Star Trek XXX 2: The Butterfly Effect," "Batman XXX: A Porn Parody," and one of the most anticipated films of fall 2010 - "This Ain't Avatar XXX 3D."


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307543/


Lee Garland passed away from prostate cancer on January 29, 2011.

[ethanegrace]

Georgina Spelvin



In 1973, she starred in Gerard Damiano's famous film "The Devil in Miss Jones," playing Justine Jones, a lonely, depressed woman who kills herself to escape her dreary existence. Her suicide prevents her from entering Heaven, so she begs to be allowed to return to earth one more time to make up for lost time, becoming the embodiment of lust. Given the opportunity to return to the real world, she fully takes advantage of her temporary reprieve.


Georgina Spelvin was an unusual porn star. Firstly, she was 36 when she appeared in "Miss Jones," and was initially hired only as a cook on the film set. Prior to this, she had performed on Broadway in the musical "The Pajama Game" as a dancer and toured the world with various musical productions in the 1950s and 1960s.


In the early 70s, Georgina lived in an art commune in New York City. As she said, "We lived in a pickle factory, collecting rent. I got my hands on The Backstage Magazine, a newspaper with casting calls, and I called everyone who was looking for someone. 'I don't know if I'm what you're looking for as an actress,' I was over thirty,' but I can cook, I can lug equipment, I can cut film. I need work.'"


She was hired for "craft services" at $25 a day. But despite her atypical porn attributes, her age, and her flat chest, Georgina ended up with the lead role for an additional $100 a day.


The film was shot in upstate New York in "Norman Rockwell country." Among the tiny crew was a thoughtful Brazilian cameraman named Joaquin. "Joaquin was the most handsome and sexual guy with soft brown Latin eyes. He would come up to the camera and say, 'Okay, Georgie, make love to me, let me see your pussy,' and I would melt all over the lens. When it wasn't Joaquin behind the camera, but Damian, the scenes were strictly business. One of the greatest compliments Gerard ever paid me was, 'You know all your lines.' The shooting was kind of like a Boy Scout gathering. My girlfriend Claire and I would cook. We did more standing around than acting. Damian was like a Catholic school boy's priest: kind and understanding, but intolerant of wrongdoing. The assistant to the crew was Fernandez, the camera operator/lighting director. He spent more time getting the lighting right on any part of the genitals than anyone else had ever paid attention to. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful fucking film of its time. The rest was done by Jerry Damiano, editing and compiling the music and effects."


The world premiere of "The Devil in Miss Jones" received unprecedented press, including an article in Newsweek. "All thoughts that this film would disappear without a trace were dispelled." The film earned over seven million dollars at the box office in 1973 alone, but barely changed Spelvin's bank account. "The Devil in Miss Jones" holds the seventh spot on Variety's top-grossing films of 1973. The film heralded a new golden age of porn, featuring plot, drama, direction, art, and of course, straight fucking. Georgina Spelvin created a formative sexual image of women of a certain age, starred in over 70 adult films, and received numerous adult industry awards for her performances. The daily rate after "Miss Jones" for Spelvin did not increase from $100 a day, so she compensated by shooting in multiple films, and moonlighting by auctioning off her used panties and signed razor blades for $10 apiece. "Being completely broke hippie was the happiest days of my life," she said.


Spelvin, an experienced dancer, could have been in comedic roles in films, but she has no regrets. "I'm the happiest person in the world. I've lived so many lives, and I've done what I really wanted to do."

[ethanegrace]

Bob Chinn



When Paul Thomas Anderson was asked which ten films influenced his directorial breakthrough in Boogie Nights, he mentioned films by Scorsese, Kurosawa, Altman, Truffaut, and... Bob Chinn's The Jade Pussycat.


Bob Chinn is the director of the Johnny Wadd film series starring John Holmes, as well as films like Candy Stripers, Little Orphan Dusty, and Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls.


He started in the 1960s, making short loops to support his family in the late 1960s.


He continued in the 1970s and 1980s, making very profitable feature films in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hawaii with stars like Rene Bond, Desiree Cousteau, and Jessie St. James.


But Bob is not proud of his films, giving interviews he always says he could have done better. And yet his contribution to the so-called "golden age of adult film" is undeniable.


Bob was one of the first directors to work with Holmes, and he is still best known for this series of films.


An interview with Bob Chinn about his first meeting with John Holmes:


- Do you remember your first meeting with John Holmes?
- Yes. One day he came to our office looking for work as a gaffer, but my three-man crew was already set, and I told him I didn't have any work for him. Then he told me he was also an actor.


- What were your first impressions of him?
- He was tall and skinny, and his hair was styled in an afro, which seemed completely out of place, as it gave him a kind of dumb look. I really didn't see any potential in using him as an actor until he dropped his pants.


- What happened that made you hire him?
- As I said, I really didn't see any potential in using him as an actor, but we were obliged to be polite, so I asked my assistant Allen to take his application and finish with him, and I went back to work in the next room to finish editing a trailer that had to be done by the end of the day.


A few minutes later my assistant comes in and says, "Bob, you've got to see this guy's dick."
I said, "That's the last thing I want to do is look at some tall skinny guy's dick."
But the assistant insisted, so I humored him and went back to their room. At that moment, John pulled up his pants, but when Allen said, "Show him," he dropped them again, and I was suddenly staring at what was the biggest dick I had ever seen in my life. The guy had a horsecock.


Well, I didn't have to think twice. I said something like, "Maybe we can get you on a shoot this weekend. Are you free on Sunday?" He said, "Sure, I'm available. But I'm never free."


I said, "Oh, so you like to joke, don't you? We pay fifty bucks a day." He pulled up his pants and said, "Well, I get seventy-five."


We were shooting these films on a $750 budget, and every dollar counted, so I said, "No way," and he came back with, "That's what everybody pays me. I won't work for less. Besides," he continued, "I can do four sex scenes in one day."
Quickly calculating that if he did four sex scenes, I could save money by not hiring another actor, I said, "Okay, man, seventy-five."


- Was he ambitious?
- He was eager to work. He would show up on time and was ready to work. He loved making money.
At least in the beginning, he was very serious and professional about what he did.


- Did you become friends?
- Getting to know each other, we gradually became friends, but we weren't close friends. We went to Las Vegas together and things like that, but I never invited him to my house. I always preferred to keep my personal life and my professional life as separate as possible.

[ethanegrace]

Susan McBain



Susan McBain was one of the most recognizable actresses in 1970s adult films. She was a talented and witty actress whose presence always enhanced the films she appeared in. And she worked with almost all the well-known directors of the time, including Gerard Damiano, Radley Metzger, Carter Stevens, and Chuck Vincent. She exuded an air of elegance, spoke well, and had the look of a private, wealthy girl. In truth, she came from a wealthy family.


She considers her personal life private and rarely gives interviews. In fact, since retiring from the industry in the late 70s, she hasn't spoken about it with anyone – not even family or friends. She worked in the music industry but doesn't want to talk about any period of her life. She finds it strange and incomprehensible why anyone would still be interested in her. She doesn't regret her involvement in porn films – she just prefers not to talk about it.


After all, it's been over 40 years since she last filmed, and today we remember her from 30 or so films featuring her. Some of her favorites include Odyssey, Barbara Broadcast, The Farmer’s Daughters, Obsession, and Rollerbabies.


Once, she gave an interview for SCREW magazine. Here's a brief excerpt:


- Susan, when did you first make a porn film?
- Well, I was modeling for television and hated it. I decided I wouldn't do it anymore and was going to quit everything. Then I met Carter Stevens, and he convinced me to do a film for him, Rollerbabies.


- What didn't you like about modeling? Was it because you had to fuck all the photographers?
- Actually. I never had to fuck anyone to get a job in x-rated films. But in modeling...


- Did you fuck any celebrities?
- No, I decided I wasn't going to do that to get a job. One time I was really upset because I was booked to do a TV commercial for a swimming pool, and at the last minute the owner of the company replaced me and used his girlfriend instead.


- What was the pool company?
- I don't want to say.


- You had TV experience before porn, you were in the background of films.
- Yes, but I didn't come from modeling, I came from after high school and college. I worked in amateur theater.


- Was Rollerbabies your first porn film?
- Yes.


- What was it like working with Carter?
- He was very supportive of me because I was very scared. It was both emotionally and physically stressful because we worked 18 hours a day and he had no one to do his makeup or hair, so we just worked from the moment I did my own makeup and hair in the morning until we were finished.


- Was the emotional stress related to the fear of doing sex scenes?
- I was more afraid of the dialogue because in that film we used a 200-page script and I hadn't acted in a long time. I figured the sex would be natural, that I wouldn't have to worry about that.


- And right before the sex scenes, weren't you worried?
- Well, when the time came, I was really a little scared, but I overcame my anxiety by asking everyone else who was there except for one guy who was interviewing me before we started to leave. He wanted to write an article about someone who had never done a porn film before, so he interviewed me before I started working, and then he interviewed me to find out how I felt. So he was there on the set, I kept looking at him, forgetting about everyone else who was around me.


- Did you fuck him?
- No.


- Now that you're a professional, has it become easier to have sex in front of a camera crew?
- Yes, fortunately, all the people I worked with were very nice and easy to get along with.

[ethanegrace]

Harry Reems



Who doesn't know this uncle with his trademark mustache? He was the most recognizable male face of early porn and the ubiquitous star of hundreds of films. But few know that in 1976, Harry was at the center of a federal court case in which he and other figures in the New York adult film business were tried for conspiring to distribute pornography across the country.


Four years earlier, in Memphis in 1972, Harry was 24-year-old Herb Streicher, and he went to Miami to work on a low-budget porn film, "Deep Throat." He was hired as a sound engineer and lighting technician and had no intention of acting. But unreliable porn actors were common at the time, and so the film's director, Gerard Damiano, asked Harry to help out.


Deep Throat wasn't his first adult film as an actor. Even by then he was a veteran of 8mm loop films, pseudo-documentary films, and early narrative pornography - at the time everything was aimed at exploiting the legal uncertainty surrounding the screening of explicit sex on the big screen.


Harry's first love was theater. Sex films were just a profitable way to prolong his theatrical dream. $100 a day for working on a film that only degenerates on Times Square would see would pay the bills much faster than making $300 for two weeks in experimental theater.


But Deep Throat exploded and became the "Gone With the Wind" of the grindhouse circuit. Moreover, it broke out of the grindhouse and became a scandalous pornographic success that caught everyone by surprise. At first, Harry thought the attention could only help his career. "I really thought I could move on to doing real, legitimate roles," he said.


But on the morning of July 7, 1974, he was awakened by a knock at his apartment door. "I looked through the peephole," Reems said, "and there were three guys with guns and FBI badges."


There were rumors that Deep Throat was financed by Joseph and Louis "Butch" Peraino, associates of the (then) criminal Colombo crime family, and so Reems and eight mobsters were indicted by a federal grand jury in Memphis on charges of conspiracy to transport obscene material across state lines.


No one cared or objected that Harry had played no role in the financing, marketing, or distribution of the film. The fact was that in a flash he became the first actor to be federally indicted for his work.


If the goal of the trial was to suppress the influence of the mafia and prevent the widespread distribution of pornography, the Memphis public didn't see it that way. All the attention was focused on Harry, and he became a lightning rod for the anger of Southerners. "People lined up outside the courthouse," he recalled. "They weren't throwing eggs at the mobsters – they were throwing eggs at me!" The gregarious Harry was alarmed by such a wide public reaction.


He was also alarmed by what he found out in court. "I started hearing about people being killed, about money being sent to the Bahamas, and I soon realized that I had been mistaken for the wrong crowd," he said. "Every day I sat on the witness stand, but I kept a little distance from them."


Nevertheless, he could not shake the court's decision. On April 30, 1976, a jury found all the defendants in the Deep Throat case guilty. Harry faced up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.


He immediately went to work to clear his name, setting up a legal defense fund for a possible appeal. "For a year I became a professional fundraiser," he said. "It was unbelievable. I raised $400,000 on my own."


At first, the support he received from the mainstream was remarkable. The press coverage was extensive, Harry was the beneficiary of fundraisers organized by people like Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, and they all claimed that his conviction would have a chilling effect on their profession – and on the protection of free speech under the First Amendment. For a while, Harry was everywhere, addressing groups of his supporters. Everyone wanted to be part of Team Harry.


The campaign was successful, and a year later his conviction was overturned.


Initially, it seemed he could emerge from the scandal even stronger. Still wanting to make a name for himself by acting in legitimate productions, he left New York, moved to Los Angeles, signed with an agent, and was offered his first role in a studio film as Coach Calhoun in Grease (which was played by Sid Caesar). But two weeks before shooting began, he dropped out of the project for fear that his notoriety would jeopardize the film's box office success in the South.


The widespread public support he had received began to wane. Harry was abandoned.


"Acting was my real love, and I buried that possibility by doing adult films," Harry said.


Falling into a deep depression, he turned to alcohol, consuming up to a half gallon of vodka a day, remaining drunk for months at a time. When he wasn't begging on the streets and stealing from friends to raise money for booze, he contemplated suicide.


"I lived in a small house in Malibu with a .25 caliber pistol, and I held it to my head many times. Luckily, I didn't have the courage to pull the trigger."


"I loved those early days. It seemed like we were pioneers, creating something new."


"But Memphis changed everything for me."