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HOW
TO BE A PORNO PRODUCER
by Dr.
Nick Shoveen, Ph.D.
From Magic Lamp Press
Venice, California
All rights reserved
©MMXI Gene Grossman
Smashwords Edition 2.0 March, 2011
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This
book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, stored in
a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means, electronic,
mechanical, by photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without
written permission from the publisher, Magic Lamp Press. For written
permission, contact:
Magic Lamp Press – P.O. Box 9547, Marina
del Rey, CA 90295.
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This book is an invaluable guide to any person interested in the business aspects of producing a product intended for distribution in the pornography industry… with an added endtext describing the background of the porno business, and a history of the legalities involved.
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Books written by Dr. Nick Shoveen, Ph.D.
What Women Really Mean:
This Female-to-English dictionary is a guide to interpreting & manipulating the female thought process and gives any male an even chance in dealing with a female. The perfect book for any male from 12 to 100 who is considering being with a female.
***
Meeting Women:
A comprehensive system for making the acquaintance of new females in any situation, from a funeral, to a wedding, in a bookstore, a market, a singles bar, etc. How to break the ice without using some old, worn-out pick-up line.
***
How to be a Porno Producer:
A Primer on Low-Budget Independent film production with an eye towards adult product This title covers everything from casting, location finding and legal matters, to show how to produce your own low-budget porno movie.
***
How Not to Get Married - Errors to Avoid in your First Marriage:
An absolute must-read for people of any age who are considering getting married for their first time. Included is an honest discussion of marital problems caused by differences in religion, lack of communication about sex, monetary problems and many more areas that can stress a marriage, plus how to avoid these problems by advance planning - and the importance of a pre-nuptial agreement.
***
Sex & Relationship Advice for the Complete Idiot:
After reading the first few paragraphs of this book, you will either want to obtain the rest of it for your reading pleasure, or join Gloria Allred as she leads a female, torch-bearing lynch mob up the mountain to the author’s castle, ignoring the chortling delight of Rush Limbaugh.
***
Phone Sex Manual:
This popular book shows how with a minimum investment, you can make more than $200/hour working from the privacy of your own home, with no boss and no overhead. Covers everything you need from incoming phone lines, hiring 'actresses,' and much more.
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Editor’s Note: DISCOUNT COUPON OFFER
To show our appreciation for your having ordered one of our Magic Lamp Press eBooks, we would like to offer you a 50% discount on 24 other titles we publish - from authors Gene Grossman, Nick Shoveen Edwin H. Sinclair, Jr., and Barry Neal.
Visit our website at www.LegalMystery.com and make note of the Discount Coupon Code given after (to the right of) each of the Audiobook links. The book’s Smashwords Discount Coupon Code is two letters, two numbers, and ends with a letter, and looks like this: AB22C
The
Shoveen books are farther down on the page than the mystery novels,
so you’ll have to scroll down a bit… and if you don’t feel like
scrolling, just click on the
button
and you’ll be taken right down to where his books are listed.
The Coupon Code will look like a link, but it’s not: it is the discount code for you to use when ordering another book, by clicking on the Non-Kindle (Smashwords) link [that one’s real, so it works].
Order from Smashwords (even if you’ve got a Kindle): they’re the only ones honoring our Discount Coupon Codes … and if you’re a Kindle user don’t worry: Smashwords has a version that is compatible with your device.
If you’ve found a typo in any of our books, or can’t locate a Discount Coupon Code, please contact us through Editor@MagicLampPress.com
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Introduction
As a direct result of requests from readers of one of my previous books, What Women Really Mean, the Female-to-English Dictionary: A Guide to Interpreting & Manipulating the Female Thought Process, I will attempt to set forth many of the principles learned over the past years, on a subject that is near and dear to my heart… pornography.
I have been watching the progress of pornographic films, and also have had the opportunity to meet many of their producers and directors, (and some of the female cast members) providing me the opportunity to become a silent investment partner in several projects.
Having been brought into the inner circle of this often-closed business has given me knowledge and insight that can provide invaluable to the wannabee porno producer, who can benefit tremendously from my pointing out the many pitfalls that one must avoid. Also important are several philosophies that any new producer must learn to adopt – and plenty of things to definitely avoid doing.
First of all, you should know that the odds of your becoming successful with your first project are almost as good as your winning the lottery, so whatever you do, don’t get your hopes up. Trying to merchandise one single product is very difficult, because the major distributors aren’t that excited about adding a new one-trick-pony to their stable. And if you do get lucky and make some sales, you’ll probably never get paid, because with no other products to offer, your wholesale customers know that they’ll never need you for anything again, and you’ll definitely drop to the bottom of their ‘people-to-pay’ list.
If you decide to produce more than one title, then you stand a chance of being promoted on their accounts payable list, from the ‘don’t ever pay’ category, up to the ‘maybe pay some time in the future’ section.
In other words, if you can’t be counted on to provide them with a steady stream of product, you really aren’t important to them. Keep this fact in mind when you start out forging new relationships with the people you’ll be working with, both in front of and behind the camera. Let them know that you’ll be doing more titles, and that if things work out with them on this first one, they’ll be first on the list when you do the next ones.
In accordance with the above advice, here are some tips:
DO:
Be courteous and polite to everyone, regardless of what they do on-camera;
Always be honest about shooting dates and times, and what is expected of each participant;
Make sure that your plans are written down: follow a checklist
DON’T:
Lie to anyone, or make any false promises;
Attempt to get too familiar with any employee, no matter how inviting you interpret his or her behavior;
I will be making further DO and DON’T suggestions in subse-quent portions of this book, and strongly suggest that you follow them. It will be to your benefit in the long run, and it is advisable to lecture your staff to do the same.
Amateur –vs- Professional
Before you start making plans, you must first decide whether you want your project to fall into the Amateur or Professional category. The difference between the two has nothing to do with your experience or ability – it relates to the way that the shooting is done.
An amateur project is one in which the participants merely lock down a video camera, and then proceed to do their thing. Several shows of this nature have gained popularity in the past several years, thanks to the exposure of celebrities like Rob Lowe, Tom Sizemore, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson, etc., etc.
The amateur type of film or video is designed to be a voyeuristic experience, whereby the public is supposed to be getting a private look into the sexual acts of unsuspecting participants.
If you’re only interested in doing the amateur type of film or video, then you don’t have to waster any more of your time reading the rest of this book, because none of it will apply to you. All you have to do is lock down a camera, get your sex partner/s into a proper setting, turn on the camera, and let nature take its course. When you’re all through, you’ll have an opportunity to edit out some of the less interesting parts, and you’ll have your amateur production completed.
If you’re only looking to build up a personal collection to walk down memory lane some time in the future, then you’ve accomplished what you set out to do. If you’re not too shy about it, and you get the permission of everyone who participated, you might even be able to sell some copies on the Internet – but don’t get your hopes up: there’s a lot of competition out there.
The Show Must Go On:
For the purpose of this book, and also in the business itself, you should become familiar with the fact that any entertainment project, whether it be for film, stage, TV, DVD, etc., etc., is commonly referred to by people in the biz as a ‘SHOW.’ This doesn’t mean that it is designed for the Broadway stage, it is just a term used instead of film, movie, or any of the other types of end results. In other words, it eliminates the necessity of defining what medium the final product will be displayed in, and is a convenient word to use – as it will be in the remainder of this book.
Do it Yourself?
There is a distinct group of people who want to be in a porno film. If you are one of these people, whether you’re male or female, I would strongly advise you against attempting this as a commercial venture.
If you’re a beautiful, sexy young female, then it isn’t too hard to break into the porno business as an ‘actress.’ On the other hand, if you’re a horny guy who wants to be in porno flicks, it’s been said that the only quick way of getting into the business is to hook up with a good-looking girlfriend who will be in porno movies, but only if her on-camera partner is you.
True, there are a lot of self-made (or titles that purport to be self-made) titles in the video stores – in fact, they are usually placed in their own grouping there, called ‘Amateur,’ which separates them from the other programs for two reasons: production value and cast.
The main problem with do-it-yourself programs is that if you intend to be in the porno business, you’re going to have a hard time following up with another production. After all, if you’re the star, then you’ll have to be in every show you produce, and for commercial variety requirements, you’ll be using different co-participants each time.
This procedure may be OK for people like Clint Eastwood, who can produce and direct movies that he appears in, but he’s got other cast members for support, and he doesn’t have to be in every scene.
So, if you intend to be in the porno business and produce more than just that one show featuring you and your partner, then you should consider doing your work behind the camera instead of in front of it.
On the other hand, if you want to do a film or video in the professional category, then read on, because there’s a lot to learn…but be forewarned: if you’re looking for a book with ‘dirty’ pictures and obscene language, you’re going to be disappointed, because the nuts and bolds of the porno industry may be all about sex, but the business end has nothing to do with it.
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The Story
There are several philosophies about story requirements in a porno film. Once school of thought is that a story is completely un-necessary: depending on the genre selected, all that the viewer wants to see is the participants doing a lot of it, whether it be straight, otherwise, fetish, or any other variety one can think of.
Another thought is that there should at least be some semblance of a story line, and possibly some dialogue added, so that the viewer can be brought into the film and kept interested until the end. However, if you’re worried about the viewer losing interest during the film, then you’d better re-think your plans about making a film or video at all.
Some producers have had success in creating porno “art” projects, by showing different sets of attractive people doing their thing, in a series of vignettes with no story or dialogue, but in luxurious settings, with beautiful photography, against a background of very tasteful music.
Many times a producer will pick a theme, or ‘hook’ to the story line, like:
Nurses in a doctor’s office,
Handyman and the housewife,
Hotel guest and chambermaid,
Traveling salesman and farmer’s daughter;
Piano teacher and student;
Schoolteacher and student. – no, on second thought, better forget about that one… there’s so much of it going on in real life and in the news, that it’s becoming too mainstream. You might even be accused of trying to make a documentary.
The variations are endless. If you’re not working with an unlimited budget, you should consider building whatever story you decide on around what is available to you. For example, if you have access to a doctor’s office, a lawyer’s office, a very nice private swimming pool, a well-decorated bedroom or two, or some other distinct type of surrounding, then use what you’ve got! Plan some story line around what you have access to.
I was involved in a project once in which we were given access to a large beautiful home, but all were allowed to use was the custom swimming pool, and the small adjoining building, which had a shower and a pool table in it. By using their imaginations, the producers crafted a story line around what was available to them, and wound up with a Playboy-type of production that involved 6 beautiful young ladies romping in and around the outdoor pool, and then playing ‘strip pool’ inside. Of course, the mandatory shower scenes were also included… as was the innocent pool boy, who happened to stop by that day to do his job.