Making a porno - a photo diary (NSFW)

[Dom D]

Had a good rehersal session with Isla and Finn yesterday. The last contact I will have with my cast till shooting as they are all, independently and coincidentally, heading North to escape the Melbourne Winter. I find it bizarre that Isla has still not read the script. It's literally a catalogue of things she is going to have to do and have done to her. But it makes for interesting rehersals when she hits a line where her character is complaining about a cock snapping off inside her and she stops for a side glance my way and a 'really?!'

I raised the condom issue and they were remarkably relaxed. Finn flat out didn't care one way or the other and Isla was fine with whatever, just had some concerns that doing so many days in a row condoms could get uncomfortable. So I guess we shoot uncovered.

Otherwise at the moment I'm doing prop construction. First task is the crate that the robots arrive in. This gets a lot of screen time as its a recurring gag that the male robot keeps breaking and needing to be crated and uncrated throughout the film.

The front panel:


It is one of the annoyances of guerrila filmmaking that because you are wearing so many hats you dont have that clear focus on the directing part. I'm quite sure Kubricks lounge never looked like this leading up to the shoot:

[Ian Jane]

Maybe I get their thoughts in person.

That's what I'd do. And good on you for being concerned about this in the first place.

[Dom D]

I'd say let the performers make that decision.

Yup. Possibly I didn't tackle it the right way up front. I did say to all that if they have concerns that we shoot covered. And I did send them all a three page document that outlined their rights and my responsibilties on set that includes a few points that make it clear they can request protection at any time. But possibly that's not the same as actually asking their preference. I'm doing a rehearsal with a couple of them next week. Maybe I get their thoughts in person.

[Ian Jane]

I'd say let the performers make that decision.

[Dom D]

Something that's on my mind at the moment and just throwing it out there if anyone has any thoughts: to shoot covered or uncovered? This has obviously come up in conversation with my cast already and I've always answered that the plan is for uncovered but should anyone be at all uneasy on that we switch to being a covered production without question.

Shooting uncovered is obviously the industry standard. Story wise it doesn't make a lot sense to stick a condom on your sexbot. But does it break immersion that much if the audience notices mid scene that the dudes got a condom on? I was watching a porno the other day that was shot covered and after a brief moment of surprise I figured I didn't give a shit.

There is the safety aspect of course. Everyone's tested and exchanging paperwork, still it's never 100% safe. I'm big on safe. Is a film worth taking a chance with someone's safety?There seems an obvious answer to that and yet the industry is saying the opposite so maybe Im just being a pussy.

Does it hurt the film commercially to shoot covered? Does it help the film to shoot covered- I figure I'm going to be trying to get mainstream press interested (first Aussie narrative etc seems like an angle for them), does it help with that to be able to say that youre a fully ethical production?

Thoughts that are spending a lot of time going through my head. I feel like I'm coin flippish on it, which is odd when it feels like an important point.

[Dom D]

Best extras are commentaries and BTS. I'll buy a copy of this on Blu-ray, the girls look stunning.

Thanks!

I am happy with my cast. Little insta vid Katija did of her costume try ons yesterday which was super helpful for me to happen across last night.

https://youtube.com/shorts/AF5CWpYhl...3-kmIbKhVgUh97

[Dom D]

If you need to hide your identity then it might be difficult, maybe some kind of porn scholar who can discuss other sci-fi themed porn and prompt you?

Or one of those video essays on sci-fi porn (but would probably be a ball ache to write and edit).

If you ever go on a podcast for promotional purposes, that may be a good extra if you agree that you can use it as part of the deal. You've already got a good backstory to tell.

I wouldn't go overboard though, any extra's a miracle nowadays compared to 15 years ago.

It's not really in my nature not to go overboard. Podcast is an interesting idea. So happens Katija does a podcast on sex so I might see if I can get myself onto that. As for hiding myself on commentaries just a very slight tweak of the dials will make me sound different enough for deniability but not unnatural.

[Matt H.]

Best extras are commentaries and BTS. I'll buy a copy of this on Blu-ray, the girls look stunning.

[agent999]

If there was a commentary who are the best people to talk about it? I figure I'm writing, directing, producing so I'll need to be in on it but who else?

Any other extras I'm just not thinking of?

If you need to hide your identity then it might be difficult, maybe some kind of porn scholar who can discuss other sci-fi themed porn and prompt you?

Or one of those video essays on sci-fi porn (but would probably be a ball ache to write and edit).

If you ever go on a podcast for promotional purposes, that may be a good extra if you agree that you can use it as part of the deal. You've already got a good backstory to tell.

I wouldn't go overboard though, any extra's a miracle nowadays compared to 15 years ago.

[Dom D]

My partner flew up to Sydney today to do costumes with Katija. Annoying I couldn't go myself but it's been well documented with photos. Feels like a sexbot to me:

I hope you have someone filming behind-the-scenes footage. That would be interesting to see you working on it.

I havent been on the physical media scene for a long time and so I just wanted to ask you guys; what are DVD extras that actually feel like they add value?

I'm thinking a bit about distribution at the moment. What I'm figuring is that I will have the film available as a 4k download. I believe I'm right in saying that 4k bluray is still very niche*, so I will need to release on regular bluray. That makes the bluray feel like a downgrade... What are the extras people look out for now to make it feel special?

Some fly on the wall doco footage sounds logical. My partner can film that.

Interviews with cast while they're getting hair and make up?

Ive already told my cast that while I will be editing the sex scenes down to short, stylised sequences for the film I will also edit 15-30 minute less edited sequences for them for their own platforms. Those feel like a great extra.

If there was a commentary who are the best people to talk about it? I figure I'm writing, directing, producing so I'll need to be in on it but who else?

Any other extras I'm just not thinking of?

*so far haven't found an Aussie replicator who does 4k.

[Ian Jane]

Bonus points for that Ryan guy posing with a pizza.

Again, you've got a good eye. Curious to see how this turns out!

[Dom D]

Yeah, during the day there should be some great views, particularly at sunset. Night could suck a bit. The windows at night are completely reflective. As soon as you start blasting light, and you kind of need to for a film, they just become mirrors.

This morning got the last of the actor contracts signed! Sent 'em out a few weeks ago, and theyve been trickling back, but just got the final one today. My cast is official. Took 5 years but i got it done.

Isla:

my leading lady. Playing one half of the human couple who break up and start trying their luck with sexbots.

Katija

The sexbot with whom our leading man falls in love and somehow gets himself into a platonic, domestic relationship with.

Nyssa

A second sexbot who turns up to have a threesome with our lead man and Katija.

Ryan

plays a series of malfunctioning sexbots our leading lady has a wild, nympho-esque week of fun with.

Finn
who i somehow have no photo of. Which is wierd, but I dont know his socials and he's not from the industry so doesnt have advertising images for me to draw from. But he's the other half of the couple (real life and film) who has the least successful relationship with a sexbot imaginable.

Definitely dont think i could have done any better. M robots look like they could be moulded in a factory. My humans are good looking, real world types. And i think i have one of the hottest casts possible.

Next step, i have to build futuristic foam crates for our sexbots to arrive in.

[Ian Jane]

[video=youtube;IBx4G2jgpC0]Equipment booked. Locations booked. Went and stayed in one to check it out the other night. 75th floor, high enough that we can do what we want without voyeurs looking in. Clouds will present an interesting challenge though. When we arrived they were very scenically about twenty floors below us, then they rose and we were in a white out for 2 hours as we waited for them to lift. Continuity could be interesting.

Continuity issues aside, you could wind up with some really impressive visuals.

[Dom D]

Seth Gamble has been pushing this mini series Synthesis recenlty. It's been a while since I watched a modern porn feature so I figured I'd check in on the competition and this seemed an apt one as it's Seth with sexbots which is what he was supposed to be doing in my film if not for Covid. Interesting... The trailer makes it look story heavy but the 31 minute long episode 1 featured one minute of dialogue and then 30 straight minutes of Seth roughly penetrating all 3 of Little Puck's orrifices in an order that would surprise you.

Bit of a reminder of how far off the beaten trail I've gotten myself here. I get The Fear a lot over this movie at the moment and this mornings dose is wondering whether the audience for this sort of thing has moved way past the much gentler content I'm shooting. My movie doesnt even have any anal.

But onward anyway. Found another box of LA costumes in a storage container. They're useless. My ladies in LA were all around 5'4 and small breasted. This time around they are either quite tall or ridiculously short and the smallest breasts among the lot of them are still double Ds. We're starting from scratch.


super cute bra but try shoving a pair of double fs into that.

Equipment booked. Locations booked. Went and stayed in one to check it out the other night. 75th floor, high enough that we can do what we want without voyeurs looking in. Clouds will present an interesting challenge though. When we arrived they were very scenically about twenty floors below us, then they rose and we were in a white out for 2 hours as we waited for them to lift. Continuity could be interesting.

[Dom D]

You can still shoot around that. Just fly on the wall stuff with the actors.

Yeah, I'm sure there will be a bit of that. I just got excited there for a moment about maybe creating a seperate commercial product without much effort. I might need something like that... This film is getting stupid expensive. Cast just costs so much more here. The day rate we're paying Katija is roughly 5 times what they pay in LA. While Isla is getting paid over the combined cost of my 3 leading actors in LA. I really should be shooting over there but no way I am being a foreigner doing something not strictly legal in the US right now.