Through the eyes of a female…behind the camera

By Troy Michael 

For decades the adult film industry was dominated by males when it came to anything going on behind the camera. But now, with steady growth of females making the move from talent to behind the camera, the adult film industry is taking on a whole new look.

The first sight of change for women to become more of a fixture then just fuck dolls came in 1984 when the legendary Candida Royalle began Femme Productions. Royalle said “I had no trouble whatsoever breaking in as a female director.” But for Platinum X Pictures director Jewel De’Nyle, it was a bit more difficult. “I was laughed at by many male directors. I felt like they were intimidated by me. Otherwise my directing wouldn't have been any sweat off their back.” 

Now that more female directors are running the show it is becoming less of a hassle to make the change from actress to director. “I think people are more opened minded today,” Tyler Faith said. 

            There are still hurdles to cross however. A lot of fans, and others in the adult film business, assume most female directed films will be more intimate then male directed porn. On the contrary, some of the female directed movies are as hardcore if not harder. “The challenge for me, and other women, everyday women, expect to come off soft and sweet,” Kelly Holland explained. “So the challenge for me at least, was to prove I would be as raw as the male directors.”

            The British heart throb Taylor Wane added, “Men lean more towards making the women look sexy subordinate, where as I want women to look sexually aware, hungry and in control of their own prowess.

Adam & Eve Producer Meredith Christopher added, “Female directors have an entirely different perspective than male directors. First, we understand how the female body works, inside and out, which means we know what really works and what doesn't work in terms of sexual acts. Second, we come from a different emotional background than men, and I think that automatically makes female talent more comfortable and more open to finding their true sexual expression. Third, I think we grow up our entire lives paying attention to what turns on men, especially beyond just regular porno sex. I think female directors inspire women to give more genuine "tease" and foreplay performances, because hey - that's what works in real life. 

However, once the girls become directors they revel in the challenge to push the limits. “I love directing, especially young girls who have no clue. You can make them do the nastier stuff and they don’t complain,” Gina Lynn said.

Even though the women are making more of an impact, doesn’t mean the male chauvinist attitude has fell to the way side.

A relative newcomer as far as female directors, Joanna Angel unfortunately had a tough time with a certain issue. “There was a guy who worked at VCA who was supposed to be managing me when I was working on Joanna's Angels. He had a crush on me, but when they (feelings) weren't shared, rather than dealing with this issue on a personal level, he totally abused his power. This was my first major project, so it really sucked to hear things like ‘I should have never hired you; you have no idea what the hell you’re doing. After this you better stick to your little internet bullshit because you clearly don’t know what the fuck you’re doing.’ If I really sucked as a director, and there was just no hope for me… then I wouldn’t have minded the criticism. But I knew he was just unleashing anger on me that had nothing to do with my skills as a director.”

Even porn veteran and Platinum X Pictures director Kylie Ireland said she still has to prove herself all the time with her films. “At conventions and in blogs, interviews and reviews I still get people who think I don’t direct my own movies.  Nothing pisses me off more! Some think I am just a celebrity name being used to sell movies and although I realize that this is something that happens in porn, it’s not something I do. I do everything from the directing to the paperwork.”

With the onslaught of female directors now, there is a different perspective towards the films they create. “I think females can make things prettier while still getting hot, dirty sex,” Tyler Faith stated. De’Nyle added, “I get away with more when I talk to the female talent. They will do more for me as they know I can walk the walk.”

Royalle adds a different twist to the perspective women bring to the films, “What I'm seeing young women put out now seems in some ways every bit as hardcore as what guys produce. That said, I think women have more ability to understand what other women want. In my opinion, women - or at least my audience - want a context. They don't just want to see two people come in to a room and start fucking and sucking. They want to know who these people are, why they're having sex, and what kind of sex they would have given their situation. Also, as I always point out, women want to see the real thing, they just want to see it done well.”

            Difficult or not, there is always some light-hearted fun behind the scenes once the female directors call out for action.

“When people are having sex sometimes they aren't paying attention to anything else but the sex. And if u need something different u have to sometimes get right in there and tell them,” Faith said.

Its hard telling what you will see happening on a porn set. It could be off the cuff singing like Taylor Wane explains of one her funnier moments. “One time the camera guy had to sing a song to a member of male talent to help him resurrect his erection…but it worked well.”

Even the respected Kelly Holland has had her funny thought provoking moments behind the lens. “The first scene I shot I didn’t know set protocol so I started out sitting on the ground about 20 feet away not to “disturb” the actors. Five minutes in Tony Tedeschi was in a doggie position and he looked under his leg at me and motioned me to come closer.  I slid a few feet forward and he motioned me again.  This happened four times until I was literally underneath him and he looked down and said, “you always want to be close to the dick” At that moment my entire Catholic school background flashed in front of me and I thought, “Is this what it’s come to?”

After the filming is over, the laughter as Tyler Faith tells a rather stinky story. “Shooting Travis Knight tearing Dillan Lauren a new asshole, I was telling her how fucked up it was to see her ass gape so big, then out of no where she let one rip.”

            Holland has one of the best stories regarding a luncheon on the porn set. “I told a very famous actress that we were having trout for lunch and she informed me that she’d pass because she didn’t like vegetables.”

Sometimes you never know who you will run into on the set as Taylor Wane explains.  “One time I entered a room to get something only to find Vince Neil (of Motley Crue) banging Lethal Weapons. I wasn't expecting that! He didn't seem to mind that the crew and talent were wandering passed him, paying no attention to his hump fest.”

And one lesson for females on set, no matter if you are a star in front of the camera or the girl directing the film, Kylie Ireland reminds everyone, “One thing I have learned is never bend over when Steve Holmes or John Strong are around – especially if you don’t wear panties.”

Anyone watching an adult film is going to get the itch down below and want some of the action themselves. But what’s a poor girl to do when she is the director? Be professional and keep directing, or jump in and enjoy some of the fun?

Director Holly Randall from her mothers company Suze Randall has found the answer that works best for her. “Obviously, yeah I get turned on filming these hot scenes. But I don’t mix the business with pleasure. Mainly because I have a boyfriend and after the shoots I just go home and fuck his brains out.”

For the much respected superstar Belladonna, it is no question if her films turn her on. “Yes, yes yes. I wanted so badly to jump into a scene I directed with Sandra Romain and Melissa Lauren for Fetish Fanatic 2. I just kept thinking I wish I was Melissa right now...”

And for Angel, you can get best of both worlds. “Well the good thing about being the director who performs too… is that when hat feeling comes along, I don’t have to restrain myself. I can just jump right in! My life totally rules”

 It is even better if you own your own company like Francesca Le. “When Mark Wood (her husband) was casting a scene with Tory Lane, I made him write me in for that scene.

And Tyler Faith is no princess, when it comes to mixing professionalism and pleasure while working. “Of course I  cop a feel every once in a while or maybe two.”

When you have seen it all, the inhibitions to jump in and mix business and pleasure fades away, like for veteran performer and director Royalle. “My days in front of the camera (at least naked and having sex) are over! I like being the director and creating the movies now.”

Since the dawn of porn it has been prominently a male dominated world. And in some aspects it still is. As of late, with these talented females and many more on the way, the adult film industry is getting more then a one genre perspective from behind the camera. And as to which genre talent prefers to work for? Marci Hirsch, Vivid's Vice-President of Production, and the woman behind some of the industry's biggest films for arguably the industry's most successful company said. “I have worked with both male and female directors in the past and I don't think I deal with them differently at all.  Vivid's goal is to produce quality adult movies so when we choose a director, we have already decided that person can do the job.  Once the director is on board, whether he/she is a male or female does not change how we work.” 

Hirsch continued, “I think that some female talent find female directors to be non-threatening, in the sense that there some innate understanding between women. Whether or not that's true, I don't know.  When Kelly Holland directed for us, I tried to pair her up with new contract girls to sort of ease them into how we work. Most female directors will take the time to make the situation as comfortable for a new girl as possible. I think it depends on the director and not the gender of the director. People connect with other people on so many different levels that I don't think I can make a generalization like that.”

These female directors are strong women that have stood up for what they want to do and they have fun doing it. It’s not a gender issue, it is about quality of films that are being made.

“I do not feel that I have to prove myself. I just want to make great movies that the fans enjoy. I do not compete against anyone. I do not even watch porn. I have no idea what anyone else does unless I hear about it from another performer.” Belladonna said. Tyler Faith added one of the more poignant statements, “I think no matter what you do or what sex you are, you have to struggle to prove yourself. You have to show you can do a good job.