Point of view pornography
Encyclopedia
Point of view pornography (POV), also known as , is adult entertainment that is filmed as if the watcher had experienced the sex-acts themselves.
In POV porn the person receiving sexual gratification holds the camera him- or herself and aims it down at the actress or actor who is pleasuring him or herself. This is in contrast to having a separate camera crew filming the action. The effect is to give the viewer the sense that they are experiencing the sexual acts they are watching, as opposed to simply watching others as a voyeur.
, in that it attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. By analogy, gonzo pornography puts the camera right into the action — often with one or more of the participants both filming and performing sexual acts — without the usual separation characteristic of conventional porn and cinema. Influenced by amateur pornography
, basic gonzo porn tends to use far fewer full-body/wide shots, and more close-ups (see Reality pornography). The loose and direct camera work often includes "tight" shots of the genitalia, unlike much of traditional porn.
Porn star Mika Tan
commented in 2008 that the average gonzo DVD costs $16,000 to produce.
, whereas some Features could be classed as softcore pornography, especially if they are released in softer edited versions for distribution to hotel pay-per-view services.
Some POV directors like John Stagliano
argue that there is a story being told, and that it's a mistake to assume that POV inherently lacks a plot. Due to the explosive growth in its popularity since the mid-1990s, POV has attained mainstream popularity, lowering the cost of entry into the market for producers, and making it easier for amateur performers to become famous; several individually distinct styles of no-frills, filmed pornography can be labeled POV porn. One characteristic of POV films share is an emphasis on intense sexual performance; modern professional POV is evolving to include more hardcore sex acts than either traditional or amateur porn. Regardless of camera techniques or the degree of director involvement in the scenes, a POV film has "more sex", per se, than a traditional (e.g. Vivid
or Adam&Eve
) adult video . POV scenes tend to run longer; it is common for a single boy-girl scene to run anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes.
, in 1997 the east coast based adult web site Exploitedteens.com of New Jersey
pioneered the idea of having their male actor performing in a film while operating the camera and also narrating, so that the viewer experiences the film through the eyes of the performer. The first-person perspective was influenced by the 1966 film Blowup
. At the time this was in contrast to the majority of porn, which tended not to make viewers aware of the camera.
John Stagliano
is considered to have started the genre with his Buttman series of films.
, point of view pornography is referred to as . It is a genre
of Japanese pornography in which a male adult video (AV) actor/director serves as the camera operator
while also performing. The term is derived by combining the verbs and .
Hamedori type videos were produced from the beginnings of Japanese AV in the early 1980s. The term hamedori came into use about 1988–1989 but was only a small niche area until it was popularized at V&R Planning
by director Company Matsuo
.
Matsuo starting working in the genre in 1991 saying that this intimate technique was a natural way for him to shoot in order to show his feelings for the girl and to "get her to open up about herself, to show her true emotions". Matsuo used amateur actresses in his videos and he usually traveled to their hometowns for the filming. He talks to them extensively on camera so that he and the viewer can come to know them before any sex scenes. A large part of the popularity of these videos is seeing how regular and normal the girls are who appear in them. As amateurs in a single segment of a multi-part video, the actresses are typically paid only about 50,000 yen (about $500).
According to the Japanese magazine SPA!, about one-third of Japanese women say they do not mind being filmed while having sex as long as it is with a camera phone, with the women saying that it can increase sexual stimulation. Most of the footage is dumped but some keep them to enjoy as personal sex home movies or to study them to improve their sexual technique.
has had a 'Best POV Production' award since 2005 in their annual XRCO awards
. This award has been given to:
The AVN Awards
have a 'Best POV Series' award which has been given to:
The AVN Awards have a 'Best POV Release' award which has been given to:
The AVN Awards also have a 'Best POV sex scene' award which has been given to:
In POV porn the person receiving sexual gratification holds the camera him- or herself and aims it down at the actress or actor who is pleasuring him or herself. This is in contrast to having a separate camera crew filming the action. The effect is to give the viewer the sense that they are experiencing the sexual acts they are watching, as opposed to simply watching others as a voyeur.
Shooting style
The shooting style of POV pornography is generally called gonzo pornography, a reference to gonzo journalismGonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style...
, in that it attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. By analogy, gonzo pornography puts the camera right into the action — often with one or more of the participants both filming and performing sexual acts — without the usual separation characteristic of conventional porn and cinema. Influenced by amateur pornography
Amateur pornography
Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models or actors performing without pay, or for whom this material is their first or only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is professionally made porn which seeks to emulate the style of amateur pornography...
, basic gonzo porn tends to use far fewer full-body/wide shots, and more close-ups (see Reality pornography). The loose and direct camera work often includes "tight" shots of the genitalia, unlike much of traditional porn.
Porn star Mika Tan
Mika Tan
Mika Tan is the stage name of a fetish model , and pornographic actress of Asian ancestry.-Background:...
commented in 2008 that the average gonzo DVD costs $16,000 to produce.
Difference from third person pornography
POV pornographic films are one of two broad types of contemporary pornographic film; and can be contrasted with the other type, the "Feature" film. POV pornographic films tend to focus far less on the narrative, storyline, plots, extended dialogue, acting, characterization, elaborate costumes and sets, and artistic camerawork commonly found in conventional porn. According to an unnamed executive at a studio specializing in Features, "We don't just show you people fucking; we show you why they're fucking." Features are often aimed at the couples market, whereas gonzo is less likely to be. POV pornography is always hardcore pornographyHardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
, whereas some Features could be classed as softcore pornography, especially if they are released in softer edited versions for distribution to hotel pay-per-view services.
Some POV directors like John Stagliano
John Stagliano
John Allen Stagliano , also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, pornographic actor, producer and director, who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio.-Early life and career:...
argue that there is a story being told, and that it's a mistake to assume that POV inherently lacks a plot. Due to the explosive growth in its popularity since the mid-1990s, POV has attained mainstream popularity, lowering the cost of entry into the market for producers, and making it easier for amateur performers to become famous; several individually distinct styles of no-frills, filmed pornography can be labeled POV porn. One characteristic of POV films share is an emphasis on intense sexual performance; modern professional POV is evolving to include more hardcore sex acts than either traditional or amateur porn. Regardless of camera techniques or the degree of director involvement in the scenes, a POV film has "more sex", per se, than a traditional (e.g. Vivid
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an adult video producer, featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry....
or Adam&Eve
Adam & Eve (business)
Adam & Eve is a marketer of adult products that sells sex toys and produces pornographic films, as well as funding non-profit social marketing organizations that address issues such as population growth, disease control and sex education in developing countries. In 2006 it was described by Reuters...
) adult video . POV scenes tend to run longer; it is common for a single boy-girl scene to run anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes.
United States
Influenced by 1990s Amateur pornographyAmateur pornography
Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models or actors performing without pay, or for whom this material is their first or only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is professionally made porn which seeks to emulate the style of amateur pornography...
, in 1997 the east coast based adult web site Exploitedteens.com of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
pioneered the idea of having their male actor performing in a film while operating the camera and also narrating, so that the viewer experiences the film through the eyes of the performer. The first-person perspective was influenced by the 1966 film Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
. At the time this was in contrast to the majority of porn, which tended not to make viewers aware of the camera.
John Stagliano
John Stagliano
John Allen Stagliano , also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, pornographic actor, producer and director, who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio.-Early life and career:...
is considered to have started the genre with his Buttman series of films.
Japan
In JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, point of view pornography is referred to as . It is a genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of Japanese pornography in which a male adult video (AV) actor/director serves as the camera operator
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
while also performing. The term is derived by combining the verbs and .
Hamedori type videos were produced from the beginnings of Japanese AV in the early 1980s. The term hamedori came into use about 1988–1989 but was only a small niche area until it was popularized at V&R Planning
V&R Planning
is a Japanese film production and distribution company based in Tokyo which specializes in adult videos .-Company information:V&R Planning was founded in April 1986 by Kaoru Adachi who had previously worked in TV, mostly as an import agent. The V&R stands for "Visual and Retail"...
by director Company Matsuo
Company Matsuo
is an innovative Japanese adult video director, producer and entrepreneur. He is credited with popularizing the Japanese porn genre of "hamedori" where the director/actor performs sexually with the actress and also films the action. He has been called "a master of shooting pornography with...
.
Matsuo starting working in the genre in 1991 saying that this intimate technique was a natural way for him to shoot in order to show his feelings for the girl and to "get her to open up about herself, to show her true emotions". Matsuo used amateur actresses in his videos and he usually traveled to their hometowns for the filming. He talks to them extensively on camera so that he and the viewer can come to know them before any sex scenes. A large part of the popularity of these videos is seeing how regular and normal the girls are who appear in them. As amateurs in a single segment of a multi-part video, the actresses are typically paid only about 50,000 yen (about $500).
According to the Japanese magazine SPA!, about one-third of Japanese women say they do not mind being filmed while having sex as long as it is with a camera phone, with the women saying that it can increase sexual stimulation. Most of the footage is dumped but some keep them to enjoy as personal sex home movies or to study them to improve their sexual technique.
Awards
X-Rated Critics OrganizationX-Rated Critics Organization
The X-Rated Critics Organization is a group of writers and editors from the adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry....
has had a 'Best POV Production' award since 2005 in their annual XRCO awards
XRCO awards
The XRCO Awards are given by the X-Rated Critics Organization annually to people working in adult entertainment. Some of the works and workers are inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame during the awards.The XRCO online archive is missing results prior to 1993...
. This award has been given to:
- 2005 Pov Pervert 5Pov Pervert 5POV Pervert is a series of pornographic films from Red Light District Video. POV stands for 'Point of View'.The films are an example of Point of view pornography, and are within the gonzo pornography genre, where the cameraman is also the actor....
(Red Light DistrictRed Light District VideoRed Light District Video is an American pornographic film studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California.-History:The company was founded in 2001 by industry veteran Dion Giarrusso and his half-brother David Joseph, who co-owned the company. Giarrusso had previously worked as general manager of...
) - 2006 Jack's Pov 5 (Digital PlaygroundDigital Playgroundthumb|right|250px|Digital Playground's 2010 Contract Girls at the [[AVN Adult Entertainment Expo]] at the [[Sands Expo]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] on January 7, 2010...
) - 2007 inTERActive (TeravisionTera PatrickLinda Ann Hopkins, better known as Tera Patrick is a former American pornographic actress.-Early life:Tera Patrick was born Linda Ann Hopkins in Great Falls, Montana. While at Boise State, Patrick earned an AAS degree in nursing and a BS in Biology.-Career:Patrick moved to New York City and her...
/Hustler VideoHustler Videothumb|right|240px|Hustler Booth at the [[AVN Adult Entertainment Expo]] at the [[Sands Expo|Sands Convention Center]], Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2010Hustler Video is an American pornographic film studio...
) - 2008 Tunnel Vision (Jules Jordan ProductionsJules JordanJules Jordan is an American pornographic movie director, actor, and producer. Originally his movies were distributed under John Stagliano's adult video company, Evil Angel. In early 2006 his company Jules Jordan Video began handling its own distribution...
)
The AVN Awards
AVN Awards
The AVN Awards are movie awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic movies. They are called the "Oscars of porn"...
have a 'Best POV Series' award which has been given to:
- 2007 Jack's POV (Digital Playground)
- 2010 Jack's POV (Digital Playground)
The AVN Awards have a 'Best POV Release' award which has been given to:
- 2005 P.O.V. Pervert 3
- 2006 Manuel FerraraManuel FerraraManuel Ferrara is a prolific French pornographic actor and adult film director.Ferrara was originally a protégé of Rocco Siffredi, and had an award winning acting career, making his American acting debut in John Stagliano’s Fashionistas. In 2002 he appeared in Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp...
's POV - 2009 Jack's POV 9 (Digital Playground)
- 2010 Anal Prostitutes on Video 6
The AVN Awards also have a 'Best POV sex scene' award which has been given to:
- 2007 Naomi with Tommy Gunn – Jack's POV # 2
- 2010 Pound The Round P.O.V.
Notable directors
|
Rodney Moore Rodney Moore is an adult video producer who helped to pioneer the Gonzo style of porn. To date, Moore claims to have shot with over 1200 different women in his adult career. The great emphasis in Moore's work is on oral sex, and facials.... Pat Myne Pat Myne is an American pornographic actor and director.He was previously married to Shelbee Myne, Stormy Daniels and Alektra Blue.-Awards:... Ed Powers Ed Powers is an American director, producer and actor of hardcore pornographic films. He owns his own production company, Ed Powers Productions.Powers was born in Brooklyn, New York... Shane (porn star) Shane is the stage name of Shannon Hewitt, an American pornographic actress and director, known for creating the Shane's World series of adult videos.Shane is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame... (Shane's World Shane's World Shane's World Studios is a pornographic film company started in 1996. It is one of the first companies to pioneer the reality style videos of adult entertainment. The company was originally started by Seymore Butts' ex-girlfriend Shane, who lent her name to the business... ) Rocco Siffredi Rocco Siffredi is the stage name of an Italian pornographic actor, director and producer of pornographic movies, famous for his rough sex scenes... Joey Silvera Joey Silvera is an American pornographic actor and director.Joey Silvera has been involved in the American pornographic industry since the early 1970s. A native of upstate New York, he got his start performing in San Francisco in 1974, and went on to appear in more than 1,000 videos... John Stagliano John Allen Stagliano , also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, pornographic actor, producer and director, who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio.-Early life and career:... (Buttman) Randy West (porn star) Randy West is an American pornographic actor.-Early life and pre-porn career:West grew up in New York City, and later moved to South Florida. He originally hoped to play professional baseball , but he instead decided to pursue a career as a singer... Pierre Woodman Pierre Woodman is a pornographic film director. He is the creator of more than 65 pornographic films, more than 2,000 hardcore scenes, around 1,500 photosets and more than 7,000 castings.-Early life:... Lexington Steele Clifton Todd Britt , better known as Lexington Steele, is an American award-winning pornographic actor, director and owner of Mercenary Motion Pictures and Black Viking Pictures Inc. He is the first actor to have won the AVN Male Performer of the Year Award three times.- Education, career prior to... Manuel Ferrara Manuel Ferrara is a prolific French pornographic actor and adult film director.Ferrara was originally a protégé of Rocco Siffredi, and had an award winning acting career, making his American acting debut in John Stagliano’s Fashionistas. In 2002 he appeared in Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp... |
Further reading
- Hedges, ChrisChris HedgesChristopher Lynn Hedges is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and societies...
Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy And the Triumph of Spectacle (2009)