Expert: Jim Boyd - 4/1/2008

Question
Hi Jim,
Just wondering how much goes into the direction of the average film? do you script every detail of each scene, storyboard etc or do you put some people in a room with a rough idea and let things take their shape?

Answer
Hi Blair,

Actually there is a significant amount of direction required when shooting Adult Films. Just as with mainstream movies lighting, camera angles, and the flow of the scene are all curtail to the quality of the final product. Now, just how much direction required is going to depend on the type of film being produced.

Naturally the “gonzo” type films require very little direction at all as they are pure and simple sex scenes….no plot…no set-up…no real dialog…just some chick getting her brains fucked out. These films quite literally toss two people in a room, turn on a camera, and let the games begin. Normally these are shot by a single guy with hand held camera that simply moves around the action to get the desired angles. Sometime the camera may even be held by the male performer (also known as a Point of View shot). Gonzo films can usually be shot in a couple of hours.

More complex “feature” films, such as those produced by Vivid, requires much more direction. These films normally have better story lines, more complex dialog, and multiple stationary cameras, at least on hand held camera, more scenes and a much bigger cast. These films take several days (if not a couple of weeks) to shoot. If any Adult Film were going to have any kind of script, it would be this type of film, although scripts are rare in any production.

My films are kind of a “hybrid” type as they have the hard sex element  of “gonzo” but still normally follow some sort story line like “feature” films. My films quite literally start with an Idea in my head and a few notes scribbled on a clipboard. In fact these scribbling are the closest thing you will find to a “script” on one of my shoots.

I hope information is useful.
Jim Boyd