
Bespoke porn: Nothing is too weird. We consider all requests - mathgenius
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jul/29/jon-ronson-bespoke-porn-nothing-is-too-weird-all-requests?CMP=share_btn_fb
======
true_religion
> It is very unusual to find second cameramen on porn sets these days: the
> internet is killing porn-makers who take pride in production values. It’s
> because the money is now in the pockets of the tech giants in faraway cities
> such as Montreal, owners of sites such as PornHub that are crammed with
> pirated content illegally uploaded by fans; PornHub is currently the world’s
> 38th most popular site.

So much wrong with this paragraph, I hardly know where to start.

First of all, custom-made pornograhy is _exploding_ as a market because
cameras are cheap.

Secondly, multi-camera work is not indicative of high production values.
Typically single camera work gives the director more control over each shot,
and is more time consuming. So cheap-fast camera work will involve multiple
cameras, then post-shoot editing to stitch things together.

Third, people make porn in Quebec. I think the only place people don't make
porn is Utah--though it's the #1 place for people to retire to afterwards.

Fourth, PornHub is owned by MindGeek which also owns Brazzers, Mofos,
DigitalPlayground, Twistys, RealityKings, and has _many_ relationships with
other producers. You see a lot of full length movies on Pornhub, not merely
because people are breaking copyright laws but because those movies are the
ones released as part of the required relationship (or released on other free
site), and thus aren't really worth chasing down and taking offline.

Ahh.. rant over.

I will add though Anatomik does good work, and I'm glad to see the more
mainstream media paying attention to them.

~~~
paulcole
>I think the only place people don't make porn is Utah--though it's the #1
place for people to retire to afterwards.

Is this true? And if so, why?

~~~
Thriptic
It has historically had a high concentration of Mormons and this has shaped
the state's culture.

~~~
paulcole
Huh? Was this meant to explain why ex porn stars move to Utah?

------
stillbourne
[http://oglaf.com/shhh/](http://oglaf.com/shhh/)

[http://oglaf.com/overbite/](http://oglaf.com/overbite/)

[http://oglaf.com/fully-fleshed/](http://oglaf.com/fully-fleshed/)

[http://oglaf.com/croutons/](http://oglaf.com/croutons/)

~~~
vosper
The one of these links I clicked on was an NSFW comic strip. Just FYI.

~~~
igorgue
The main title says PORN, the article is about PORN, what are you doing at
work?

~~~
vinceguidry
My employer has zero problem with me reading about porn at work, but looking
at it is a different matter entirely.

~~~
BrandoElFollito
If this is true, can you expand a bit?

~~~
vinceguidry
I work for a bunch of cool adults. The porn industry is interesting and makes
for fun lunch conversations with the team. My nose is not held to the
grindstone all the time and it's accepted that I spend a certain amount of my
time reading articles and such.

But having pornographic videos or images up on your screen where others can
see is just unprofessional.

------
throw_boat
Small world... frequent HN reader here, just ordered a custom video recently
through Anatomik Media, the company that's profiled in the article.

I haven't received my own video yet but from what I've seen of their work they
do have high production values and a lot of attention to detail.

I appreciate the founder's curiosity about the range and the content of
different people's sexual interests. That really comes through in the article.
People are into a whole lot of different stuff and it's pretty fascinating.

Also, way to go Jon Ronson for getting to the bottom of the nun story. Talk
about going above and beyond the call of duty.

~~~
jsmthrowaway
> Also, way to go Jon Ronson for getting to the bottom of the nun story. Talk
> about going above and beyond the call of duty.

He even confirmed with the Italian newspaper after speaking with a primary
source. That’s what makes this type of personal journalism become great
writing in the right hands, and why it’s so fun to read: the narrative
recounts a rigorous investigatory followup to us as if Ronson were merely
chasing a Sunday curiosity, but also illustrates excellent journalistic method
and restraint as a subtext.

Too bad he solved the stamp man coincidence, though, despite it being
interesting. That remaining unsolved would have confused the hell out of those
producers for the rest of their lives.

------
stevenwoo
It a little weird to me to call it porn, all of the described bespoke videos
include nothing of what could be considered a sexual nature (to the
conventionally minded I suppose )- you could display them on network TV in the
USA when children are watching without the FCC's wrath (unless they showed the
women peeing graphically and they really didn't describe the nun video very
well). They sound more like customized therapy videos.

~~~
porn_throwaway
The graphicness depends on the customer's request, but can of course be very
explicit. A common euphemism in the community is colors such as "yellow",
"red" and "brown", which I'm sure you can figure out what they correspond to.

~~~
stevenwoo
Thanks for the clarification. The writer should have been more clear like you
- or maybe I was too literal into thinking what was written was everything.

------
cperciva
I hope they're careful about the custom videos they make. Just last week the
RCMP were searching for the woman who made a video apparently confessing to an
Anthrax hoax -- who it turns out was paid to make the video via Fiverr.

[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/how-a-north-
carolina...](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/how-a-north-carolina-
woman-was-unknowingly-a-part-of-the-white-package-case-1.4222242)

~~~
userbinator
With technology like this being developed,
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14182262](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14182262)
, we may see more stories like that, at least until law enforcement becomes
more aware of it (and hopefully doesn't start locking things down.)

On a more positive note, these "reality editing" technologies would probably
find lots of successful application in bespoke porn.

------
porn_throwaway
This isn't exactly new, but I think is becoming a larger market. It's
something that "camgirls" have been doing for quite some time, but I've never
heard of anyone doing it with this kind of production value. Probably the
biggest place these days for this is clips4sale, but there are a lot of
smaller sites.

Stick to a reputable exchange that you can be comfortable enforces 2257 age
records keeping requirements. It's possible to find ads on /r/SexSells and
such but this is a terrible idea.

------
lord_jim
Good timing. I need to create a short porn film for an art project (yes
seriously) and been wondering how the hell to actually find professionals who
I can work with.

Random emails have not been working but this article provided some new avenues
to explore. I'll even pose as a VR goggle fetishist if that's what it takes to
get the damn thing commissioned

------
strict9
For an audio version from the same person starting this podcast, an excerpt
from This American Life: [https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/620/...](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/620/to-be-real?act=3)

------
im3w1l
I can't help but wonder if the stamp person really sent his own collection, or
if it was actually someone elses, and if the request for a video of it being
destroyed was some elaborate bullying thing.

------
MarcScott
If you want to hear a little more on this, and other aspects of the porn
industry, and the effect that PornHub has had, then check out The Butterfly
Effect podcast by Jon Ronson, the journalist who wrote this article. It's free
to Audible subscribers at the moment.
[http://www.jonronson.com/butterfly.html](http://www.jonronson.com/butterfly.html)

