The CSPH



Each week, The CSPH answers questions that have been submitted anonymously through Formspring and other channels. This week’s question is:

How would a couple get into making sex-positive amateur porn?

Amid a sea of fake boobs and bleached assholes*, amateur porn has gained popularity among viewers seeking greater immediacy and authenticity. Watching “real people” enjoy sex with their imperfect bodies and mismatched furniture sets can provide a sense of excitement and entertainment that formulaic mainstream productions often lack. Amateur porn that is sex positive embraces “sexual diversity, differing desires and relationship structures, and individual choices based on consent.” Additionally, queer, transgender, and heterosexual performers, of varying racial backgrounds and body types, can be seen engaging in sex acts they enjoy in simple, everyday settings.

For individuals who love sex and have an exhibitionist streak, the appeal of making amateur porn is understandable, but there are several points to consider before choosing your screen name. In fact, Good Releasing, a sex positive production company, requires all potential performers to complete a self-assessment designed to help identify personal boundaries and preferences, motivation, and potential consequences that could result from participation. It is important to know that your adult ambitions could affect your employment prospects, family relationships, or public reputation due to the stigma surrounding sex performance.

Furthermore, it is important that you and your partner communicate clearly about your reasons for wanting to fuck on film, and what you hope to gain from this experience. You will want to decide on your target demographic (queer, straight, BDSM, etc.), whether you hope to receive financial compensation, and your means and methods of distribution. Do you want to build an indie porn empire, like Courtney Trouble, or would you prefer to share intimate videos with fellow kinksters on FetLife? Discussing these issues ahead of time will maximize the odds of achieving success on your own terms.

Based on your question, it is not clear if “making porn” means that you wish to act as the pornographers, the performers, or both. If you will be the ones filming, consider making a modest investment in ceiling lamps or cheap floodlights, a small camcorder, a tripod, and a low-cost video editing program, such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, to create a finished product that is visually appealing. Learn how to use remote controls and self-timers, and take time to discover what angles and positions translate best on screen. Determine the kind of porn you enjoy watching, in addition to what makes you feel sexy, and try to incorporate those aspects into your film. If wearing a dog collar and a pair of Converse sneakers gets you going, then be sure to include those in your Reverse Cowgirl scene.

Although you could easily create and distribute amateur smut with just an iPhone, there are more sophisticated options to consider, such as developing your own website, uploading to an existing one, or performing for a sex-positive production company. Though creating your own website is for amateurs with ambition and some technical skills—such as writing code, designing layout/content, and navigating obscenity laws—it provides opportunities for the audience to develop a more personal connection with performers, and to generate personal revenue, but it comes at a cost of requiring more time and effort than part-time porn stars might care to invest. Meet the Mayhems (aka “Hardcore Fucking Nerds”) and The Art of Blow Job are good examples of websites, both created by real-life couples, that have defined and marketed their brand to a niche audience. Uploading videos to sites like XTube can result in a built-in stream of revenue and publicity, but the parent company usually takes up to 50% of your earnings from each sale. If you would prefer to learn the ropes by performing in another pornographer’s work, there are casting links on the websites of major sex positive production companies, such as Good Releasing, Blue Artichoke Films, Petra Joy, and Pink & White Productions.

Horny hipsters might be interested in submitting their work to HUMP!, “the film festival that allows you to be a porn star for the weekend—not for life.” Initiated in 2005, this annual showcase of home-movie erotica and amateur sex cinema takes place in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Films are rated by the audience, and cash awards are given for winners in categories such as Best Humor, Best Sex, Best Kink, and Best in Show. The films are then destroyed by the master of ceremonies, Dan Savage, before the live audience at the final showing of the festival.

Now more than ever, there exists a demand in the market for pornography that showcases authentic pleasure, sexual diversity, and enthusiastic performances. Making your own porn can be a great way to capture the excitement and intimacy shared between you and your partner, but if you begin to feel stressed out or uncertain about broadcasting your bedroom activities you can always stop filming and continue your private party. Informed choices and consent make for hot sex, even if the cameras are rolling.

* The CSPH supports every person’s right to alter their physical appearance in a way that is pleasing to one’s self, including, but not limited to, breast implants, waxing, and asshole bleaching. We don’t want to imply that these traits make people any less “real”! Mainstream pornography, however, tends to depict these acquired traits as feminine norms/generalized standards, which is empirically false.