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$pread Magazine - Issue 5.1
Control+Alt=Success: How to Break Into Alt Porn
By Christina Cicchelli
After breakfast at Dupont's on Ventura Boulevard, we drove with the top down cruising California's byways until we arrived at the first studio of the day. It was one of many windowless buildings in the notorious San Fernando Valley - a reality check for a beginner like me, who was once told that I would be used like a cunt rag should I move forward in this business - to the West where the Wild Porn Stars roam. Wise words in heart, I spent the day stripping down and posing for Polaroids. The last guy who saw me was a friend of a filmmaker I knew. He took me to his office in his picturesque home, complete with young models lounging poolside in their bikinis. First, give your boobs a lift, he said. Then straighten the hair. Then we can see you into some real movies.
No bones about it: that's the porn business. For every household name you can count on your fingers, there are hundreds of others who are constantly working, constantly trying to get their names on as many DVD boxes as possible in order to move up the pecking order. The porn industry is a business and, like any other business, profits are secured with formulas that guarantee success. In porn, the formula that wins every time calls for bigger tits, lighter skin, a slimmer body. But what if you don't want to go through the porno mill? What if you want your performances to mean more than a quick release for a horny viewer? In that case, you might want to look into the savory subculture that is the Alt Porn industry.
What is Alt Porn, anyway? Some may say that the overall aesthetic is the giveaway, as Alt Porn eroticizes subcultures otherwise ignored by the mainstream industry. Signature bad girl beauties such as Joanna Angel and Michelle Aston have built a cult following based on their Mohawks, tattoos, and piercings alone but good looks and a great set of tits don't hurt, either. The other side of Alt borders on the mainstream. In this spectrum are the modern-day librarians, the four-eyed nymphets, and tube sock-loving sluts of geek love fame. These women may have some tattoos and piercings, but they aim to service gamers, nerds, freaks, and geeks by eroticizing what normally might have been considered uncool in a style-conscious society. GeekGirlsOnline and Four-Eyed Sluts offer your typical girl-next-door in compromising positions, but with a more approachable appeal. Other websites take the geek fetish further by introducing symbols of nerdiness into the bedroom. With an elfin beauty splayed on moist rocks on its homepage, Whorelore.com now carries the torch through the dark forest of RPG fantasy.
The seeds of Alt Porn were planted around the same time as the Internet spread into our everyday lives. The webcam phenomenon meant individuals and couples could contribute erotica for the whole country to see. Cyberspace instantaneously made anyone with decent computer equipment and the will to wank a superstar who could capitalize on the desire of viewers. The more adventurous began to profit from uploading their own brand of smut onto the Web. Eventually, groups like Nakkidnerds and SuicideGirls not only brought alternative looks and participatory pornography to the forefront, they also introduced the concept that pornography was not just about sex but about breaking pre-conceived boundaries of race, gender, and appearance.
When Alt Porn let out its initial rebel yell, its need to look different went hand-in-hand with being different from conventional porn. But, as SuicideGirls became popular and Vivid Entertainment bought the niche (forming Vivid Alt), this once innovative coupling of style and defiance became a marketable fetish. Bitch Magazine's Annie Tomlin expressed the buyout beautifully in her commentary on the subject, imagine giving the varsity cheerleading squad makeovers at Hot Topic, and you wouldn't be too far off.
In comparison to mainstream studios, however, many of these websites give models a greater portion of control over their own content and provided them with a platform to speak about topics or interests otherwise ignored or discouraged by bigger production companies. Looks aside, the women who created alternative porn were sex workers who chose not to sit in the same windowless buildings I did or get their Polaroids tossed in the pile that mine were tossed into. Instead, they crafted their own distinctive appeal while remaining sexually enticing to a widened audience. Although the nature of its marriage of style and distinction has changed, Alt's punk-philosophical roots are still apparent in its newer class of boundary-breaking pornography.
Breaking the Definition of Alt
Although style and appearance are what most noticeably set Alt aside from mainstream porn, Alt Porn also relies on specific ideological concerns that are practiced by both business owners and performers alike. Sex workers might seek out smaller production companies of this model, not instantly detected on their radar. Keep your eyes peeled for companies that stray from the Alt Porn label because they offer more than just another way of looking at and enjoying sex. By supplying the viewer with an original vision and the performers with the means to control their own sexuality, this brand of adult films are heralded in many circles for revolutionizing the porn industry, in particular for subverting the industry's disregard for performers' rights and well-being.
Former porn star Candida Royalle and founder of Femme Productions is one of the first and most recognizable forerunners of this particular movement. Royalle works under the credo of "she comes first" and is committed to producing female-friendly films. Notable traits include: a seductive storyline, less cum shots, and visually arousing camera angles that complement the performers and the scene. Royalle also coaches her talent through their scenes, always making sure that their comfort level is respected.
Other filmmakers have followed in Royalle's footsteps, further integrating the need for performers' rights alongside the demand for arousing movies. Take, for instance, the lovely Tasty Trixie. Her website is jam-packed with exciting videos and pictures, and also has a read-worthy Web Whore Manifesto that should inspire viewers and workers alike. Furry Girl is another outspoken performer who marries intellect to sex. She provides her own set of guidelines about Alt Porn on her LiveJournal. Sex activist Heather Corinna also deserves notable mention; many of the pictures on her website are self portraits, and her thoughts and words have been featured in other feminist venues, such as Scarlet Letters.
Websites like NoFauxxx and VegPorn take their cue from film and make it clear that their models are not only meant to titillate but also to educate the viewer on sexualities and lifestyles that aren't often paired with erotic imagery. The performers are diverse and often both male and female profiles are featured in order to entice a similarly diverse crowd. A novice sex worker starting out in the industry may find solace in understanding that their own desires are explored with these particular companies. NoFauxxx, for instance, shows a wide range of talent regardless of size, shape, and hair color. Performers like these are innovative and inspirational to any newbie, because they create their own definitions of porn and are confident in delivering their blend of sexuality and smarts to their fan base.
The Alt Porn Creed at Heart: Where to Go From Here
The first thing you should know is that not all alternative porn production companies are created equal. It may take you a few letters and forms of correspondence before you feel comfortable performing for a specific company. You should take time to go through each company's website and discover what scenes you feel most comfortable performing in. Also, find out about the company's payout range (usually varies upon the type of work you'll do, such as movies or still shots). Do they have photographers in your area or can you upload your own set of sexy snaps for viewers to see? Most production companies are based in California (San Francisco and Los Angeles, usually) or New York City, so consider how much traveling you're ready to commit to. If you are completely new to the adult industry, then take a look at AIM's website (http://www.aim-med.org/), and view their Porn 101 and Porn 102 movies, which are narrated by adult star Nina Hartley and Dr. Sharon Mitchell. These are insightful resources into the business and may help you decide the best path to take. Once you've assessed your reasons as to why you decide to make the plunge into adult film, finding a company to work with becomes much easier.
For every wonderful element of Alt Porn, there are negatives as well. If you're solely into the money, then consider that most Alt Porn sites do require you to do some promoting on your own (writing blogs, taking pictures, answering emails, etc.) that you do not get paid for. Sometimes you'll have to negotiate rates for shoots that are comparable to vanilla promo modeling or even nine-to-five jobs. Like any other person starting a small business, going solo and producing your own website requires you to dedicate most of your time (and often your own wad of cash) to promotion and producing your own material. Hard work, indeed but as many alt performers will tell you, being able to relate your individuality and sex appeal to your growing audience is payoff enough.
Christina Cicchelli is a former sex worker who enjoys embarking on exciting adventures as a Sci-Fi Fiction writer. When she's not dreaming about demon sex and man-eating robot sperm, she's writing in her blog, A Fantastic Nightmare (www.afantasticnightmare.wordpress.com)
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