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Porn Flicks Too Soft on Plot, Grumble Stars

Actors' fun vanishes with stories as porn kings cater to Internet

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 8, 2009 3:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – Porn films with storylines are becoming a thing of the past as studios switch to filming content for the Internet, reports the New York Times. Earlier efforts to capture the DVD market led studios to create big-budget movies with narrative arcs connecting the sex scenes like 2005's Pirates—but the focus is now squarely on simply filming sex scenes several minutes long.

Revenue from the sale and rental of porn DVDs has tanked 50% in the last few years, one expert estimates. The shift away from plot-centric porn has many in the industry missing the days when sex came with a bit of character development.  "I used to have dialogue,” said Savanna Samson, one of the industry’s biggest stars. "Getting it on in one hardcore scene after another just isn’t as much fun."

Porn star Savanna Samson says she used to take her acting seriously and prepare studiously for her roles.
Porn star Savanna Samson says she used to take her acting seriously and prepare studiously for her roles.   (Getty Images)
Porn films with storylines, like Deep Throat, won mainstream success in the '70s.
Porn films with storylines, like "Deep Throat," won mainstream success in the '70s.   (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)
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On the Internet, the average attention span is three to five minutes. We have to cater to that.
- Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of porn studios Vivid Entertainment.

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 4 comments
NxBigmouthery
Jul 8, 2009 10:54 AM CDT
Revenue tanking surely isn't down to lack of story. It's because of youporn and redtube. You don't watch porn for story, you watch it for...porn.
Shannonals
Jul 8, 2009 9:48 AM CDT
Whoa, porn movies have plots?
memphibian
Jul 8, 2009 2:14 AM CDT
Just as we like letters to Penthouse for the way they introduce erotic tension, porn films need that context. The 3-min loop is a different animal, something you need to sell the hourlong movie.

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