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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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9

Writing Porn Is Easy, But the Pay Stinks

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(Newser) – In many ways, the life of a porn screenwriter is a breeze compared to Hollywood, Christopher Beam writes for Slate. “Your average 90-minute porn film will have between five and seven sex scenes,” he explains. “At five to 10 minutes each, that leaves only about a half-hour for dialogue,” and porn writers tend not to script the sex scenes. Of course, they get paid accordingly: only about $1,000, “even for big productions.”

Unlike in Hollywood scripts, in which writers often indicate camera angles, “porn cinematography is left up to the director,” Beam writes. Naturally, “in the porn industry, the director and the screenwriter are often the same person.” A writer might get more involved if the sex actually moves the story along. “If the movie is about a woman who has never had anal sex, the type of sex in the scene is a relevant plot point.” Also, bring your thinking cap. You might have to come up with a clever title like This Ain’t Star Trek XXX.

Porn stars perform during a news conference.
Porn stars perform during a news conference.   (AP Photo)
Amateur models are photographed by artist and adult filmmaker Irvin Bomb, center, before shooting a pornographic video.
Amateur models are photographed by artist and adult filmmaker Irvin Bomb, center, before shooting a pornographic video.   (Getty Images)
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Since adult films usually have low budgets—a few thousand dollars—writers can't compose scenes that would be expensive to shoot, like fighting sequences atop a moving train. They try to limit the action to the rooms of a house. - Christopher Beam

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9 comments
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Kookey90
Jul 10, 09 6:14 PM CDT
The way they're giving away free porn on the Internet, it's a wonder that anyone can make a living off this anymore. Reply
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Deebles
Jul 10, 09 7:23 PM CDT
Really Kookey. You'd think that that would switch to Romance novels. They seem to be thriving in this economy. Men are visual but women prefer reading about an engorged organ rather than seeing one. Go to any Barnes and Noble and hit the new Romance shelf. It's porn that would make your hair curl. The strangest part is that all the engorged organs are on vampires, wolfs or dragons. If men were writing this and it were not Romance, I don't think they could sell it.
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SPH
Jul 10, 09 10:16 PM CDT
I want my toes to curl......
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Kookey90
Jul 10, 09 9:03 PM CDT
deebles, you're probably right; I'm a guy and I'd rather sit back and visually see my porno versus having to sit down and read it. Now, my wife spends most of her time reading books - I guess it must be a female thing; whatever turns you on. Reply
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Deebles
Jul 10, 09 10:06 PM CDT
Porn is the truest indicator that men and women are wired differently--not that there's anything wrong with that. Men can get aroused at the drop of a panty. Women get aroused knowing why, where and how the panty got dropped. Know this simple fact and you can be happy forever.
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+4
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