Gonzo pornography

Gonzo pornography is a style of pornographic film that attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. John Stagliano is considered to have started the gonzo pornography genre with his Buttman series of films.

The name is a reference to gonzo journalism, in which the reporter is part of the event taking place. By comparison, gonzo pornography puts the camera right into the action, often with one or more of the participants both filming and performing sexual acts, without the usual separation between camera and performers seen in conventional porn and cinema.

Gonzo porn is influenced by amateur pornography, and it tends to use far fewer full-body/wide shots in favor of more close-ups (See: reality pornography). The loose and direct camera work often includes tight shots of the genitalia, unlike some traditional porn.

Gonzo porn films are one of two broad types of contemporary pornographic film, and they can be contrasted with the other type, which is called the "feature" film. Gonzo films tend to focus far less on the plots, dialogue, acting, characterization, elaborate costumes and sets, and artistic camerawork commonly found in conventional pornographic films. According to an unnamed executive at a studio specializing in feature films, "We don't just show you people fucking; we show you why they're fucking." Feature films are often aimed at the couples market, whereas gonzo pornography is usually not. Gonzo porn is always classified as hardcore pornography, whereas some features could be classified as softcore pornography, especially if they are released in softer, edited versions for distribution to hotel pay-per-view services. Some gonzo porn directors like John Stagliano argue that there is a story being told in his movies, and that it is a mistake to assume that gonzo pornography inherently lacks a plot. Due to the explosive growth in its popularity since the mid-1990s, gonzo porn has attained mainstream popularity, lowering the cost of entry into the market for producers, and making it easier for amateur performers to become famous. Several individually distinct styles of no-frills, filmed pornography can be labeled gonzo porn. Today, several companies produce gonzo porn that have excellent lighting, sound quality and (temporary) lingerie costuming. One trait that all gonzo films share, though, is a much greater emphasis on intense sexual performances, and modern gonzo porn is evolving to include more hardcore sex acts than either traditional or amateur pornography. Regardless of camera techniques or the degree of director involvement in the scenes, a gonzo film has "more sex", per se, than a traditional (e.g. Vivid or Adam & Eve) adult video. Gonzo scenes tend to run longer; it is common for a single boy-girl scene to run anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes in length. In 2008, porn star Mika Tan commented that the average gonzo DVD cost around 16,000USD to produce.

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