22 Industry Insiders And Pornstars Tell The Behind-The-Scenes Secrets Porn Viewers Don’t Want To Know (NSFL)

Found at AskReddit and appearing here with permission. Be warned, this ain’t pretty.

1. It’s More Than Just Enemas

Anal requires a lot of preparation, including but not limited to enemas, pre-fingering and eating a particular diet or skipping meals that day. ‘Surprise’ anal = you’re gonna have a bad time, from the top or the bottom.

There are a lot more ‘breaks’ to rest, recuperate and wait for the penetrating lead to get hard again than you would guess. Pretty much any time there is a cut in the editing from one angle to another.

Most ‘porn squirting’ (the kind where there are big gushes) is actually piss.

A lot of porn these days is filmed not on a dedicated set, but in the apartments/condos/vacation homes of directors and other industry folks that all trade with each other, for more variety. This is characteristic of the ‘pro-mateur’ style which is stylistically shaped to appeal to people who like amateur porn, but actually involves paid actors and more professional camera equipment, to maintain the illusion that it’s the couple’s own home.

Adult movie theatres/sex stores where men go to jack off and surreptitiously have sex with one another, are almost singlehandedly keeping the porn DVD industry alive.

Conversions on a paysite aren’t as high as you’d think they would be. Advertising and sponsorship are much bigger routes of income these days.

I just started doing porn this year, so there’s probably way more I still have to learn.

2. Some Ladies Just Don’t Care

I listened to an interview with Joanna Angel recently and she said that a lot of new actresses have raunchy smelling vaginas and don’t realize it or don’t care. So if she’s doing a scene where she has to go down on a girl with a stinky vag, she’ll stick her fingers in and then immediately put her fingers in the girls mouth. She said “if I have to taste it, you do too.”

I found it hilarious and disgusting.

3. Cleansing Is A Turnoff

A friend introduced me to Kapri Styles a few years ago when she was in NYC (and before the plastic surgery). After a few drinks and chatting it up, I remember her saying something like “you have no idea how long it takes to prep for a good anal scene. Oh god I’d never do anal again just because cleansing is such a turn off”

4. Porn Is Actually On The Bleeding Edge Of Safety And Tech

I’m an actual porn star (Ely Darling). Google me. ;)

Things I wish people would know about porn:

• That we undergo a rigorous testing protocol called the PASS system in which we are tested every two weeks for a whole panel of the best STD tests on the market. Porn stars have a lower incidence of HIV than the general population.
• That we don’t get royalties from porn. It’s a one-shot deal with a decent day rate but after that we don’t see residuals. People often think we’re loaded and it couldn’t be farther from the truth for most of us.
• That we have a trade/lobbyist organization called the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee which is in the process of formulating a “stamp of approval” for companies who follow the Producer Code of Conduct and pledge to maintain ethics in their business practices. Edit: full disclosure, I serve on the board of directors of this organization.
• That there was a study about something called The Damaged Goods Hypothesis which debunks many of the stereotypes you may have about us.

Edit: Also, there’s a *statute called 18 USC 2257 which regulates porn. Every porn scene you see distributed in the U.S. had a record for every performer they shoot including: -2 forms of Government ID (a photo of the IDs and a photo of the model holding their IDs) -a comprehensive model release -a “2257 release” that documents the performer’s previous names, stage names, aliases, SSN, birthdate, and other info. Next time you watch a porn where the performer is “tricked” into doing porn against her will, consider that she sat down to fill out alllll that paperwork before a single camera turned on.

Edit 2: I have to go to a meeting and also it’s my birthday so I might not answer much more but keep questions coming and I’ll do what I can!

Edit 3: Many people are referencing the Best Of post about Girls Do Porn. I can’t confirm or deny the woman’s story but I’ve passed the information on to the head of the Free Speech Coalition who is going to investigate and reach out to the company if they are found to be engaging in bad business practices.

Edit 4: Here is something I want other people in our industry to know, sparked by some discussion about HIV. We use a 14 day testing protocol because the tests we use have a 14 day window period of detection. (HIV RNA which tests for the RNA of the virus instead of antibodies, thus allowing us to discover positive serostatus far sooner than the average test you would get from a clinic). Previously (a few years ago) we all used a 30 day testing protocol. Some people think that 14 day protocol is superfluous and that the cost of our test ($155/165 in LA, more in other areas) is too much and that we should just abide by a 30 day testing protocol or settle for that if we feel like it. The reason why this is inadvisable is because the viral load of HIV in the first 14 days is relatively low, but after that there is something called a Viral Bloom in which the viral load increases exponentially and with it, your chances of contracting HIV. A few days may seem insignificant but it is actually very significant with regards to preventing the spread of the virus.

5. It Can Be Amazingly Awkward

I remember reading a similar thread where the scenes are truly shot as ‘scenes,’ meaning one thing doesn’t just lead to the next – there’s gaps in time. The point the person was making was that there’s usually time between the guy pulling out and the money shot where he’s standing there furiously masturbating for a few minutes in front of everyone watching and waiting for him to come. really fucking awkward.

6. Truth

Sex stinks when it’s not your own.

7. Porn Sets Stink But So Does Your Bedroom

Sex really is smelly. Even if you’re both washed, there’s a certain stank to it.

Edit: To those saying there’s no smell, I understand why you think so, but you do in fact smell. My hygiene is really high standard.

I’ve only noticed this smell after leaving the room and coming back. It’s definitely there. You just don’t notice it because hour olfactory sense diminishes about 90-95% of smell that your surrounded by. That’s why you can’t smell your aftershave much but others can.

8. It’s Every Man’s Nightmare

According to a guy I met who had done a few videos, you have to stay hard for up to two hours.

9. Bondage Porn Is A Lot Like Boy Scouts

I’ve rigged and shot for bondage porn before. The bulk of the effort is the tying. I love it, but damn does it take forever. God forbid you have a wiggly model.

7. It’s Mostly All Fake

Guy here.

It’s actually pretty hard to get an maintain an erection on set. Making porn is pretty unsexy.

Sometimes they use fake jizz. Not all the time, but sometimes for creampie stuff. Sometimes the actresses do orgasm for real. Sometimes it’s 100% performance.

The on the street stuff is actually filmed on the street. They don’t have a plan or permit for it, just go and get it done before people start asking questions. All performers have to sign papers and do contracts, so the girls they randomly pick up off the street was planted there from the start.

8. Sandwiches > Dick

I remember being hungry a lot because I’d worry about being bloated on camera etc…there was one time I was filming and the director kept telling me off for staring at a plate of sandwiches for the crew.

That’s when I realized porn wasn’t my vocation in life and that I preferred a nice ham and cheese triangle cut sandwich over money and dick…and i love dick.

9. Here’s How It Is

Former porn producer here:

• Anyone being penetrated can call cut.
• Enemas are always done before anal scenes.
• Men have to keep hard between setups, so a lot of the time they’re just standing there jacking themselves off, or feeling up their co-star.
• To follow that up, fluffers don’t exist. I’ve heard that they did when they used to shoot porn on film, and the setups were longer.
• Sex is really gross if you’re not involved.
• There is no indicator for dicksize. Feet, hands, height, Asian, it’s all BS. The only stereotype that held true were black men dicks being huge.
• Same thing for the size of vaginas. I’ve seen women around 5′ take an 11″ dick no problem, but a 6′ woman holding back tears with a 9 incher.
• Most gay porn stars straight guys. We had to bring in straight porn and viagra because the guys would get soft… because they were not gay. <— EDIT: This was back in 03′, things might be different now.
• Body builder women are crazy horny.
• The women are faking it most of the time. But when they’re into it, the sex is actually really hot. We would try to cast couples or friends who are already intimate with each other. We did a girl-girl scene once where the director told each girl separately that the other thought they were beautiful, and excited to work with them. Those two women fucked each other’s brains out, and were fucking each other between setups as well.
• If you’re a cameraman in porn, you will eventually get something on you.
• Women make WAY more then men, but their acts are itemized. They’re paid for what they do. Girl-girl, guy-girl, anal, DP, ATM, foreign insertion, etc. Back in 03′, a girl could make $2,500 a scene depending on what she did. Men only around $500. But, if you’re willing to get fucked by another guy, then your rate matches women.
• Some porn is written, but most of it is improv.
• Every company is required to have a “custodian of records”. This is a person who’s responsible for record keeping, including the ages of the people in the porn. If someone gets filmed having sex, and they’re under the age of 18, that person is legally responsible. Also, they’re required to display a physical address somewhere on the website or box cover. You can thank Traci Lords for that.
• All porn actors must take a series of STD tests from this one clinic in the San Fernando valley. In 03′, it was once a month, but now I think it’s every two weeks. They come to set with their papers, and two forms of ID, or we don’t shoot them.
• Content is porn is self-regulated by the industry. The only things that are illegal to film are children and animals, but besides that you can legally shoot what you want. However the problem is that the obscenity laws in the US are really vague, and left up to individual jurisdictions on what they consider “obscene”. Because of this porn companies take a hard line to things like simulated rape, incest, and simulated snuff. Rob Black pushed this too far in the early 00’s and got charged with obscenity in Louisiana. The industry, including Larry Flint, turned its back on him. No legal help, no lobbying, nothing, because he broke the rules. But now I’m seeing more and more simulated incest and rape porn out there, which tells me that companies are desperate to try anything.

10. If You’re Unstable Then Porn Isn’t For You

Adult actress here. I know people say they know this- but viewers really don’t understand how LONG it takes to film a video and how FAKE it all is. I’ve been in over forty pornos, they’re usually half an hour or so long for each scene. But I’m on set for anywhere from 5-12 hours. Also, I know it’s not the hardest job in the world and I’m not going to sit here and say it’s rocket science but this job is NOT cut out for everyone. It’s extremely physically and mentally demanding. I know plenty of women who couldn’t cut it physically- you are putting your body through A LOT for each shoot at least four times a week (not to mention if you do a lot of anal scenes like myself). And as anyone can guess- a lot of performers are not mentally stable. I think getting into this industry without a good head on your shoulders is dangerous.

Another thing you don’t consider- the paperwork to even start creating porn is insane. I have to fill out a million forms AND be filmed on video BEFORE and AFTER answering questions like if I’m there of my own free will or if I’m on drugs or anything.

Also, don’t be one of those idiots who expects your SO to do everything you see in a porno. If it looks like we’re holding that crazy fucking position for five minutes- it’s more like thirty second clips I’ll ask for a cut, go smoke a cigarette, stretch, slap some lube on and get back in it. Any other questions and I’m here!

11. Fake Semen And Other Disasters

I’m not (usually) a porn actor but I’m a set assistant.

It’s not uncommon for a guy to not be able to (or IMHO not want to, let’s be honest) hold it back and ends up cumming too soon. In these cases we’ll do one of the following:

Use a careful camera angle to make it appear the guy’s cumming when in fact there’s an, eh… assistant… sigh… squeezing an off-camera IV bag with the tube hidden along the guy’s leg and penis. An easy way to tell the difference is when the guy appears to be gripping his penis unusually tightly; he’s squeezing the tube to make the appearance of a realistic ejaculation (and sometimes failing miserably). Other times the assistant is attempting to simulate the appearance of an ejaculation by squeezing the bag but this has mixed results… cleanup is messy and time-consuming so it’s usually the actor unless he’s a complete bumblefuck.

Substitute a similar-ish person for the bj/facial and make sure only their dick is showing (sadly this has only been me a small handful of times)

For a creampie we take a half-hour to hour-long break so the actor can get hard again, mix up some fake semen and literally fill the actress’s vagina, then when the guy ejaculates a tenth of a load it still looks like he was fresh when it leaks out.

If the guy’s got a floppy dick towards the end of a video it’s because he’s already cum once or twice since the shoot started.

We actually use fake semen fairly often, if the guy just can’t get off for one reason or another, or just to make it look like he’s incredibly virile when in fact he’s just an average guy, or if the actress is a big “get” and she thinks she’s too good for semen.

During especially rushed productions we have the producer in the back room reviewing footage only a few minutes behind the live filming. Depending on the content of the shoot has occasionally led to “just smellz” situations as we need reshoots. The guy can clean off his dick but that smell and taste of shit is apparently fairly resilient (IMO it’s psychological more often than not, but I don’t blame the actress) and this can lead to some pretty horrendous gagging/puking in more prudish actresses.

On one occasion this led to such obvious staining and other damage on the set that, due to our rushed production, our director made lemonade from lemons and changed the video’s genre on the spot to be a hardcore scat/puke film. The director in question is a longtime friend of mine and he still feels bad about that one, didn’t blame her at all and tore up her 5-scene contract. AFAIK she’s never done another movie.

Oh, here’s one a lot of people might already have figured out: basically every adult video sharing site is owned by the same parent company if you go far enough up the chain. We have a similar content-ID system as YouTube uses, though it’s clearly pretty crude in comparison. I don’t know a specific number but I infer the royalties we get are peanuts.

12. Ewww

That its difficult to stay hard when you’re doing doggy style and your partner doesn’t practice good anal hygiene.

Source: Have made several no-budget porn movies featuring myself as lead actor.

13. Don’t Eat The Snacks

I did a non sex scene in a porn many moons ago. They had a craft service table set up with snacks; chips, soda, etc. Right when I got there one of the performers who had just finished a scene, still naked and sticky, walked over and grabbed a hand full of chips from the bowl. That’s when I learned to only eat crafty that was still wrapped.

14. A Lack Of Courtesy 

One thing that stresses me out on set, every year the female performers demand to be pounded harder and harder. I’m a professional, I’m already doing my best. But, no, they have to chime in with the old “pound that pussy, harder you motherfucker”. Personally I find it lacks professionalism and common decency.

15. Vegans On Drugs

In my experience, the girl that I’m shooting with is either a drug addicted college dropout trying to bring home “Legit” money to mom and dad, a moderate adult actress with a little bit of exposure and does some drugs on the side, or very occasionally we get a pretty popular adult film star that explicitly tells us that we are not allowed to mention her drug use in any way shape or form.

You’d be surprised how many of them are vegan.

16. Lots And Lots Of Viagra

I’ve been a male porn actor for two years now, I’ve starred in some pretty professional stuff that went mainly to (Producer’s Note: I’ve redacted the name because it’s a known company). A porn video usually takes quite a bit longer to make than the video lasts. So even before we start the video, we do the picture shoot. This is done separately to the video and I have to get into all the positions we are going to do and stay still from 20 – 50 seconds, which is really fucking awkward, like no movement nothing. This is why I have to take Viagra before I get to work, it’s hard work staying hard. Also the girl usually has a ton of lubricant for the picture bit because it’s not really like sex.

The videos themselves are mostly smooth, but we sometimes stop to wipe sweat off or have a drink. What sometimes happened once or twice was that I popped too early into the video, and I had to take more Viagra and keep going because the shoot had to be finished within a certain time. That was really unpleasant, guys would know this that after you cum you have no more sexual drive for a while and stimulation is generally not so good.

After the shoot is done we go our ways, I’ve rarely spoke to the girls I worked with much because a lot of them are pretty broken and I’d avoid them if I didn’t have debts to pay. This being said I do enjoy my job most of the time, just not the girls afterwards. There have been a few pretty interesting girls but not many, I dated one for a few weeks but it didn’t last.

17. How Do I…..?

I have a retired porn friend who told me that during her period she had to put a full sponge in her vagina… and they have a special diet (fasting or rice) when they do anal. She has good stories… once we were having a drink when she had a call from a young actress who asked her how could she managed to put her entire hand in her anus. I didn’t want to know. Sobbing.

18. They Put It In Coffee

Cumshots in still pictures are icing sugar. It’s fairly common to use fake cum as coffee sweetener on set.

19. Every Once In A While Something Will Shock You

This will most likely get buried, but here goes.

On one episode of the Nerdist podcast the guest was a guy that used to edit porn. He said it was just a bunch of guys behind computers and no one really talked to each other. Once in a while you’d hear an “Oh my God!” and everyone would crowd around to see what was up. One of these times it was a moneyshot. Except when the guy came, it was blood. The girl had her eyes closed so she had no idea, and was acting like she was enjoying it.

Usually in the case of a moneyshot fuckup they would go back and use a shot from another video of the actress…but this was her first film. The manager walks up to see what everyone is looking at and says “give me 30 minutes. He went and color corrected the bloody mess to make it look like cum.

That grossed me out so much when I heard it.

20. How To Achieve A Killer Money Shot

The cumshots are not as easy as you’d expect/hope. Some guys see guys shooting ropes of cum and think, meh, I can do that.

When you’re 18 and full of testosterone, at home, sure thing. When you’re filming and you have one shot to make it right, it’s not quite as simple. The guys you see in porn shoots take their cumshot serious, they have to. It’s important to the fans. To achieve a killer money shot, there are several key things that go into it, the first and most important being diet.

• Coconut water (1L or 33 ounces daily), 8-12 stalks of celery daily and at least 2-3L of water (66-99 ounces of water). Supplement wise, Lecithin (1200 mg, twice daily) Zinc (50mg, twice daily) and Folic Acid (1000 mg, once daily)
• Stay clear of smoking and drinking as both will impede your flow. Another thing, no masturbation for 3-4 days prior to filming. Yes, you can film sooner but I’ve found that 3-4 days is the sweet spot for a decent money shot. Wait longer (if you’re on this diet and these supplements) and you get blue balls.
• Another side trick.. get yourself hard to the the half way point of cumming… then stop. Go back to life. Your dick will get soft, and you might be a little uncomfortable but when you do shoot.. there’s now more ammo in the gun.

21. Squirting Is Pee And Other Nasties

So yeah, my fiancé is an ex porn actress.

Here are the things i have heard her complain about:

• The fucking smell of cum and sweat.
• How hard it is to look like you are enjoying it when they cut every three minutes because some light wasn’t right or someone is cold etc.
• Food scenes, you never want to find peas in your pussy, and imagine food being out for six hours and then being cummed in, sweated on and general other nasty shit. No bueno.
• Also squirting in porn is usually just pee.

22. Generally Inferior Donut Options

Starred in several low budget indie films.

I would mainly get roles as an extra. We were still allowed access to the coffee and donuts in between sets but it isn’t nearly as good as the movies portray it to be.

Most of the time they are stale, and the options are few, I cannot count how many time I’ve had to settle for a Boston cream, or a jelly filled donut. I’m a fan of sour cream glazed or chocolate dip so it was a pretty big let down for me.