Naked on the Cutting Room Floor (con't)

Burt

Craig and Chris are both young, and both have post-secondary educations that helped them get to this point. Craig says the adult film industry is a good place for students fresh out of film school and looking for careers … if they’re the right people for the job.

“It’s really tricky because there are people who can work in (porn) as a stepping stone and there are those who can get stuck in it. You get used to the money and it can be hard to get out,” Craig says. “If that’s what you want to do, power to you. But if your goal is to direct commercials, music videos or feature films, there’s a bit more of a process involved in breaking into that area.”

For Chris, this gig is a bit of a departure from his previous job.

“The work I was doing before was on a kids’ show for two to four year-olds,” he says with a laugh. “I kind of fell into the (porn) job because I needed some work. They were hiring and I had all the skills they needed.”
For many people who work behind the scenes in porn, it’s a chance occurrence that happens to pan out.

“I wasn’t aiming to work in pornography,” Chris says. “No one actually aims to work in pornography.”

Craig warns taking on the porn industry as a temporary occupation can sometimes become a permanent vocation.

“If you’re not always thinking ahead and being objective about your environment, you can get pulled in.”

But there are techniques that can help you avoid such pitfalls.

“Know the company you’re going to be working for,” Craig says. “Know your boss. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

For Craig, the porn industry is just a stepping stone.

“I’m using the industry as a leg up – as a kick-start to give me the opportunity to get used to the idea of having responsibility, of managing people on tight deadlines with real money coming through.”

Craig says there’s plenty of room for good humour and fun working in porn. But at the end of the day it’s also a serious gig, if not just for the sheer chaos surrounding it.

“You’re not going to find an environment more intense and high-pressure than the porn industry because everybody’s so disorganized. It’s one of the most incredibly disorganized industries you can possibly imagine. Even the organized and professional companies like us often have to function within general chaos.”

“We’re all pretty lewd people,” Chris says laughing. “We all have a good sex joke laugh. But when it comes down to the content and it comes down to the work, we’re professionals. We get it done.”

Cutting rooms aside, a big part of Craig and Chris’ job is to socialize with porn stars themselves. Both have visited the Adult Video News convention in Las Vegas and have interviewed numerous porn stars about their jobs. Both Craig and Chris are able to offer rare glimpses into the different types of personalities found on the other side of the camera.

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