The adult film industry will survive and thrive if it can evolve its X-rated content onto wearable devices such as Google Glass, as well as mobile phones and tablets, and if it can meet global demand for more ways to view pornography privately, digital media experts said Friday in Hollywood.
That was one of the messages those who produce, direct, perform and promote porn took away during the final day of the XBIZ 360 conference at the W Hollywood Hotel. The event focused on the work behind the scenes of the adult film industry.
Many owners of production companies from the San Fernando Valley -- sometimes nicknamed Porn Valley -- said they appreciated the opportunity to talk about the business with those from Canada, Europe and Australia. And many agreed that the conference was a reflection of how the adult film industry has evolved into a corporate culture. The days of gonzo porn and shooting inside moving vans have given way to digital media, legal practices and even promoting feminism.
"What I like about this conference is the ability to meet people you normally wouldn't meet," said Miles Long, a director and cinematographer who was on a panel to discuss if the industry should embrace 4K HD, which has four times as many pixels as standard high definition.
"It was great to have an intellectual conversation about this," he said. "I like this more than the tradition style conventions."
One of the best attended discussions of the day was a demonstration of how adult films could be viewed as well as produced with Google Glass, a tiny optical display on a headset worn like glasses. Mikandi.com, which bills itself as the world's first and largest adult app store, created a promotional short that can be seen on Youtube.com. It features porn superstar James Deen showing how Google Glass can be used to shoot porn from a performer's point of view.
Mikandi developed an app exclusively for Google Glass, but there are still legal obstacles to the technology, including Google's policy against content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts or sexually explicit material viewed on its glassware.
In addition, the quality of the film and battery life remain challenging for filmmakers considering it.
But all those issues didn't trouble producer Brick Yates, a San Diego-based adult film producer who wore a beta version of Google Glass at the conference. He said he believes Google Glass or a version of it, will evolve with consumer demand.
"As far as technology goes, that's where the porn industry goes because everyone knows the porn industry were the pioneers," Yates said.
But some are skeptical. XBIZ.net found that of those who responded to an online poll over a two-month period, 44 percent believe the 4K Ultra HD format won't have an impact on the industry. Another 39 percent said it was too early to tell.
In another poll about Google Glass, 51 percent said they thought it was too early to tell if the optical head gear would have an impact, while 35 percent said it was just hype.
The conference was held just as the adult film industry is facing a critical challenge to its continued existence in Los Angeles because of Measure B, a law passed in late 2012 that requires performers to wear condoms while shooting certain sex scenes. The law was passed in Los Angeles County over the objections of the adult film industry which has argued its own testing standards for sexually transmitted diseases works better.
While a lawsuit against Measure B is pending, production companies have hesitated to shoot films in Los Angeles County. FilmLA, the nonprofit that processes permits for motion picture, television and commercial production across Los Angeles, reported Friday that adult film companies obtained 39 permits in 2013 compared to about 500 in years before.
A decision on Measure B by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals could be heard as early as March. ___
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