This interview appeared in the Future of Sex Tech magazine and focused on our VR movie, Empowering Ava.  Being the first "Porn for Women" site to film a VR movie, the movies created quite the buzz in the sex tech world.

3, 4, & 5) I find it very interesting that press materials promote Empowering Ava as being a film shot from a woman's perspective, although it is not a POV film. However, I've watched many POV VR porn videos shot explicitly from where the female performer's line of sight would be and got the feeling that the storyline, sex acts, etc., followed traditional heteronormative scripts and the videos weren't necessarily produced for women BY women. Can you explain to me some more of your reasoning for not filming from the female performer's line of sight? And what does it mean to you to have filmed Empowering Ava from a women's perspective? Does this refer to you more specifically as being the director or is there a larger point being made here about creating erotica for women? As a feminist director who has worked in the adult industry since the 1990s, I'm assuming you're familiar with the concept of the male gaze. If so, has the notion of the male gaze influenced your choices in creating pornography?

I’m answering your third fourth and fifth questions altogether in a single response because as I see it, these questions and the responses to them are inextricably related and entwined.

In this context, by “female perspective,” I didn’t mean for it to be interpreted literally as the perspective of the female lead; I meant it as sort of the counterpart to the “male gaze.” Most porn is made from a male perspective, regardless of whether it’s literally shot from the point of view of the male characters. The same sort of thing can be said of my work, only with respect to the female perspective instead of male.

I haven’t ruled out the possibility of shooting a POV AR film at some point, but I’m not convinced POV is the way to go for Sssh films. All my movies have a narrative, and in many ways, I think it’s better for the viewer to be able to engage that narrative in a way that doesn’t tie them down to the first-person perspective. With a third-person perspective, they can explore the open environment more, and get a more comprehensive view of the world of the film.

In my movies, I focus on the connection between the characters, a chemistry that involves more than just sexual compatibility, and explores the passion and emotional bond between the characters as well. These are things that are important to me as a woman and as a filmmaker. Would they be as important to me if I were a man? That’s impossible for me to say, honestly. All I know is that sort of chemistry, passion and emotional content is what’s missing from a lot of other porn, and a big part of why I decided to start making adult films 20 years ago.

6) What's most important to you when creating adult content generally and also VR content specifically?

The most important thing to me is to fulfill the desires of Sssh fans and members, and at the same time, stay true to my personal vision and ethos. I want my movies to do more than titillate; I want them to make the viewer feel good about sex, and to feel comfortable with watching what I’ve created. I have no interest in generating shame in my viewers, or to leave them thinking “My god, what did I just watch?” – not in a bad way, at least.

Beyond my artistic goals and wanting to make films which speak to the fantasies of my fans and members, I want the performers to enjoy the experience of making the film, and to leave my set feeling proud of their work. It’s enormously important to me, crucial to me, that everyone involved in making the film is respected, supported and feels empowered by the experience of working with Sssh.

As for what’s important to me when making VR content specifically, everything above applies, as well as wanting to make good use of the immersive nature of the technology. I want my VR films to be more than something people watch; I want them to feel like they’re part of the world of the film. I consider the audial component of VR just as important as the video component, for example. For adult VR films to be truly special, I think they must be more than just 3D versions of the same things we’ve seen in 2D porn over the decades. VR is potentially transformational for adult film, but only if we take real advantage of all the possibilities afforded by the technology.