We spoke to Dean Takahashi from Venture Beat about the use of VR/AR within the adult industry and how and why we decided to pursue a VR movie using a dynamic storytelling approach. Specifically, he wanted to know if we thought there was a market for VR in the women's porn market. The answer is probably not what you expect. I think there is a market, but not every woman is going to enjoy it.

We never ventured into the POV aspect and always shot 360 which has a more voyeuristic feel. You are actually in the room with the performers and you could not only watch them but also explore your environment. You can also zoom in and out.

They say porn is always on the cutting edge of technology, but until someone makes a headset that is much more adjustable then what is currently on the market, I think VR headset manufacturers are going to leave a whole segment of the market behind - women. 90% of the women that we asked to test the movie came back and said the headset made them feel sick. Our solution was to develop a player where you can view the movie with or without a headset, but you do lose that "immersive" feel you get when wearing the VR goggles.

As a story-driven site, it's important that we find the best way to present our movies. Whether that's a traditional film or VR will be a judgment call on the director's part. I do think that VR does bring a much for "theatrical" aspect to film, and sex is much more natural and uninterrupted for the performers. It also requires a lot more art direction. 360 depress of camera view is a lot.

Rowntree's take away was “I’m a story-driven director, and Empowering Ava is no exception. Erotic storytelling has just gone from being very flat and one-dimensional to multidimensional, offering a plethora of audio-visual layers. The new technology is a very dynamic format which lends itself to deliciously creative storytelling.”

Want to see what else was discussed? The real nitty-gritty of making VR porn films geared toward women. Read the full article on Venture Beat.