Sorry that I dont have any info to help in your search but I wanted to comment on the adult aspect. It is very true that it will be much harder to make the break from adult to mainstream and retain or gain any serious credibility. However, in todays economy, work is work though I am not advocating nor codoning any adult work. I can understand why some of your classmates take adult work. They have bills and they need to eat. They want experience and they want to cut video. If no one else will give them a job, they will take whatever they can get.

As a christian, I don't like the adult world and what it offers and how it destroys souls. Honestly though, if not for the adult world, alot of those performers, directors, etc... could not hack it in the real world. Thats what I always thought was funny about the government. If the gov't actually managed to eradicate porn, what would they propose for all of those in that line of work do for a living? Would they offer job re-training, college, job placement? One thing to consider before ever taking a job in that industry is think about your future. If you ever plan to teach or work in a public or state type o job, forget it. Not going to happen. If you are doing your own thing or hope to one day, thjen by all means do whatever is necessary to reach your goals.

I know two people that graduated from film school and haven't had one stitch of work in two years. They decided to shoot adult work and saved up their cash that they made to start their own company. Not what I wold have recommended but it worked for them. Now they will have to battle the stigma that comes with it.

On the practical side, adult work can pay the bills and set you up with equipment. I know a few people over 50 who made a lot of money in straight porn here in the Bay Area. They bought trucks and gear and made good money in more legit work for years afterwards.

The down side of any sex trade work is that you get a reputation and it doesn't really work for you in a demo reel or resume. That, and of course there's unethical business practices and lots drugs like speed. Clean and sober people will avoid you like the plague.

So, what would I say if I was trying to give good, positive advice? I'd say that this business is a very social business, that you need to constantly talk to people, work with other people, and work on projects. People need to know that you're working on projects. And, if you want to get paid for it, you need to build a reputation of being paid to work. A reputation of working for free will only get you more of the same. As far as the sex industry goes, it could help you buy gear but it won't get you other work and is a bad plan for the long haul. Also, it gets you into contact with people who have no contacts outside that business. It's just not a good deal.

Rob Mack

On the DV.com website, a while back, there was a debate about what NLE to use. An Avid Xpress user started saying all the other NLEs were junk, and couldn't do what Avid could do, blah, blah, blah. She was saying Vegas was a "toy editor" and no real editors used it and it was only used to be make porn. I thought that was very funny because I'm sure that Vegas has a long, long way to before it ever hits the amount of porn that has been edited with Avids. (I have no idea how you would prove this, I'm sure these figures aren't kept track of.) I was thinking that if Vegas even ever got close to that figure, Sony's purchase of the Sonic Foundry software would have been immensely successful. I bet to this day Avid has a the biggest share of that market.

Is it really that simple to get into the adult industry? And I don't mean as an actor.

Rafalk, of course it is. Anyone with a camera and an NLE can make a porn movie. The question is will it be good and unique enough to make any money with it? Probably not. Theres not too much more of a decline that porners can go than with the disgusting filth thats put out there these days. Look at Rob Black. It would be hard to surpass that jackass.

I always thought there was only one place splicing and resplicing same scenes. Learn something new every day. Who's Rob Black?

He is a particularly despicable pornographer who is (was?) being prosecuted for obscenity.

I imagine it's not all that simple to actually produce and distribute but I have a friend who's been lighting for a company for a while and I know that they don't have a big list of people to choose from for crew. So, yeah, I suppose if you were willing to crew and had a pulse you could probably work.

In fact, he's now starting to shoot for them. And he's moved overseas for a year and they're willing to fly him back here for shoots.

But he has trouble getting work anywhere else as a shooter or even lighting videos because he has no contacts.

Rob Mack

"I always thought there was only one place splicing and resplicing same scenes. Learn something new every day. Who's Rob Black?"

Rob Black is a pornographer who wasnt satisfied shooting your every day garden variety porn. Though his "vision" he felt his viewers wanted to see murder and rape among other things that are just too disgusting to describe. He was prosecuted but a judge thre the case out and the gov't is going to retry him again.

While porn isnt my bag, I could care less if others view it or not. But there has to be a line that isnt crossed and guys like Rob Black and Max Hardcore and even Kahn Tusion have crossed that line many times with urination and defacation among the many other humilating acts they do to these girls. One could say these girls allow it to happen so whats the big deal but I remind you that at one time we allowed slavery as well. Doesnt make it right or acceptable.

A love scene properly written and placed well can add something to the story. However, the majority of Hollywierd tends to opt for he obligatory sex scene instead of letting the viewer create the moment in their own minds and by far, sex and violence are over used in mdoern day films. Because society continues to accept this kind of garbage and pay for it, Hollywierd continues to make them thinking this is what the public wants.

To me, if you are going to offer violence as a focal point of your flick, at least make it look real. If you are going to offer sex scenes in your flicks, you better make sure the rest of the writing and direction is excellent otherwise the sex is further diminshed. Look at Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny. His oral scene killed any value his movie had of offering which for him isnt much from the start.

California has the largest movie making industry in the world. It is within the top 3 of advertising work, therefore supported by many advertising studios doing advertising work on a national level. On top of that you always have low budget advertising houses, for those that can't afford the big studio budgets. I don't have any recommendations of where to look because I don't work in California, but I've certainly have done many audio multi studio sessions in the advertising business between the Detroit Studio I've worked in and many California studios, especially around the Orange County/L.A. area. You mean being surrounded by all that legitimate work out there, the only thing he has run across is Adult movie based? Come on now. Either he's not looking hard enough, or has no other experience contacts outside of the Adult movie Scene. I even have a friend who worked as a Video editor here at a studio with me in the advertising business. She picked up from Michigan with her husband, without a job lined up and moved to Pasadena, and now is currently working with a major motion picture studio. Tell him he's not trying hard enough, he's located in the biggest market available and should be surrounded by positions. Also the students probably will have to face the reality in this type of work.....You work as an intern for free and get your foot in the door and make contacts. That's the not so glamorous side where most everyone starts.

Pretty much the truth. You volunteer, you get known, and you get a reputation.

The nice thing about Vegas is that it's cheap enough that you could do all sorts of volunteer and art projects. If you're young, it's great. You'll rise with the tide of your generation. In the mean time you need to make yourself ever-present.

The more you work, the more you'll work.

Rob Mack

California is not the top in the world in the movie making industry - India is ...

In fact California might be almost in third place behind hollywood north at the moment ..

Vegas is the best little NLE for PoRN north of anywhere ... Oddly enough - the PoRN industy is leading in terms of technology in many ways ..

So...

Mandy.com
Craigslist.org
Monster.com
Intern & Contacts
Do projects to build reputation

Lamont, one more thing with a brief story to illustrate how to break into this business. Your mind can be like a gyroscope. Once you set a clear objective and stick to it, there is no way of being derailed, unless you slow down thus allowing it to happen.

Three years ago I downloaded Vegas 3 and was so impressed and inspired that out came the credit card and the purchase was made. I didn't even have a video camera yet but that was not a problem because in my mind the gears started to turn. Few days later, I took advantage of a 10% discount at Sears by applying for their credit card and bought the cheapest video camera they had. The next day, while at work, I approached a friend of mine who was in a band and asked if his band would be opened to an idea of producing a music video. They were and two months later, I was hunched over my computer editing what later came to be a very bad looking music video. The group's name was Young Casanovas, you can still see it on my website. Anyway, few months later I got a call from one of the singer’s brother who was managing a brand new R&B guy and he wanted me to create a short promo out of some video footage he shot on his little JVC 2 megapixel digital camera that also had a VERY crude video capture ability. I did, and it looked good, and I posted in on the website. The R&B guy was now able to not only submit his music to the local radio stations, but he now had a short little video which showed off his stage presence.
Few months later, the same artist, wrote a song titled DADDY, which really appealed to me and I was immediately compelled to attempt making of another music video. I did, and everyone liked it. Catching attention of the local TV station helped us gain credibility and as a self-serving gesture I suggested to do a "world premiere" of the video. The TV station liked the idea. And before you know it, we had a premiere for which about 1200 people showed up, including the mayor of our city, as well as other VIPs. with three TV stations covering us, one of them live and on top of it, they aired the entire video on TV. Following the premiere, a search on the internet led us to National Fatherhood Initiative ( fatherhood.org ) website so we said "what the heck" and sent them an e-mail just to make our presence known and to make them aware of the song and the video. NFI not only responded , but also asked if we could perform at their annual gala in Washington DC; an offer which we accepted. SO, on the 19th of this month, we will be in Washington DC in front of an audience which will include Laura Bush, Joe Lieberman, Shephard Smith, and others whose names I cannot think of at the moment.
In a meantime, the residual business has been great. I had my photography used on CD covers, billboards, other artists and models have been hiring me for their video and photo projects, I even got hired to do a series of short films for a private school which needed to kick start their general campaign and raise donations for expansion. This job alone paid off all of my equipment and I still had a buck or two left at the end. I guess the point I want to raise is that if you want it, YOU will need to get it, there's no such thing as impossible or non-existent. Adds in the papers or on the Internet are fine but nothing beats hitting the pavement, shaking hands, kissing the babies, and passing out your business cards. That very first pro bono project might be all you need to kick of your career, but the biggest obstacle you have is to overcome the negative thoughts. Good luck.

"California is not the top in the world in the movie making industry - India is ... "
Thanks for the info, Can you tell me any of those India movies that made over $150 mil box office, so I might have a frame of reference?

"In fact California might be almost in third place behind hollywood north at the moment .."

Ok, I'm a little confused but isn't "hollywood north" in California? Well I know Hollywood is, maybe I'm just unfamiliar with "hollywood north". Where's that located?

Hollywood North = Toronto Canada

And Vancouver I gather. The Canadian government does a lot to foster film production but if you work in crew positions and you're a US citizen then it's unlikely you'll be able to work there. American companies may take depatment heads but little else.

I'm not so sure that LA is the best place to make a career these days. It's just a guess but I think that there are way more people looking for work than there are jobs. Also, I wouldn't bet on the satellite urban areas either. People who are out of work in LA will work as locals in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, probably albequerque...

Rob Mack