Reverence For Art House Films

Art House Films are the backbone of culture because they dare to defy it's boundaries.

In this way, cultures are shaped... by the magnetic performers and visionary artists with the confidence to challenge the audiences expectations. Shock and awe go hand in hand.

Art House Films are often thrilling and disturbing... in confusing or surprising ways.

Since storytelling is an art form that has been passed around campfires by storytellers for thousands of years. Even before language, cave people sat around fires, wearing animal masks, acting out characters... in service of a thrilling story. It was an essential experience.

There were important lessons about survival... embedded in the song and dance of characters, messages for the audience to decode as they watched under the night sky.

These rituals in the dark formed a basis for language and shaped culture as we know it.

Humanity went from primal grunting near caves to enunciating on stage then spoken poetry in art house films... it's worth mentioning that screenplays must be poetic, for the production to be considered an art house film... because these films are character driven, instead of plot driven theme park rides. The characters become the plot in art house films.

Audiences live vicariously through the characters connections, personal growth and evolution when watching out art house films. This evolution is a two way street from artists to their audience. We learn about humanity as we watch... people act out fantasies.

Acting out fantasies requires a progression of moods, beliefs and ideas expressed in by storytellers so you can't help feeling drawn into their world. At it's best, acting is poetry brought to life, and when the elusive spirit of poems are given body and soul, then the visionary's message can feel layered and hidden within the mysteries of human nature... but it's still there... what they don't teach in school is... everybody learns at their own pace.

There are certain lessons about love, business and friendship that art house films teach us, not by preaching to the audience, but by creating interesting characters, with fascinating intentions which lead to disturbing emotional conflicts that... surprise the audience... another important difference between art and content... is felt directly by the audience.

The worst content online appeals... to humanity's lowest common denominator... because of it's deference to the collective. Some believe in the power of numbers so much so that their content makes you feel like just another piece of ass sitting on the couch holding a phone. But, if you were watching an art house film... in the movie theatre with your friends instead, each of you might go home with vastly different interpretations of the story's message and a variety of ideas about each character. It's a spiritual and psychedelic experience to watch an art house film because of how art confronts the individual. For example, when I've had conversations... with some old girlfriends about Paul's Trilogy, I enjoyed... how none of them had the same perception of Paul and Jessica's connection.

Since Art House Films combine erotic art with provocative art, sometimes... this means the audience is taken on an emotional journey that it doesn't quite understand, but the desire to unravel this mystery, is what allows it to stick in your heart, so when you finally believe that you get the film's message... there's a sense of joyful relief. The glow of inner-standing.

The music videos which stand the test of time... are often structured like art house films, where we see the performer's persona change, as their onscreen relationship... keeps audiences on their toes... almost like the sexual tension of an onscreen romance in an erotic thriller film. It's the kind of experience that you remember... and if you dare to watch it again, later in life with a bit more wisdom, then you will learn more about human nature...

Art House Films are a gift that keeps on giving. When actors are empowered by poetic lines... it sounds like timeless music in the ears of audiences so naturally quotes, memes and even several song lyrics are inspired by watching such films with each passing day.

Some audiences notice visual references, similarities which give clues about the hidden message woven into the art, another thing worth mentioning is part of the reason hidden messages have become so popular lately is... related to the sharp increase in government censorship and social restriction in different parts of the world. Since social media is also affected by this culture of censorship, part of the reason I keep several films in a vault here is there are performers involved who make erotic art with a private Instagram account, or they're new to the world of erotic art... so they worry about what their friends, parents or current boyfriend will think and say, about seeing them playing a character's sensuality onscreen. To play sensuality onscreen in an art house film involves accepting your own sensuality in your personal life... feeling at home with yourself is what nourishes your ability to feel at home in another character's shoes, which might be extremely different to yours.

This is one of the few Art House Film clips that I can post without YouTube flagging it.

As you've already guessed, most of the films people pay to see here.... are too erotic for YouTube or Instagram's guidelines. The realm of the erotic isn't just about beauty or nudity though. Erotic art blends pleasure and pain as the audience... feels immersed in the story, watching characters' growing concern with the possibility of their own indulgence, it can be withdrawal cravings, wanderlust or deep memories from past experiences that fuel a character's desires while testing the strength of their connections and exploring sensuality that diverges from the mainstream. Even sex scenes in art house films that challenge conservative ideals deserve reverence for teaching their audiences about consent.

It's a sad reality that establishing consent is a lesson porn rarely teaches.

On the other hand, creating a space where performers feel comfortable enough to engage with their sensuality on camera is an important aspect of creative direction. While there are some improv games that can help two scene partners develop chemistry, both performers need to be committed to storytelling for their onscreen chemistry to grow. Sometimes it's instantly there... and it's just a matter of making sure the camera captures this great spark.

Finding that shared wavelength where the performers are aware of the camera, without being self conscious about expressing intimacy in front of a crew... is where the magic happens. I've noticed such effortless displays of affection can feel natural during romantic relationships when I'm acting on camera or on stage... since attraction is already there.

While such chemistry is a wonderful erotic feeling beyond words... it does take time and practice to learn how to become a good actor... so sometimes when working with new disciples we work on creating this safe space for eroticism in fashion photography first.

It doesn't take very long to teach someone how to model, or to teach a person to take stellar photos in my experience. Once the will is there, success that comes in the form of paid bookings and fashion magazine publications is usually around the corner. Even if I'm just teaching them provocative art, the photos we go onto create are striking enough to spark new conversations... from an authentic place of gratitude or curiosity. Not everyone will respond the same way though, and that is okay. Learning to let go of worrying about negative responses to erotic or provocative art is an important part of my disciples' journey.

Stop caring about jealous haters and the immature copycats who will watch everything you do... while gossiping about you behind your back... those are just the costs of success, like Beyonce said provocatively in Lemonade... "You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation." If critics could do what artists do... they would be artists instead of critics or copycat content creators. If you take nothing else from this blog post, remember this... life is too short to care about the validation or opinions of people you don't respect.

As models become more comfortable making erotic art and their sensual confidence grows, so does their paycheck... you can consistently make hundreds of dollars per booking as you learn to negotiate while developing your emotional intelligence and body wisdom.... or you can hire a solid management team... to handle the negotiations for you.

The journey upwards as a model can be accelerated by learning some of the improv games I mentioned earlier, but when models are interested in a new level of wealth or fame, I often suggest acting. Videography recordings included behind the paywall in some editorial photoshoots are where models from each season in my photo albums have learned acting skills... it can feel very empowering for these models to see themselves as actors and actresses with dialogue for the first time. Then from there, they start to audition for my films.

Regardless of whether you act in commercials, theatres, or films, you can make thousands of dollars or more with each booking as long as you play your cards right. The thing about booking acting gigs though is type-casting is still normalized. It's true that playing against type.... can be the challenge that inspires your audience's respect... it's just that you're more likely to get cast in similar roles to what you put in your demo reel since that's what casting directors usually look at before we even consider letting you audition for any role.

So where you focus your creativity, determines the bookings you will attract as an artist to a certain level. The limitations of type casting can usually be transcended with things like a diet adjustment, a fitness plan, even a haircut but sometimes it requires a radically different approach to acting than what you've been doing so far. So if you're uncomfortable with the demands of a character but still fascinated by their world, this is a chance for you to grow.

Examples of these situations happen where I meet someone quite special and talented, but fairly inexperienced with acting who happens to fit the personality... of a role I'm currently casting for... I've had discussions with other director's on this subject and most visionaries behind the camera... still prefer to see what the performance artist is capable of doing first.

There are some people on Tik Tok and Onlyfans who have gotten highly sought after acting roles without an acting demo reel, thanks to the depth of their connection with a director and the magnetism they exuded what these directors saw. Something interesting about working behind the camera with performance artists... is directors and photographers will sometimes give a bit of a performance on set so the people in front of the camera know which direction to take their performance. Something as simple as a photographer showing a model where to put her hands, or how to angle her body helps her understand his vision.

Creative directors have the privilege of choosing when to turn on their magnetism, and which people are allowed to see their performances. If you've ever noticed how many actors and actresses do impressions of director's they've worked with... you might have had an inkling of this secret to performance art already. Some of the best film directors are pretty talented actors as well, which is why they can empathize with their journey and lead them to new heights on set. It's far easier to lead when you can understand each other.

The other side of creative direction is a willingness to take risks.

To all the upcoming and aspiring filmmakers reading this post, this is your permission to push your art further. If you already make erotic art... see which taboos you are comfortable exploring with your art and see how many new bookings you get. If you make provocative art then allow yourself to take it further and shake up the culture because it's going to go there... if you don't trust your gut enough to make a mark in this game. Someone else will.

Depending on how talented the performer is... I might let them do a cold read audition spontaneously during a photoshoot, then later send short audition sides for a self tape.

The question of how well they can take direction.... is what the audition mainly focuses on.

Once that question is answered, decisions and careers are made, based on something as simple as yes or no. Isn't it wonderful how far storytelling has come? When we think back to those mystical cave stories under the night sky... and see humanity's progress all the way to IMAX screens in movie theatres... it's fascinating to consider how far we can still go.