Safety, Comfort, and Porn Sets

After you get to the set, one of the first things you need to consider is how well your personal comfort and safety are bring looked after. In most situations, the kind of comfort I'm talking about has less to do with fresh pineapple chunks on a catering cart, and more to do with having plenty of paper towels and warm places to sit between shots. And when it comes to safety, we all know about the importance of avoiding STD's, but there are other considerations.

Most porn sets will not be equipped like a hollywood movie. As often as not, the filming takes place in an adapted home or private location not ideally suited to the needs of a crew, cast, director, and all their equipment. Sometimes, the most comfortable place on the set is actually out in front of the camera, where it has to al least look comfortable for the sake of the audience.

There are a couple of things you can do to make sure you have everything you need, regardless of how the set is managed. First, bring along a towel or a robe. You may be called upon to get on and off the set fully naked at a moment's notice, and the ambient room temperature when you're not under the hot lights could be a nasty shock if you don't have something nice to slip into. In that same regard, a pair of slippers or flip-flops can be very helpful, especially if your scene is being shot in a basement or a warehouse with cement floors.

Bring a bottle of water with you. It is a pretty common courtesy for most directors to provide the performers as well as the crew with water. Dehydration shows up clearly and unpleasantly on camera. Anyone who has seen it ruin a hard day's shoot once won't want to let it happen again. Bring a personal bottle, and keep it with your belongings so you can get to it quickly and identify it easily.

It needs to be mentioned here that a porn set is a very bad place to be using any sort of alcohol or mind-altering substance. If you feel that you need something artificial to relax you enough to go ahead with the shoot, perhaps this is not the industry for you. You need to be in complete command of all your faculties during a shoot. Similarly, you should never accept any prescription medications which were not prescribed specifically for you. If you feel you need performance enhancing medicines, consult your personal physician. (Don't worry, they've heard it all before!)

If you want to keep track of your time, bring an inexpensive watch, and leave it with your belongings off the set. When you go back to get a drink or put on your robe, you can check the time. Directors generally prefer not to be distracted by performers who are glancing at the clock during a shoot. It can bring down the energy of a scene, and it challenges the authority of the director. If you have an appointment you need to get to after the shoot, let the director know in advance, and then accept that the information has been communicated.

It may sound silly, but one of the most important things you can do on a porn set is wash your hands frequently. In practical terms, the hands are where most of us pick up most of the germs which infect us on a day to day basis. Although a lot of the work on a porn set involves touching, licking, and penetrating other people's bodies, most of the parts being inserted and accepted rarely come in contact with anything but the inside of a person's clothing. However, often those parts have been recently fondled by hands which may have been holding handrails on the bus, handling money, shopping, or anything else we do that exposes us to the myriad diseases in the world. Keep your hands clean, and suggest that your fellow performers do the same.

When it comes to safer sex, there are a few theories about what makes the most sense. On most straight porn sets, performers must demonstrate that they have been tested for the major infectious STD's on a regular basis before being allowed on the set. On most gay porn sets, condoms are the rule. On many fetish sets, there is actually no release of bodily fluids, and therefore the sex portrayed in inherently safe.

In any case, the exchange of bodily fluids is always a matter of clear concern for the performers and the producers. If you feel strongly about one method or another, make your feeling clear to the director before coming to the set, so proper accommodations can be made. You owe it to yourself and your fans to learn everything you need to know about safety when having sex with multiple partners.

Remember, your safety and comfort are your concern. You have reason to expect that these matters will be taken into consideration, but it is prudent to assume responsibility for the minimal standards you require.