20 years ago Andrew Blake made us question, “Is it porn or art?” We’ve been fans since the very beginning with Night Trips, Secrets, & House of Dreams. He schooled us with erotic art & introduced us to the most beautiful women in the industry. His cinematic presentation & style was so yuhmmi it was impossible to not become a fan. Andrew’s lush imagination gave us everything we wanted… limos & long legs, mansions & muscle, pools & pussy, champagne & cum shots. What more could a boy or girl want?

I graduated High School in 1989. This was the same year your film Night Trips was released. Not only was I infatuated with star Tori Welles, but I was also blown away by your artistic approach. Did you sense the impact your style was going to have on the adult film industry at the time you were making Night Trips?

I decided to make a hard-core sex-film in 1989, after completing work on a Playboy Channel TV series featuring the Playmates of that era. Playboy was pure vanilla and I wanted to see what I could do without the problems of working in the soft-core genre. The movie I wanted to make would combine beautiful women, fashion and interior design. I had seen a bunch of porn films from that time at Playboy, since they aired titles that they cut all the hard sex out of. I wanted to make the same kind of films I was doing at Playboy, with a hard-core sexual element. The market at that time was mostly ‘one day wonders’ shot on videotape with a few features shot on film appearing now and then, as the theatrical business dried up. Shooting on film was important to me then as it is today with production values and art-direction of ‘mainstream’ Hollywood. I saw nothing really in the porn world that even came close. This was a calculated move on my part; I knew there was a hugh audience for Playboy’s brand of sexuality, but knew in my heart they wanted to see something much more explicit, a bit kinkier and much higher production values than the porn producers could deliver. I doubt even that it occurred to the porn producers that this audience existed.

With the release of Night Trips in 1989 I was pleasantly surprised that my hunch was correct, and that film became wildly popular, even winning an award at a mainstream film festival. At the same time I could just hear the porn producers saying to themselves: “ahhh shit. Just when things were going so smoothly shooting cheaply on tape, paying the talent next to nothing and making a hugh profit off something so inexpensive - here comes this up-start who wants to change all that, and he wants to make a lot of money doing it.” It was my fortune to enter a business where the product meant nothing to the people making it! For me, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Then after making several more films, including Hidden Obsessions came the army of copycat directors and production companies, all proclaiming that they invented a new style… mine! Most of these were laughable efforts with one group running around claiming they were my producers! To this day you have many unimaginative people throwing money at the screen thinking that’s what to do to be creative. Over the past 20 years, my style and sensibilities have changed along with my education in the facets of human sexuality. Making films today is my expression of all those influences.

Tell us about your latest project titled Smoking Hot Girls.

Smoking Hot Girls is a collection of just that - Hot Girls Smoking. I’ve put up several clips on YouTube recently and found out that Aria Giovanni and smoking got the most views. So, I thought a smoking piece would be nice. Now, if I could get Aria to smoke while topless, that would be a true winner…

You produce, direct, DP, edit and work as a production designer on many of your films. Is this to insure creative control from start to finish?

Yes, I like control from start to finish. This way I’m not relying on other people to create a style for me. I’m not much of a team player. The ones I do rely on are the wardrobe and make-up artists. And the models of course, but even they must have the look for my particular style…

Is there one aspect of production that you enjoy the most?

While all the above is extremely important, the post-production process is something I enjoy even more. Taking the picture negative through the Telecine Suite where the film is color corrected and put on HDCamSR data tape. This process is common in mainstream film, television and commercials. Editing is a solitary occupation, cutting and trimming the girls to visual perfection. I tend to like editing in the middle of the night.

What films are you most proud of and why?

The Villa shot in Rome and Hard Edge shot in Paris. By 2000 I had plenty of experience shooting in Europe, but these two shows were particularly interesting because everything came together very smoothly. And, the girls gave a lot of themselves to me on film.

Can you give us a top 5 list of women in the industry (past or present) that NEED to be in our erotic library?

Paola Rey (Night Trips: a dark odyssey), Kyla Cole (The Villa), Justine Joli (The Villa, Justine, Exhibitionists), Aria Giovanni (Aria, Girlfriends), Anita Blond (Blond & Brunettes, Paris Chic).

That’s an unbelievable roster. Thank you. Have you embraced digital film making and besides being cost effective, have you discovered other advantages?

While I continue to shoot exclusively on film, the post-production process has become extremely easier in this digital age. On my desktop now I have all the tools it would take an entire building to hold just a few years back. So, I’ve embraced digital filmmaking on that level. A mainstream Hollywood approach. And by the way, the cost of shooting on film or shooting on a professional HD camera are about the same. HD cameras are pretty complicated, so you incur more costs on video engineers, lights etc. And since I just work with just my Bolex Super 16mm and new ARRI 416 cameras; plus my nude female assistant - I can save even more money. Ah, the joys of multi-tasking.

What do you feel are the disadvantages created within your industry by the digital revolution?

Now anyone with an inexpensive HD digital camera can call themselves a ‘filmmaker’, and I use the term loosely. The commodification of sex in the late 90’s and 2000’s and with the advent of the internet has only served to numb the public’s attention to sexual excitement. There is something terribly exciting about buying or looking at ‘forbidden images’, and that’s somehow been lost today. I grew up in the 1950’s and the most sexually decisive moment for me is when I was about 12 and discovered my father’s collection of 8-mm stag films including (maybe a Bettie Page - Irving Klaw) bondage film. Adding to this thrill was the clandestine manner of threading the film into the little machine and projecting it on my bedroom wall in the dark when my parents were not home.

Actually, I think my father had the same 8-mm film that I use to hold up to the light when he wasn’t home. With so much pirated content and little regulation against free downloads and tube sites like YouPorn and RedTube, what’s the key to having a financially successful adult film studio in this day and age?

With the glut of porn content that mostly all looks the same (I know of more than one big company here in LA that shoots ALL their movies in the same two locations!! Don’t people catch on to this or is it just me?). To be successful today one has to find their own personal niche in the market. For me, that means creating beautifully produced, expensive limited edition physical objects. A multi-blu-ray disc set with a book included, signed and numbered by me. Original and unusual package design while using the internet as a sales tool for distribution sales. But the bottom line is this… the director MUST be turned on by what he/she is shooting. The director should go out and find his/her muse, style her to perfection, then shoot her with love and admiration. I don’t think the old business model of making hugh sales dollars on mass produced DVD products will last much longer, especially in this economy. That being said, there will always be people who have money to spend on unusual products and quality content, whether it be sex or mainstream. The trick is to build on your strengths. With me it’s making films and using the www. to announce projects and generate sales.

Was there any temptation at any point in your career to make a move from adult films to more mainstream Hollywood films?

I have been approached by several Studios, but didn’t really take it up because there is not a lot of room for nude scenes in Hollywood movies. My films are one long nude scene, so I’d rather be true to myself and produce films that I enjoy making. I live in a parallel universe. I’m in the porn world but not of it. I don’t go to industry parties, but I’ll go to the Vegas convention mainly to meet new female models. There’s a trend in porn now to make silly knock-offs of TV shows and feature films. One movie that was released last year and super hyped is in my opinion a very naive, childlike themed costume picture. I’ve talked to several girls that attended the premiere who said it reminded them of a high school play. This is the wrong approach to making a sexy movie. Can’t they think up an original idea? Really? Special effects simply get in the way of the erotic subject matter and certainly special effects don’t belong in a porn movie unless you’re talking about natural breasts! Kira Knightly doesn’t do sex on screen and certain adult actresses should not attempt dialog. But, thats just my opinion.

You’ve produced a steady stream of films for nearly two decades now. It’s safe to say that you will go down in history as one of the very best to work in the adult industry. Why keep going at the rigorous pace as you do?

Because I have a need and obsession to keep filming highly stylized nude/fashion images of women. I want to be 85 years old and drop dead filming some beautiful 20 year old.

Me too! You’ve always been an artist… a painter, photographer, animator, and director. Have you ever had an Andrew Blake retrospective displaying all your talents? Can we expect one in the future?

The website AndrewBlake.com is an archive of sort.

One last question Andrew. Describe the benefits of becoming members of AndrewBlake.com

As I mentioned above, my site is an archive of most of my films and stills. We’ve recently added a Blog, so you can see little slices of what I’m working on. I’m making a new movie Voyeur Within starring Michelle Maylene and featuring Kiara Diane. Themes of voyeurism and exhibitionism. So if you want to visit my world, come and enjoy!!

I’m heading there now for my 20 year reunion with Tori Welles and Night Trips!

Taste it:
andrewblake.com