Recently I asked fans to send me ideas on what they’d like me to blog about, and I got some very good suggestions.  So I’ve decided to do this as a little Q&A.  Feel free to send more questions if you have them, and I’ll do this for you every now and then.

Q: Who develops your story ideas and how?

A: I develop most of the story ideas myself.  I take them from my own life experiences, relationships I’ve had, or books I’ve read that have made an impression on me.  There’s really no end to the amount of material inside my head, as I have been having lesbian encounters since I was a teenager and I continue to have interesting interactions and encounters that I draw from artistically. 

Sometimes, too, I use bad memories or negative experiences from my past.  For example, in an upcoming scene with Sinn Sage in Lesbian Daydreams, I play a perverted artist who starts coming on to my lovely naked model (Sinn) while drawing her portrait.  I took this idea from a real life experience – it happened to me when I was 20 years old in New York City.  I was modeling for an “artist” who told me to pose as if I were masturbating, and to make “sexy faces, as if you’re having an orgasm.”  He was a pervert, obviously, but I was alone with him in his apartment and nobody knew I was there, so I didn’t know what to do.  I remember that feeling very well – the fear, the shame, and the sense of danger and excitement that comes from being in a situation that violates what you expect.  I wasn’t aroused by the experience, but now I can turn it into something more erotic for purposes of the film.  It’s therapeutic, in a way!

Other times I take story ideas from fans, or sometimes Jon (Blitt) has an idea that we develop together.  There is one caveat to anything I shoot, though – it has to turn me on.  One fan recently contributed a script that I loved and have decided to use, while another script he submitted, one that depicts a lesbian sports team, I passed on.  The script was great, but I just don’t find sports erotic.  So I don’t think I’m the right person to shoot that film, even if many fans would find it perfectly hot.

 Q:  I know the scenes are not scripted, but how much detail is discussed before shooting? 

A:  Quite the contrary — every scene I shoot is scripted, and the roles are almost always written with a particular model in mind.  This is why I get such good results from the models – most of the time the model’s character is written in accordance with her specific speech patterns, syntax, temperament and emotional range.  I put a great deal of thought into writing the scripts and casting the films, and I consider the story as important as the sex scene (which is not scripted.)

The models are not expected to memorize the script, but to be familiar enough with the story and the dialogue to effectively play the role and communicate the narrative to the audience.  Again, because the roles are written with certain girls in mind, they generally find it quite easy to learn the lines and to improvise the parts they’ve forgotten.

 Q:  What do you know about your core audience? 

A:  I know as much as it is possible to know, as there is (shockingly) no real market research data for the adult industry.  But I read and participate in fan forums, communicate with fans via email and message boards, and read the reviews.  Communication with the fans is very important to me, as I am obviously not in this field purely as a self-indulgent, personal hobby.  I wouldn’t be here without the fans, and pleasing them and letting them feel a part of the process is paramount.

That said, from what I can discern the fans of this genre seem in general to be well educated, articulate, even perhaps a bit “geeky” (in the good, smart way!) and pay a lot of attention to detail.  They are nobody’s fools, and they appreciate genuine effort.  They tend to have positive feelings toward women, and they are aroused by intimacy and realism rather than artifice and meaningless sex.  In short, they’re my kind of people. 

 Q: Would you ever go into “fetish” acts like golden showers, for instance? 

A:  Never say never, but at the moment it’s not on the agenda.  I may do a bondage/fetish line, or a toy line, but it will be advertised as such so that fans who don’t wish to see such things will steer clear.  (The exception to this rule is strap-ons, which I occasionally use in my films, but I would prefer to show them within a “strap on series.” One such film is in the works.) 

I have nothing against golden showers or similar types of fetish play, but I just don’t hear my fans asking for that right now.  Also, I don’t have any lesbian golden shower fantasies so I wouldn’t feel personally inspired to shoot such a scene.  But the mind is a funny thing, and sometimes fantasies evolve over time, so again… never say never!

 Q:  Why do women perform sex acts in front of the camera?  You can’t get rich doing it, so it can’t just be for the money. Are they all exhibitionists? 

A:  I think the answers are complex and probably a bit different for everyone.  For me, I consider sex to be high art; something integral and beautiful and worth documenting as any other form of beauty is worth apprehending and documenting.  There are true artists and geniuses of sex, just as there are geniuses in other areas of life.  I know people scoff at that notion, but they shouldn’t.  The sad truth is, most people don’t know their own sexuality and bodies very well, nor do they know much about how to please others in that regard.  Yet almost everyone wants to be thought of as “good in bed” and we consider such a distinction to be among the biggest of compliments.  We can assume, then, that everyone recognizes the value of an excellent sexual performance — whether a camera is present or not.

In my observation, I find many women (and men) are predisposed to enjoy sex in a more open way than others, and many of these people are drawn to the sex industry.  We find our work gratifying and expansive.  We don’t understand why the rest of the world is so hypocritical – buying toys and videos and then making fun of us for providing them with the tools they need to enjoy sex the way they want to. 

To us, performing a sex act in front of the camera is no stranger than it is for a mainstream actress to cry on camera or otherwise “bare her soul.”  The idea that sex is dirty, and that performing in the sex industry is a symptom of mental illness or some other psychological malady is unfortunate – and also remarkable.  The sex drive is second only to the survival instinct, and it’s amazing how much trouble we have accepting this wholly natural and beautiful part of life.

Some of us are born to be scientists, others painters, others sex performers.  (And some all three!)  Hopefully one day this truth will be accepted and not held suspect.  Sex performers bring a lot of joy to a lot of people, and it would be nice if the world could acknowledge that and stop wondering what’s wrong with us.

Well I have to get ready for the big party at Sardos on Tuesday night, and I hope I’ll see many of you there!  The forum will be up again soon, we’re so sorry for the delay… Just hang in there… good things are coming this month.  Including our first releases, LESBIAN CHRONICLES – WASTED YEARS, and LESBIAN CONFESSIONS!

See you soon!

Love, Nica 

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