Yeah, one of my pet peeves with a lot of adult films is the number of extreme close-ups, which I just don't find erotic at all. Are there any particular angles that are better or more erotic than others?

The point is that there isn't any one angle, it's just what works at the moment. And you're right about all the close-ups, it's like they create this stable of angles that they use, like the "behind the guy's balls shot" and that sort of thing. Back when I was acting in the movies, we had this phrase, "cheat to the camera." So the woman would be going down on the guy and would have to be doing it in this totally unnatural way, because the camera would have to see it. There'd be these monster close-ups, and everything was done so mechanically, not real. Once you start thinking "Oh, this is the way I have to shoot something or this is the angle I have to use" it becomes mechanical, and loses its spontaneity and fluidity. Whereas, when we started Femme Productions, what we did was let the camera people move around and be very fluid with the camera, with no particular angles. And whatever looked the best to us when editing, we would keep.

So there's an improvisational style to some of the filmmaking.

Oh absolutely. It was almost like cinema verite the way we shot it. And you can do that with video; it's a lot harder with film, because it's so much more expensive and you have to plan your shots more, but even with film you can do a lovely moving shot along people's bodies. And I don't care about seeing monster close-ups. I'd rather see the entire body, the whole couple when they're making love. If my cameraperson happens to get a close-up that looks good then we'll put it in. But we don't ask for it.

It's funny, when we were shooting our very first movie, which was called Femme, all of a sudden I saw the assistant director working with the camera guy and the lighting guy, and they're setting up a close-up. They had these little tiny lights they called "inkies," which they shine right on the genitals. So I walked over to them and said, "No, no, no, you don't do that in a Femme movie." But this is what they usually do, shine a blaring light up into the genitals, getting the camera right up there as if it's a gynecological exam. And then they shoot it. To me, that's unnatural.

Was there something that women weren't getting in adult films that you specifically set out to change?

What women weren't getting was a movie that spoke to them and their sexuality, they weren't getting something they could relate to. To appeal to all the male buyers the industry's whole foundation was the women in the movies, and yet women's sexuality was completely ignored.

How did you get distributors to take you seriously as a producer? Because I know when you started there weren't other women doing this.

Exactly. It wasn't easy. I went to the three major distributors, and the only one that offered to take the line and distribute it was VCA. They really didn't have to put up much money, I financed the whole thing myself; all they had to do was finance distribution costs. And they didn't do any real marketing of it. But amazingly, the first one, even without people knowing what it was, did really well. After that, they started really promoting my first three films, Femme, Urban Heat and Christine's Secret. And then when we set out to do Three Daughters, we realized we wanted to go bigger with this one. This was back in '86, and we spent $75,000. I mean people don't spend 75K now. We knew we wanted to make waves with that film. So that's when we decided to take over distribution for ourselves. We managed to get VCA to release the first three back to us and started Femme Distribution. We distributed everything ourselves for about eight years. Internationally, it put us on the map. And then in 1995, I was burnt out from trying to distribute, produce and direct these movies, so that's when I made a new deal with Adam & Eve. And they financed seven new movies for me.

Do you think you paved the way for more women to produce adult films now, or is the industry still run and dominated by men?

I think a lot more women are doing it now. I do feel proudly like a pioneer, that I inspired and set an example for other women to do this as well. Women are really a much bigger force in this industry now.

Do your films appeal to gay women, too?

I think my films appeal to people across the board. Although gay women certainly prefer something that is done specifically for them -- and I'm actually considering a line like that -- they do like our films because they are more egalitarian, and have more realistic-looking women. I think even gay men have liked them because of the good-looking men we have in there. And straight men, too -- a lot of people assumed that straight men wouldn't like my work as much but I have a huge straight male following. I get a lot of mail from men over the years thanking me, saying that everyone assumes men want typical porn but they really prefer ours. I always say the husbands of the world are grateful to me because they have something they can finally bring home to their wives that the women, too, can enjoy.

And you often use women who are "older" by porn industry standards, too, who are still very attractive, so it's probably nice for them to see that.

Definitely. I feel like women just get sexier with age. Men, too. If we take care of ourselves, we just get better.

I agree. I think I'm getting sexier with age. [coughs]

[laughs] I know I am! I think it's that we get more comfortable with our sexuality as we get older. I am just better. A better lover, take better care of myself. I'm more womanly.

And are there really an additional 136 minutes on the Stud Hunters DVD?

Yeah -- we have a making-of documentary that I think is better than the usual adult "behind the scenes" doc because it's really well done. I actually paid a filmmaker to come in and do it for me. And then there's a huge photo show, as well as commentary.

Stud Hunters is one of those films-within-a-film stories that happens to be an adult film, a satire of the industry.

It's not even so much a satire of the industry so much as a spoof about a woman director. It turns the tables -- instead of women being the ones auditioning and desperately vying in front of men, it's the other way around. In fact, I have to share with you an e-mail I got just the other day from a guy who really liked Stud Hunters. He said, "I just viewed Stud Hunters, great movie. And without realizing it, you've touched on the realm of the CFNM (Clothed Female, Nude Male) fetish." Apparently this is gaining in popularity and there are not a lot of videos that cater to it. So there's a whole fetish out there where men display themselves in front of women. Funny that we just accidentally turned on to that.

Is it true you sing the film's theme song?

Yes, it's true. You know, I've sung professionally in the past, and I insinuate myself wherever I can. Lately, I've been really into world music, and South Asian music in particular.

Bollywood stuff?

Yes! That makes me so happy. The very last scene in Stud Hunters, where the director seduces all the guys, has a really heavy South Asian music influence. It's good lovemaking music. So we have that, and we have my theme song.

And do you write most of the scripts for your films?

I do write them, and sometimes my producer works with me on the stories. When I have guest directors I let them write their own scripts. Like for the Star Directors series that I worked on some years ago -- Taste of Ambrosia, Sensual Escape and Rites of Passion -- I had Annie Sprinkle, Veronica Hart, Veronica Vera and Glorida Leonard direct for me. That was a fun series.

On average, how long does it take to shoot an adult movie?

The shooting itself takes me about a week, but my pre-production and post-production take longer than most people's. The editing is the longest process because I do it myself. That frustrates my distributors to no end -- with Stud Hunters, I took a year to edit. But, see, I approach these like real movies; I only do an average of one every couple of years. I approach the films like a real, full-blown project, instead of just churning them out. And people in the adult industry just aren't used to that.

Because there's often a factory mentality there.

Yeah, it's like assembly line porn. Which is no fun for me.

Do the actors ever have to perform more than one sex scene a day?

Never a sex scene. Although one time, Mark Davis did two sex scenes in one day for One Size Fits All, but he didn't come in the first one. I don't require that of my actors, but it was really funny -- after the first time he worked for me, we were shooting and he just kept going. I said, "Cut! Okay we have enough." Then he just looked at me like, Are you kidding? I said, "Well go relieve yourself in the bathroom." He came running after me and said, "Yeah, well, then you're going with me!" [laughs]

So you have a pretty fun set when you're shooting?

Yes, we do. In fact, that's why I like to do photos, because they really show people what good humor there is on our sets. So if there are any questions about what really goes on, i.e., are people exploited and abused and so on, well, they can see, at least on my sets, that we have a good time. We have wonderful crews and there's a really nice mood on the set.

We asked Nina Hartley this but want to ask you, too -- what did you think of Boogie Nights?

Well, of course, it depicted the industry as of quite a while ago -- although I was around back then, too. But that movie kind of bugged me, because he presented it as, "Oh, this is really the way it was and I have great reverence for the industry." But meanwhile, he felt the need to show the main guy as a pedophile, which I've never known anyone in the mainstream porn industry to be. No one ever approaches underage men to be in the movies. It was just unrealistic. And I thought the depiction of drug use was quite exaggerated. But on the other hand, it was realistic in the sense that there was a lot of camaraderie; it was like a big family in a lot of ways, and there was a lot of partying sometimes -- in that sense, it was true.

Now I notice you have a place on your Web site for people needing advice. What are some of the most typical questions people ask you?

Usually along the lines of, "I've been with my boyfriend for three years and he hasn't been turned on to me for the last year, what should I do," or, "I've been with my wife for five years and now she doesn't want to have sex with me, what can I do?" Those are the most common ones, and also the toughest. I can't answer those in a simple e-mail. These people have issues that have to be dealt with, possibly in counseling.

I get some very touching and some very sad letters. And then, of course, I get men writing to ask for a recommendation on the perfect movie to watch with their wife -- who doesn't want to see too many close-ups, or women with women, or whatever. So I have to go through what each movie has that they might like.

For a couple who may have never seen an adult film before but is interested in checking some out together, which films from your own collection would you start them off with?

The thing about my movies is that there's a real variety of both explicit and soft. So, for instance, Bridal Shower is good for "newbies" because it starts off very soft; the first scene is completely non-explicit. And then it works its way up in intensity. And it has great information for women, great advice in a fun format. I used the backdrop of a bridal shower party, with women sitting around talking about how they got their men to be the lovers they want. It's very fun and upbeat but I sneak some messages in there, a way to share information on things that I've learned using a sexy, fun story format. The only thing people need to know is that there is a scene involving two women and a man, although my scenes like that definitely cater more to the female fantasy.

The Gift is a very romantic piece, a sweet love story. And Christine's Secret, even though it's one of my older titles; it won a lot of awards and is also a nice romance. These are all great starter movies. Three Daughters was our absolute best seller for a long time because it's a full-blown story. That, too, has a scene between two women. But as with all my scenes between women, there's a reason for it being there. They're not just gratuitous, and are between women who genuinely like women.

I'm intrigued by the title of your new book, How To Tell a Naked Man What to Do. What are some of the most important things to tell a naked man? Besides "you'll poke my eye out with that thing"?

The book plays off the fact that I'm an erotic film director and uses the process of directing an erotic movie as a blueprint for directing your own sex life. It breaks down the whole process. The "research phase," which in the book I compare to your own fantasies and how you'd want that to play out; the "pre-production" phase, in which I talk about lighting to flatter the both of you, picking out the right kind of lingerie to flatter your body, certain kinds of music, and all this, also touches on some important issues for women, like confronting any shame you might have about particular fantasies, any guilt you might have. How to convey needs; asking for what they want can be very difficult for women. And then, in one of my favorite parts, "post-production," I liken it to talking about what you did the next day. So if you had a particularly hot night the night before, I tell people how much fun it is to communicate afterwards about what you liked and didn't like.

Most people don't think much about the "day after."

Yeah, it's true. And I disclose a lot of stuff about myself and coming to terms with my own sexuality and how I got my needs met. Something that I discovered with a man I consider one of my most passionate, fulfilling lovers was how we loved to recount it the next day -- what worked well and what didn't work for one of us.

Do you perceive certain differences in sexuality here in the States versus other countries?

There are definitely subtle and not-so-subtle differences. I've actually been with a lot of Europeans -- my husband was Swedish; we were together almost ten years. And I dated a Dutch man for two years. The Dutch are much more open sexually and not hung up, but on the other hand, northern Europeans -- okay, now here we're moving into the area of gross generalization [laughs] -- but I think they can be a little less sensual, a little less passionate. On the other hand, they are so much more accepting of sexuality in Europe than we are here. It's laughable the hang-ups that we still have in America. Maybe only England comes closest, as they still share some of our Puritan hang-ups, but even there, they've learned to cope with it in a more creative, kinky fashion.

Of the films you acted in, what's your favorite?

I would say the last three I ever did were all my favorites: Fascination, by Chuck Vincent, with a very young Ron Jeremy, one of his first movies. Vincent did very story-driven movies. I played Ron's sister. It's a very fun movie. And then Blue Magic, which I wrote, and my husband at the time produced it. A beautiful turn of the century period piece. I don't think it's even on DVD. We unfortunately lost control of it due to some terrible contractual problems, and now I think some sleazy guy has the rights. It's a shame, because it was a foreshadowing of things I'd do later, and it was the first film I wrote. And the other favorites are some real early classics I did with John Holmes -- Hard Soap and Pizza Girls in the late 1970s. For Pizza Girls, we had to learn how to ride skateboards, so we could deliver pizzas that way in the movie.

I think from just the title I can guess what that one's about.

[laughs] Yeah, and the tagline was "Hot and saucy pizza girls... we deliver!"