Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Porn actors working with VR cameras strapped on 'having trouble keeping it up'

'Often the scenes have to be filmed multiple times.'

Christopher Hooton
Tuesday 12 April 2016 11:20 EDT
Comments
(DDay.it)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

If having a guy in a mesh vest and bum bag holding a boom wasn’t enough to turn you off (yes, I like to imagine the porn industry to still look like Boogie Nights), actors are facing a new mood killer: multi-camera virtual reality rigs.

During a Reddit AMA on Monday, Pornhub employees were asked whether adult film actors have to wear awkward equipment while they perform.

“Yup,” staffer Corey replied, “I’ve heard that male talent has a lot of trouble keeping it up with such heavy gear on their chests. Often the scenes have to be filmed multiple times.”

Given mankind’s propensity to immediately try and harness new technologies for sex, pornography is one of the first industries where VR has made a huge impact - largely due to the point-of-view angles it offers - but others aren’t far behind.

“It will play a huge part in the future of adult, gaming, entertainment etc,” another rep, Brett, said, “but it will be a long time until it replaces the ease of loading a video in a basic player.”

It has been estimated that VR headsets will generate up to $895 million in revenue this year, as headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Sony PlayStation VR start to gain traction.

We need to talk about porn

The technology has mostly been used for promotional purposes in film - Interstellar, for instance, created a short VR experience - but more considered projects are coming to the fore as more filmmakers get their hands on the equipment.

VR is taking centre stage at Tribeca Film Festival this year, with two showcases premiering 13 virtual reality films.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in