After a full day’s work on Elegant Angel’s Compulsion (documented in a previous AVN.com exclusive) cast and crew enjoyed a steak and lobster break around 11p.m. before Mr. Bigg and Katrina Kraven shot their sex scene in a warehouse location. While shooting went on until 7a.m. that day, the crew was talking more about the impressive acting skills of Mr. Bigg than their own sleep deprivation. Kraven, on the other hand, seemed more impressed by how appropriately Bigg was named…but she’s rather new to the industry and hasn’t adjusted to the size-difference porn presents.
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| Ashley Long |
The next day started with an eight-hour shoot in the desert near Palmdale in a grueling heat that reached 120 degrees. Ashley Long drove a red T-bird convertible and Mr. Bigg a Mercedes 600 – both cars straight from the garage of Compulsion’s director Axel Braun– for a climatic series of steadicam and crane shots. The fact that Braun doesn’t mind the proximity of a heat stroke is not surprising, given the stakes, but when the actors all stand behind the camera to watch each take instead of locking themselves in a nice, air-conditioned trailer…it says a lot.
The shoot ended up going twelve days, the shortest being “only” 18 hours long. The sex itself wrapped up on day eight – it took four days to cover the non-sex shots, the last two days having nothing but dialogue.
While Compulsion has more dialogue than most adult videos, it also has more sex. And the dialogue is actually very lean. Every bit of dialogue is a prelude to the sex. It’s to help understand the characters’ motivations and desires in the sex scenes. The sex between the two leads, Kurt Lockwood as Nick and Ashley Long as Maya, only comes after a lot of build up. They have a lot of “moments” spaced throughout the first half of the film before they finally surrender to their passion. The result is explosive.
Here’s an example straight from the script:
EXT. MULHOLLAND DRIVE -- DAY
Nick speeds along, Maya clutching tight. She looks thrilled as he zips along.
NICK: Hang on...
He throttles up. The bike accelerates for a second, and then dies.
EXT. TOPANGA CANYON -- DAY
They coast to a stop at the top of the hill.
MAYA (sarcastic):Wow. That was really breathtaking.
NICK (checking the gauge):Huh. Out of gas. Never thought to check it. (beat)
Two hundred large for a car and it doesn’t even come with a full tank...cheap bastards!
CUT TO:
EXT. TOPANGA CANYON -- DAY
Maya leans against the Lamborghini. Nick paces.
MAYA: What is it with this family? You're all obsessed with money.
NICK: Think so? Well, money buys freedom. The freedom to do what you want.
MAYA: What about a family? What about love? Have you ever been in love, Nick?
NICK: Nope. Always had it too easy. No challenge equals no passion. Guess I've been lucky...
MAYA: I don't think so. You'll be lucky when you'll find the woman who brings you to your knees.
NICK: Not likely...
Suddenly Maya hits him with a perfectly-executed karate move that makes him fall on his back. Nick is shocked.
MAYA(smiling): See? Not so tough...
NICK: Interesting... But I'm not on my knees...
Nick replies with a quick jujitsu move. He sweeps her leg from under her, and she falls on top of him.They look into each other's eyes. Serious. Silent. The moment is endless and intense. Behind them, a tow-truck stops. Andre steps out.
In most adult videos, their sex scene would have taken place right there. Doubtless Andre’s appearance would have led to a three-way. Instead, they don’t have sex for another 30 minutes into the film. But when they do…the characters have a motivation for fucking that hardly ever exists in porn. Remember the g/g scene in Mulholland Drive between Naomi Watts and Laura Harring? It wasn’t even a full-blown sex scene but it was the hottest scene released in 2001 because of the tension built into the scene. That’s what Braun is going for….and that’s what porn has been missing. In the end, it’s all about raising the bar, and this bar has “Axel Braun” written all over.
