1st Strike Entertainment has brought adult production veteran Richard De Montfort on board to helm a number of high-end, wall-to-wall and gonzo lines over the next year. The arrangement is non-exclusive, and calls for De Montfort to direct up to three titles a month for the foreseeable future.
“I’m excited about working with 1st Strike because we share a similar belief in the importance of raising the production values of black gonzo,” De Montfort said. “While there are certainly some directors in the ethnic market who do a great job, there are still too many tapes out there that are just five scenes shot in the same room on the same bed.
“I think its important to give it a spin and use better sets, make better use of production basics like lighting, sound, and even better wardrobes. We’re just trying to give it a little more class.”
By way of example, De Montfort points to a scene that pairs Sledge Hammer with Stacey Cash for Black &Famous, his first production for 1st Strike. “Stacey has a perfect natural body and she’s intelligent and easy to work with. More importantly she’s a ferocious performer and it really showed in her scene with Sledge Hammer. They go at it on a staircase in a palatial mansion and while the sex is raw, the classy surroundings creates an atmosphere of sophistication that adds a layer or two to the scene’s depth.”
Brett Reez, vice president of sales for Nectar Entertainment, the company that distributes 1st Strike, thinks that an “atmosphere of sophistication” is exactly what the ethnic adult consumer is looking for. “It allows for an element of fantasy that matches what you see in hip-hop videos, where rappers are boasting of their wealth and showing off jewelry – it’s a depiction of living large, living the dream; of course, that’s really what porn of any variety is about – living the dream.”
Black & Famous borrows more than high-end sets and wardrobe from hip-hop; the video’s loose storyline is about the Creampies, an all-girl rap group who make the big time, only to lose it all overnight.
And while the group is called the Creampies, there are no internal pop shots in the movie. “There is plenty of freaky sex though. That’s the emphasis of Black & Famous – the storyline is just really just a wraparound for the sex.”
De Montfort has been involved in adult production in a diverse range of capacities over the years including handling camera duties for “virtually everyone” in adult including the late Clive McLean, Jerome Tanner, and Bud Lee. He is better known as Rich Montfort, his legal name, but recently adopted his family’s original surname, which was inadvertently shortened when his family immigrated to America. “I thought it might be nice way to separate my directorial work from everything else I’ve done.”
Sean Logan, CEO of Nectar Entertainment, welcomed the new addition to 1st Strike. “We’re very impressed with Richard’s mastery of the camera, as well as his deep understanding of the adult marketplace. He’s done an incredible job on his first few videos and we’re anticipating great things out of him in the future.”
Black & Famous will street Aug. 10.
For ordering contact Sean Logan or Brett Reez at 818.787.0000, or 866.763.2827; fax 818.787.0059
