Veteran director Mike South is switching gears these days by shooting his own mainstream documentary about former adult star Summer Haze’s recent plastic surgery.
“I initially wanted to demystify plastic surgery, but it turned into more of an issue of whether the up-rise of plastic surgery is the result of nutrition and health habits we’re teaching our children,” he said.
The still untitled documentary, which South is producing, directing and financing, follows the surgery and subsequent trauma suffered by Haze who had the surgery to correct damage done to her by her bout with ovarian cancer in 1998.
South, who is still shooting footage for the documentary, shot the surgery itself, which he admitted was tough to watch.
“It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s important to see and understand what plastic surgery is,” he said.
Haze received lipsuction, had her face lifted, along with her eyelids due to the damage caused by chemotherapy.
Haze is still recovering two weeks after the surgery, but South says he believes the operation will have a positive impact on her.
Having won AVN Awards for his adult work, South hopes to catch the eye of broadcasters willing to pay for his latest work.
“It’s made for mainstream, so there’s nothing hot about this documentary. I just hope we can get a deal from someone.”
Working with Haze’s husband, Craig Valentine, South hopes to complete shooting by early September and have the documentary completed by October.
“I’ve worked on other documentaries before so this isn’t anything new for me,” he said.
South joined the industry in 1993 with his first movie, the all-amateur Southern Belles 1, by XPlor Media. His other titles include XPlor’s long-running series Amateur Anal Attempts, Bedroom Window and Southern Belles, which won AVN Awards for Best Amateur Tape in 1998 and 1999.
South is also a member of the AVN Hall of Fame.
