RESEDA, Calif. — A thick metal gate slowly and mechanically swings open at the end of the driveway to the house where director David Lord is shooting Smash Pictures' Whale Tail 4. Inside the gate, industry vet Justin Syder welcomes me in and we shake hands. Syder is a former professional fighter and his grip is strong, his hands rough like steel pads, but he wears a warm smile on his face as he leads me to the guest house in the back where the action is happening.
Through the front door of the guest house, Lord is prepping to shoot the next scene between brunette looker Stephanie Cane and Derrick Pierce. Stephanie is in the make-up chair while Pierce lends a hand to the crew, carrying one of the lights through the kitchen to the bedroom.
"Oh my god, talent is moving lights," Lord jokes as he changes the tape in this camera. "You don't see that every day."
"It's because AVN is on set," muses DCypher, a veteran director/producer/writer with a number of top-selling titles under his belt. As is often the case in Porn Valley, the set is full of longtime friends and the atmosphere is jovial.
Whale Tail 4 is Lord's directorial debut for Smash and while the crew gets the bedroom dressed and lit, Lord — looking like a rock star in silver chains, sunglasses and soul patch on his chin — takes a moment to talk about g-strings and jeans. (For those unfamiliar with the concept of the "whale tail," it's the y-shaped part of the back of a girl's panties that often pokes through the top of low-cut jeans.)
"I've always liked the whale," Lord says. "And it's one of two things that makes me crazy — other than boobs. The first is when the top of a girl's ear peeks out of her hair. And the other is when a girl's panties come out of the top of her jeans.
"Since I don't think I'll be doing any ear movies anytime soon, I think I'll stick to the whale tail."
Volume four is a mixture of vignette and pretty girl-style set-ups, and Lord makes sure to note what is arguably the most important aspect of the title — the girls.
"We have a great cast," says Lord. "Yesterday we had Emma Cummings, Missy Stone and my new favorite — Phoenix Marie. She's a beautiful blonde with big tits and a gigantic ass."
Soon Lord is back inside shooting Stephanie Cane and Derrick Pierce through their relentless hardcore session. As the scene the continues on, Stephanie's howls echo louder and louder through the house.
Outside, petite Lexi Belle sits next to Van Damage on a wicker love seat. The two will be performing next and Van is joking about how he's going to change his name to Ramon and become porn's new Latin lover.
Lexi has been in the business for two years and she and Van have worked together once before. For this scene, she plays a sexy mechanic who comes to Van's rescue when his car breaks down.
"I help him because I know everything about cars," says Lexi, and adds, "with my g-string hanging out."
But she also notes the scenario is a bit unrealistic because, "I don't wear underwear in real life. Underwear and bras end up just being one more thing to wash. But I do like it when guys' boxers hang out of their jeans — especially the grungy boys."
"I thought you'd be into a man in an Armani suit and a fresh haircut," says Van, "a debonair, cosmopolitan man."
"Sometimes," Lexi returns.
"But now I know, you like dirty underwear and bong water," Van jokes.
Inside the house, Stephanie's howls have become a high-pitched falsetto as Pierce continues to pound away. In between Stephanie's falsettos, words like "fuck!" and "oh my god!" can be heard.
When the scene ends and the performers come out of the bedroom, the set photographer asks, "Was Mariah Carey getting fucked in there?" Stephanie, meanwhile, steps outside and pulls up her dress to show off her swollen pussy — the prize from their hour-and-a-half fuck session.
Whale Tail 4 streets June 19
