Aug 24 2008
An Interview With Julie Simone, Fetish Icon
Image courtesy of JulieSimone.com
I know Julie Simone through Marky. Marky met her back in his days as the head fetish writer for AEBN. She’s sent a couple of movies for us to review in the past. Her films aren’t as much porn as fetish. They are very distinct from other movies we’ve screened and reviewed. You can find the review of Smoking Interviews 3 on the MarkyDSade.com bondage blog. I decided that I would take the opportunity to get to know her better and so I did this interview with her.
How would you describe Julie Simone films to someone who has never seen one before?
I have had others describe my work as “stylish brutality”… I try to make everyone look good, have them do interesting and different things and occasionally there will be an underlying or subliminal message so you can talk about something after you get off.
What do you think are the key ingredients to a good fetish film?
Working with people who are genuinely into what they are doing, not people who are punching the clock and going through a routine.
Are directing, producing, and editing just the natural progression for an adult film actress or was it an intentional move on your part?
I don’t think it’s a natural progression at all. Doing all these things requires a certain level of sophistication and intelligence that most actresses do not possess. It was a very intentional move on my part, I’ve been doing it almost as long as I’ve been in front of the camera.
In the films that I’ve seen with MDS, I noticed that you layer fetish upon fetish. Do you think it’s better to focus on just one fetish in a film or to combine it with other fetishes? Why/why not?
From a marketing standpoint it is better to just do one thing. If you look at the sites that are successful that’s what they do. I would be bored out of my fucking mind if I took that approach. I am less successful for it, but I think it makes my work more interesting and possibly opens up other fetishes for people who might not have been exposed to them otherwise.
Do you write for the actress or do you find the actress for the part?
I typically write with a certain person in mind for the role.
Is directing more challenging when you’re in the scene or is it easier because you’re in the scene? In that same vein, is it easier to direct someone else’s script than your own?
It’s considerably more challenging to direct a scene you’re in because you can’t be completely in the moment of what you’re doing as a performer or as a director. It’s easier now that I am typically the top in my films, but it’s still difficult. I’ve been working with Mike Mayonnaise, the videographer for scenes I am in, for almost 2 years now, which has made it easier. He knows what I want for the most part now so I don’t have to micro-manage every shot to ensure I’m getting what I want.
I don’t direct any scripts that are not my own.
What is your favorite cereal? (I always ask everyone this, I’m obsessed with cereal)
I rarely eat cereal. Which one I eat when I do depends on my mood. I like Cinnamon Life, Honeycombs, Cocoa Krispies, Grape Nuts, Honey Bunches of Oats…
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of the scene that might surprise my readers? (Like maybe you collect cookie jars?!)
I crochet every once in a great while. I made my kitten a Christmas sweater last year… I go hiking, take nature pics…
What is it about Julie Simone films that keep fetishists coming back over and over again?
They’re different and unique and you never know exactly what you’re going to get. I think people also appreciate the attention to detail that I give my work. I don’t crank shit out for mass consumption. People know when they get one of my movies that I’ve slaved over it for months and months, every aspect has been carefully chosen, etc.
What is your most successful film? What was your most personally satisfying film?
It depends on how you measure success. Financially it would be “Ashley Renee, Latex Slave”. Exposure-wise, it would be “Audition”, which has played at several film festivals and was named one of the Best Porns of 2007 by Eros Zine. To this day the movie i have the most affection for is “Dolly Dreams”, the first video I directed for GwenMedia back in 2003 or 2004. It’s not my best film technically, but it’s probably one of my most surreal films, 2nd only to “Audition“. The problem with”Audition” is the concept was so extreme that the underlying message was lost on most people. So as a surreal film, “Dolly Dreams” was more successful in getting the message across/stimulating thought, questions, etc.
What are your current projects?
I just wrapped post-production on “Julie Simone, Bondage Legend” and am finishing up post on “Lesbian Love, Vol 2″. I’m about to start editing “Vicious Vixxxens VI: Asphyxiating Ariel”, and am filming “Lesbian Fantasies” for Abigail Productions. In October, I’ll be filming “Vicious Vixxxens VII” which stars Summer Cummings and Krissy as our sex toy/love doll. That one is slated to be my most extreme video yet.
Aside from our VOD (Video On Demand) Theater, where can my readers find your work? Do you have Myspace? FetLife? A blog? A Clips Store? LiveJournal?
I am on myspace: myspace.com/juliesimone and on LiveJournal —you can reach it via my site, www.juliesimone.com in the BLOG section, i have clips stores on my own site as well as clips4sale.com, and on my other sites SmokingTV.com, ViciousVixxxens.com, and POVDommes.com
Do you have one favorite scene?
From Vicious Vixxxens 6, a scene I call “Mommy Summer” in which Summer Cummings plays this crazy mother who dunks Ariel X’s head in a bucket of water and beats her with a wire hanger. I wrote that scene for Summer and let her run with it. She had everyone in tears, it was amazing. Her character was a cross between Susan Alexander and Joan Crawford.
What separates erotic art from pornography to you?
I’m not one who sits around and thinks about those kinds of things. Some people talk about art, some people actually make it. I’m in the latter group.
People who feel the need to make that distinction are only trying to intellectualize and make themselves feel better about their perversions. The end purpose of both is the same -to get people turned on and to get them off.
[Cross-posted from CatalinaLoves.com]
October 19th, 2008 at 10:30 am
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