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The World of Viv Thomas

Video Interview

An interview with the king of Leg Sex: porn icon, Viv Thomas View the first half here... and the second half here...

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Testimonials

Read what others say about Viv Thomas here...

How did you get into the adult business and how many years have you worked as a director? What was your main motivation to get into it? Was making money your main goal from the beginning?

This was a natural progression from shooting photo sets for magazines. Another photographer friend convinced me that making videos was the next step. My very first movie was called "Leg Sex" a foot fetishist’s movie. That was in 1995 and it was a very successful video but we have grown since then. Money is always a reason to do something, but I do enjoy working in the Adult Business, it is never boring.

Describe for us the best and the worst moment you remember during your career in the adult industry.

I have had many many great times since I started in this business. I have met and worked with some wonderful people, such as Diana van Laar, Zsanett (Sandy), Jenna Jameson and many other fabulous ladies. Every movie we make is a milestone for me. As far as the worst time I can remember, luckily we have not had many, but one I remember most is going to Portugal with five English girls which was an absolute disaster. Three of the girls behaved like children and were totally unprofessional, it made the week the most unpleasant location trip ever. When they finally left to go home we all danced with joy and relief.

What are your views on the models that you hire? Are they professionals needing to be treated as such or just useful resources for a porn production?

One of the reasons that we work with Hungarian Models is because most of them are professional and treat this business as a job. They take care of themselves and respect the production teams and our requirements. Unfortunately the majority of English girls do not have this attitude. They do not seem to have any respect for themselves, never mind the production. I like working with the models and I give them the greatest of respect, they are people trying to make an honest living and deserve to be given credit for what they are doing.

What do you prefer to shoot? Do you believe lesbian movies are more difficult to be shown correctly and what about the main differences between them and boy/girl movies?

I personally prefer making lesbian movies for many reasons, but the main reason is because you can truly make movies that are real with genuine female orgasms. The sex is gentler and there is honest love in our scenes. When you make boy/girl movies it is expected that the sex is wild and has to be filthy and extreme or else nobody wants to buy it. We have big problems trying to sell our B/G movies in America because they are not extreme enough. I do not believe that models have to be degraded to the extent that the USA market demands.

How do you plan your movies? Do you have to set a business plan for each year, containing a specific number of productions to be completed? Do you usually face legal or financial complications?

Each year's movie plans has to be made at least six months in advance, so for 2005 we have already started our plans. We have to secure locations almost a year ahead to make sure we have suitable places to work every year. When we make our plans we have to consider many factors, how many movies we need to make for ourselves, how many programs Playboy/Adult Channel will require, what we will have to do for Paul Raymond and now we have a growing market in mobile telecommunications. Financially this takes quite a lot of planning if you consider that each production is around $50,000.00. In the UK we are always faced with legal problems because of the antiquated laws and narrow-minded beliefs in the country.

Who is the one who has the responsibility to pay the models for their participation in a movie? Do you do it yourself or do you just produce the movie?

For my sins I am responsible for the complete production from the planning to the final marketing of our titles, this includes all the finances.

What kind of process has to be followed when a new model is entering your studios? Is there a kind of audition, including an interview with her? Do you ever remember yourself rejecting a girl, despite her sexual benefits?

Our model agent tries to screen all the new models before we see them, this helps save a lot of time. Even with the help of our agent we still see a lot of girls that we consider not suitable for us. We have made some mistakes and lost a few girls that have become very popular after we decide not to use them.

From the very first moment a viewer of your movies is able to realise your special, almost unique angle on how a lesbian film should be directed. What is the most important aspect in a lesbian production?

We try very hard to produce Lesbian Movies that make you feel that the models are actually enjoying themselves and that the love scenes are real. We want our movies to be honest and show real passion.

Are you able to mark some of your movies and name some of your favourites? To make this more specific, name us your best 3 movies ever.

This is very difficult to answer because the movies I loved the most are not necessarily our most popular movies. I think that our most popular Movies are; 1) Pink Velvet "The Innocence of Lesbian Love" 2) Searching for Silvia. 3) Room Service. If I must tell you which movies I loved the most it would be for sentimental reasons, each one being a milestone in our careers as producers of Adult Movies and not necessarily our best sellers; 1) Leg Sex. This was my first ever Movie with my favourite model ever Diana van Laar and was a big success. It is a foot fetish movie and not everybody's cup of tea. 2) War & Sex. This was our first attempt at trying to produce a feature type sex movie and we had a lot of fun making it. I think it is great movie but TOO sophisticated for a sex movie. 3) Memoirs of a Foot Fetist. To me this is one of our best productions; it is a real movie with real sex in it. The stories are true and each scene depicts what actually happened. This movie deserves a lot more credit than anybody can imagine.

Pink Velvet (1) was a fantastic success for lesbian productions. What are your feelings for this movie after almost a year and a half? Do you still believe it was a perfect masterpiece or do you think it could be made even better?

Pink Velvet is probably the biggest milestone in our short history and has changed the way we think about lesbian movies. When I thought up the idea (inspired by Tipping the Velvet,) I never believed that Lewis and the boys would be able to carry it off. I think that we have revolutionized Lesbian Movies with this new approach, thanks also to the help of Lezlovevideo. Sure it is not perfect and there are a number of things that could have been better, but we learned a lot from making this movie. All I can say is that the mistakes we made with Pink Velvet 1 and then with Pink Velvet 2 will not be in the Final Episode. It is my ambition that Pink Velvet 3 "A Lesbian Obsession" will be a bench mark that we will be judged on for a long time to come. Our competitors are now trying to copy our style, however PV 3 is going to set such a high standard that they are going to have a problem exceeding it.

Is it correct that you prefer asking your girls about which other models they prefer working with to achieve a better production? How does the really work? Do you ask them directly or is there a discussion between you and the listed models for the next scene?

When we are making a lesbian production, one of the first requirements is that the girls must like girls. We even go so far as to say unless the girls actually have or have had lesbian relationships of some sort in their private lives we cannot use them.

What are your future plans and ambitions? Is there something you have dreamed of doing and if so, is this dream close to being realized?

I would like to semi-retire in a few years time. Lewis and his guys are learning fast and I am quite confident that they will be able to manage very well without me in a couple of years. I have a few ideas for photographic books I would like to try and produce in my spare time.

What do you suggest to aspiring adult movies producers? What kind of dangers should they be aware of and what is the secret to be a successful movie director?

There are so many things to be considered if you want to produce quality movies, far too many to be discussed here. However I think the first major problem is finance and then it is imperative that you have a very good agent working for you. Possibly the biggest secret to a successful producer is the attention to detail.

Do you have to cut a scene several times or do you let it flow? What kind of thoughts are passing through your head during a scene or a movie?

The flow of a scene depends a lot on what type of action we are looking for and also on the girls, if they are enjoying themselves we leave them to it. When we are actually filming it is very difficult to think of anything else other than what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes an adult video scene is so hot or the girls are so beautiful that you do get to thinking how sexy the whole thing is. One such an occasion was recently when Gina B had the most amazing orgasm I have ever witnessed both on set and even in my own private life. We would not be human if such an experience did not excite you.

How do you imagine yourself in a few years? Is there a possibility for you someday to give up work? Do you have a talented successor waiting in the wings?

As I said I would like to semi-retire in two years time, the team that I have working for me at the moment are all very capable of taking over in my absence. They still have quite a lot to learn but two years is plenty of time for them. Lewis is an inspiration in our offices and is going to be one of the greats in this business. Not to mention the rest of the guys; Sean, and Pete are both extremely talented guys and will all be remembered in this business for a long time to come. Not forgetting, the people that work just as hard and just as capable behind the scenes, Stephen and Nick on our website, Avril who is our Girl Friday and last but not least Deborah who controls all of us in the offices.

Is there anything you like to add? A special message to your fans?

What else can I say but a very special thanks to some wonderful people such as yourself and all the folks on the Forum without who's fantastic support we would be nothing. We have an incredible client base who are so faithful to us and support our every move, no amount of thanks can ever express our appreciation. Somebody that we should never forget are the fantastic people at Lezlovevideo in the States. It was their guidance and inspiration that made Pink Velvet possible.