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A Conversation with Marco Guerra/FPG Entertainment by Mark Adams
Marco Guerra is the head of the new FPG Entertainment, whose first production of "Punks" hit the streets a short while ago. Nick's idea is to bring the quality of mainstream movies to the wonderful world of gay porn, with a full story line and "not just a tool to get off." We chatted by phone.
Mark: You have an interesting accent. Where are you from originally?
Marco (MG): I’m from Florence Italy, but I’ve been in the states for years and years.
M: It says in your bio that you were in adult movies.
MG: I had the honor to appear with several big studios for a little while. It wasn’t gay porn. I learned a lot. My partner Cameron Finn has always been behind the camera, with photography and directing for mainstream movies in Hollywood for over 20 years.
M: I’m nosy, I’ve got to know these things. What made you decide to get into the producing end?
MG: From watching porn, tho I have to say, I’m not really a fan of it too much. I thought it might be different if I made it. I saw a lot of homemade (amateur) stuff, which I hated. The other stuff was just boring to me. I would watch it for 10-15 minutes, and that would be it. Of course, remember that is just my taste. I wanted to create something that viewers would actually enjoy watching without all that fast-forwarding. That was my goal. I wanted something of extremely high quality. That was our goal. I wanted to transport all our experiences from mainstream movies, with great photography, great settings, and with a real story.
M: I would think that, in the porn industry,that might create some problems. Many of the performers are not “actors,” but sex performers.
MG: That is correct. That is why we are very demanding. It began a challenge. All our actors, and I prefer to call them “actors” and not “porn stars,” are artists. At the beginning, I have to say they had a tough time working with us. But at the end, they wanted to work with us again. It was a big challenge for them as well. We required them to something many of them had never done before, like reading a full script, working on a full set. We do takes after takes. Most of them weren’t used to working like that. We try to do it just like they with mainstream movies, only, obviously, on a much smaller scale.
M: When they came in to audition, did you have them audition as actors as well as porn performers?
MG: Absolutely. For us, acting and performing sexually are equally as important. We will do many takes, until the director is happy.
M: Did you find it difficult to find sex performers who could act?
MG: It was a challenge. There were some who could really deliver the lines from studying the script, other guys would take up to 20 takes to get it right.
M: It must have been trying for the some of the performers, as that’s probably not what they were used to.
MG: Yes, it was much more challenging for them, but also much more rewarding. They put in some very long days, but, as I said, they want to work with us again, so that has to be good.
M: How long does it take you to put a movie together?
MG: Other adult companies are able to prep a movie in 1 month or less, we need at least 3. I heard that they had never seen a sound mixer operator in an adult movie set We can’t even think to have a crew without one, if you want to have perfect sound, you must work with professional. All our music is created for each of our movies, and scenes and must respect the mood of the scene and the characters of our actors. We have writers who write the stories, “Top Dawgz” has been written by Chris Brand; then, we have to have screenwriters for the scripts.
M: Sounds similar to what Michael Lucas does. What do you think of his work?
MG: Well, Michael Lucas is…well, Michael Lucas. He makes great movies. He can, of course, make bigger-budget movies than us, at least for now. I watch all of the Lucas movies, as well as many of the other studios. I don’t want to call them competitors, but colleagues. I do respect what he’s doing. He is a great marketer and a great businessman. And then there’s his image.
M: Anyone else in the gay porn business you admire?
MG: Hot House. I think that with what they do, they are one of the best.
We like to use Hot House as our standard – the photography, the camera work, the overall quality of their product. Outstanding. Of course, it’s not the type of movie that FPG will do. They do mostly sex.
M: How many movies are you planning to put out in a year?
MG: We should have 8 movies out for 2008.
M: Your first movie “Punks” has done well.
MG: We are quite pleased. We are #34 in the US. Pretty good for a first release.
M: Your second movie is called “Top Dawgz,” with an impressive cast.
MG: Yes, there’s Trey Casteel, Cole Ryan, Dak Ramsey. All our movies will have an edge, whether it be wrestling or fighting. That’s because that’s what interests me. I’ve been always into sports and martial arts, love wrestling and that is the reason why in each of FPG’s movies there is always some physical actions, stage fights, wrestling, and that kind of stuff. I want it to be very masculine, and with a rough edge. The story for “Top Dawgz” is great, and it should be very intense. The cinematography is really good - we shot with two cameras, and we’re really happy about it. We’re sure it will be a big hit.
M: Are you planning to sign any actors exclusively to FPG?
MG: FPG is going to sign an exclusive contract with a really nice guy.For one year starting in January, he will be the face of FPG for all 2008. For the moment, we cannot tell you who it is.
M: And your future plans?
MG: FPG also will come up next year with a “ lighter “ DVD, together with our main movies, We are going to create another brand, easier to shoot. and much faster. W’re working on it but we cannot tell more than this at this time. But we can assure you that, no matter what, the quality and techniques will be the same. FPG will never make compromises when it comes of quality and image.
You can see a preview of FPG's new "Top Dawgz" at their website, a work in progress.
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