"I drop thousands of dollars a month on location fees," Mercenary Pictures owner Lexington Steele said. "So having your own place to shoot is much more cost effective."
I'd walked in the place with my attorney, Wayne Hentai, and raconteur Tod-Hunter. The massive TV was in the center of the room, and we headed toward it by its southern approach, camping on a couple of couches in front of it. We became dismayed and uncomfortable immediately, as there was a Fresh Out the Box screening. We were forced to look at each other, and I wondered when we'd begin nervously high-fiving and calling each other "Bro".
The occasion was the filming of a scene from Black Moon Risin' 3. Director Tina Tyler was off at the pool with 19-year-old Jezabelle Sweets, awaiting the arrival of Brian Pumper and Jean-Claude Baptiste. Earlier, Tyler had asked the Haiti-born, Miami-bred Sweets the craziest thing she'd ever done sexually.
"Fucking in a theatre with no drawers on," she'd said immediately.
Steele appears in most of the productions his company films stateside (he also has directors in Europe and Brazil contributing content), but Tyler said that he would appear in more scenes than usual in Black Moon Risin' 3.
"Would you say that viewers will get a little Lextra?" she was asked.
"Yes..." she said wearily, probably regretting the press invitations.
Tyler chatted amiably with Hunter about worldly things while I played tag with the other kids.
Steele sat down and pointed out the house's amenities. Several scenes had already been shot on the property since Lex and fiancee/performer/director Vanessa Blue moved in recently.
"We've got the outside with some limited sightlines from the neighborhood, the pool, the pool table," he said. "Somebody up the street had a wood chipper going the other day, so we just moved the scene inside."
Steele mentioned that, in addition to Tyler, himself, and Vanessa Blue, Mercenary would be adding a director for its gay line. He mentioned a name that rhymed with that of another porn director who would probably not be right for the job. Thinking it was this other guy for several minutes, I imagined what this person's directorial vision for gay content might be, and how he would involve midgets. Luckily I'd misheard.
Jezabelle Sweets has been in Los Angeles one month. She has forgotten how many scenes she has done in that time.
"How long have you been working?" I asked.
"In my life?"
"No," I replied. "In Los Angeles."
"A month."
"You arrived and began working immediately?"
"Yes."
"That's professionalism," I said.
"I guess," she said.
For Sweets' video interview, Tyler had her leafing through a recent AVN. AVN is a trade magazine for the adult industry that holds a yearly awards show. Sweets was looking at an ad for White Bubblebutt Sluts.
Back at the pool, the male talent had arrived and were servicing Sweets in a deck chair. For some reason, we were talkinmg about Cinco de Mayo.
Little thought was paid to Ignacio Zaragoza's victory over the forces of Napoleon III in 1862. Instead, Tyler instructed Sweets to let her breasts hang out of her lame' lounging outfit more.
"Las armas nacionales se han cubierto de gloria," no one said.
Black Moon Risin' 3 will debut this summer.
