‘10 years ago you’d never come here,” a crew member says in my direction as we stand outside in the unseasonably cold L.A. weather, the breeze flowing past the silk of my jacket and off into the industrial distance. There must be a large church in the area because a number of buildings are emblazoned with bible quotes as if creating a puritanical ward against the goings-on across the block.
Inside the warehouse is only a hair warmer, with the crew bustling about and performers getting their makeup done. Everyone is dressed to the nines in steampunk regalia — gears here, goggles there, hats aplenty, skirts akimbo.
‘Carnal’ is all over the board, from latex slaves, to steampunk, to ice queens, to Asian princesses, to Egyptian gods. We got a little bit of everything for everybody. Hits on all the markers.
The buxom Angela White, nearly spilling over the corset she’s in, walks around in knee-high lace-up brown leather boots. She puts a leg up on an ottoman, her skirt slipping off of it, and tells me that director Brad Armstrong aged them himself; even up close the patina looks good.
In the industry Armstrong is known for his meticulous attention to detail—from lighting to costuming to, in this case, performing, the man has his feelers (and dick) in every corner of production. He’s certainly making use of a sizable budget for this shoot, the last in a series of five for Wicked Pictures’ blockbuster-sized Jessica Drake showcase, “Carnal.”
This scene, a steampunk-themed orgy, wraps up a movie full of incredible sets: an Egyptian-style chamber, an Asian-themed room and an ice wonderland. Some of the BTS posts Armstrong has revealed on Twitter make the cinematography look like something inspired by “Holy Mountain,” neatly organized and symmetrical with bold colors framing the brightly clad performers.
And though this setup is a little more muted it hardly skimps on the details, staying true to the air of mystery and old-timey sexiness of the theme. The lighting contrasts sultry pinkish red and blue gels, shining onto occluded mirrors and dark leather couches that look like they came straight out of a saloon. There are gears and various steampunk accouterment sprinkled around the set, just enough to set the tone without being silly. This feature is all about the aesthetic; everyone makes clear when they speak to me that there won’t be much chatting involved in the production.
Eric Masterson, who joins Armstrong as the scene’s male talent, says that Armstrong is his favorite director to work for. “Some roles you get into,” he explains, “some roles it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m the dirty cop,’ or, ‘Hey, here’s my wiener.’ Brad has a vision. I’m willing to go the nine yards. He’s decisive — it inspires confidence. Lots of people go, ‘Hmm, should I shoot in the kitchen?’ I’m like, ‘Why are you asking me?’”
With Armstrong’s level of preparation, even for a scene with no dialogue, everything eventually boils down to logistics. Masterson shows off his hefty leather gauntlet, seamed with what seems like leather upholstery thread.
“That arm is impressive,” White tells him in her Australian lilt.
He tells her that he likes it, but there’s a caveat: “We’re gonna see if I can actually beat off with it. I know it’s me down there, but…”
I ask him about the style of the shoot, what he is expecting to do once the camera starts rolling. “I’m going to be doing as many girls as they’ll let me do,” he laughs. “There’s no character other than, you know — I guess you can call it a period piece but it’s all art-core, it’s all stylized, it’s much more, to me, about staying in the outfit and featuring the girls.” The 19-year veteran is realistic about his job and purpose on set: “That’s what everybody wants to see: the girls, not me.”
Masterson dons his bowler hat and goes to take stills, which are shot by Nigel Dictator, whose face tattoos belie a kindness and humor that brightens the set — especially into the eleventh hour. Masterson poses on the wooden trunk that sits in the middle of the set complete with his golden gear-adorned arm bracers and a rifle.
I turn to the small kitchen positioned off to the side of the warehouse and sit down in a booth with Mercedes Carrera. She is a stunningly beautiful amazon of a woman, sporting a perfect tan and a sideswept braid that leaves her signature banged, long brown hairstyle in the dust and transforms her into a steampunk siren.
Carrera entered the business roughly four years ago; the SAG actress tells me that her career shift was “a long time coming.”
“I had been a model, I went to college, I worked as an engineer for about seven years and then ended up doing A/V engineering,” she notes. “I was working with people in porn; I kind of took the long way around. I love it, it’s super fun. It’s such a blast because you get to do all the cool art film stuff and you get to fuck — and that’s awesome.
“I love working with Brad,” Carrera gushes, “Brad’s always got great ideas and interesting concepts, so I’m excited to be back. He outdid himself with the outfits. He made all the costumes — if it didn’t come stock he modified it, it’s incredible. He has an art background, that’s what he went to school for. But you can see kind of why he’s so exacting about it.”
The performer’s tan, goggled hat rests on the table. Her unbuttoned white pirate shirt is pressed down by a leather collar and harness that flows into a corset with intricate, eye-catching details. “It’s really neat for me to get to do something that’s actually more conceptual,” she continues, “and more visual. This is cool because we get to just be ourselves and have fun.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen anything in porn that’s been done so artistically and I’m really excited to be part of it. It’s really great to see Brad and Wicked put so much effort into making something that stands on its own merit, pornography or not, as an artistic piece.”
White stands in the center of the warehouse’s entryway taking selfies for her Snapchat, telling me that she has to stay engaged. She wears a black hat with a monocle on it, white cloth arm wraps and a burgundy corset. Her blue eyes sparkle beneath the cascading brown hair that perfectly frames her girl-next-door features and unwavering smile.
“How’s the outfit treating you?” I ask.
“It’s actually pretty good, the boots are comfortable, the corset,” she pauses. “I would like it to be even tighter, I like that sensation of being pulled in and not being able to quite breathe properly, I quite like it. It makes you a little light-headed, especially when you fuck in a corset that tight. It feels incredible. But this is as tight as it goes, so I’m actually reasonably comfortable considering all the accessories.”
Even for a bubbly Aussie, White seems giddy. She says that she’s looking forward to filming the scene, not just because of the focus on aesthetics but also because, she says, “this is the first time I’m actually shooting with [Brad] as talent. That’s exciting for me.”
“What are you looking forward to most?” I prod.
She pauses and takes a deep inhale before blurting it out: “Fucking Brad. I don’t know if that’s inappropriate to say but, like, I’ve been around Brad a lot and I’ve shot with him and I’ve booked his location a lot. So we get along together but we’ve never had sex, so this is gonna be great.”
Armstrong isn’t the only person getting White’s attention. “I shot a G/G orgy scene with Jessica and I really loved her dynamic in that scene … she would be fucking somebody else and then reach out and touch you even though you’re with another partner. I like that she was always connected to everyone. So I know she’s gonna be an amazing part of this orgy, sex scene, whatever you call it. I think it’s going to be a really good dynamic, exciting, very much fantastical as well as fantasy.”
Drake emerges from makeup, resplendent in a black corset with a tufted tulle skirt and spiky black boots on which she maneuvers around errant floor cables effortlessly. Cardi B’s new album is playing in the background as Drake poses topless with a silver revolver and a top hat with the obligatory goggles.
A tango comes on and the crew murmurs; I recognize the Moulin Rouge soundtrack with a speed that upsets me. Groaning rolls out among the room as people realize what the song is, a gravelly, ‘20s-style version of the Police’s insufferable “Roxanne.” But despite the initial displeasure that waves through the crowd the song is kept playing on loop, eventually settling so far into the background that it seems to actually help the performers get into character. Drake, the DJ, has achieved what she wanted — in this and otherwise, she is ever the effective problem solver.
Before going off to pose for stills, Drake speaks to me about working with Armstrong. “I don’t shoot many movies in a year,” she explains matter-of-factly in her mellifluous, but articulate, lilt, “so I’m really specific about who I work with, what I wanna do. And at this point in my career I only pick projects that really make sense to me, that really resonate with me. I’m either making a statement, pushing an envelope, making a point — something. It has to be super meaningful at this point for me to do it. I just don’t wanna waste my time, you know?
“In this showcase I incorporated working with a trans woman again, which is something I plan to do as long as I am still performing and directing. I’d like to not have the industry be as separated as it is, you know? Instead of catering to what I thought was my fan base, I’m catering to the things that I love and that I want to do and they’ll follow along. And if they don’t then my fan base will shift, and that’s okay too.”
Working with trans women is something Drake lobbied for years to happen. “It was two or three years in the making. And when I was finally able to do that [in last year’s ‘Jessica Drake is Wicked’] it was both a big deal and not such a big deal. I loved it. There was conversation initially within the company, like, ‘Do we just put this on the internet version and not include it on the DVD? Do we put it on the DVD with a disclaimer?’ Obviously I was against that, because why are you gonna tell somebody how to feel about something before they see it? I wanted people to buy the showcase movie because it was reflective of my work as a performer and then see things in it that they might not watch otherwise. I think that this movie is sort of a continuation of that; it’s more of my dreams and my fantasies and things that I wanna do and an expression of my sexuality.”
I ask her about the level of collaboration between herself and Armstrong, her partner.
“For the Egyptian scene, and I wonder if Brad will tell the story the same way,” she says, “we were gonna morph Sean Michaels and Ana Foxxx and as I was making my dream list of actors I came across his and put Natassia Dreams on the list in between. So later he comes up to me and he’s like, ‘I had an idea.’ And I’m like,” she play-gasps, “‘That is a great idea!’ But it’s my handwriting that put her name on the list.”
When it comes time for Drake to take some short videos, the collaboration machine starts to turn its gears. She stands by the piano as Armstrong and Director of Photography Barrett Blade — who’s ensconced himself in a scarf a, pea coat and top hat to go with his cargo pants and Adidas — try to come to a consensus on whether or not Drake should be playing the instrument in the shot.
Ever the professional, Drake is patient. But even as she playfully pouts and demurs she’s still in control of her work. “Do you want me to get on the piano? I don’t know what you’re doing, babe,” she says to Armstrong and the prompt seems to snap everything into place. She looks into the camera and leans against the piano as she runs a couple of fingers languidly over the keys, curling her leg up against the wood.
In between shoots I find Blade nursing a rough back on a couch in the warehouse’s entryway. He’s been working with Armstrong since his time as a performer, starting around 2000, and been his DP for over two years. He, like the performers, is excited about the piece. “I used to do a lot of features; it’s nice to just get away from that and not have to be stuck to a script, you know? It’s a lot more fun for me. It’s nice to just go crazy.”
I ask how much leeway Armstrong gives him creatively. “Brad has his ideas but he definitely is open to all creativity, so he’s really good about that. As long as it’s cool and it’s different, he’s not stuck to any certain way, you know? And I appreciate that as an artist, to be able to be creative and not be stuck into a mold.”
In the background, the director is milling around making sure that everyone’s costume is up to snuff. He himself is dressed in all black, with high-top boots and a vest featuring metallic accents. His pants, the cast and crew notes aloud, are particularly tight around the balls.
Drake is the perfect unofficial assistant director-cum-cheerleader for the shoot, purring at the performers to encourage them while they’re posing. When, during her ring light stills, Carrera expertly licks the barrel of her gun, Drake cannot help but let out a loud, “Yesss!” White’s ring light shots leave Drake speechless: “Oh my god, your eyes! Gorgeous. What a … wow.”
She helps guide Armstrong’s actions too, as he points his toy gun at the camera and sternly lets it off with a click. He poses under her direction, quickly and efficiently firing off a round of stills and a short video clip.
Armstrong makes his way off the set for the shoot’s final preparations. “It looks pretty awesome so far, I gotta say,” he tells me. “I do kind of two different movies: either the big storytelling ones or the big art-directy ones. These are kind of just art for art’s sake because art direction is my background and how I started; I like to fill the truck and get a bunch of shit [for the set].”
He discusses the progress on “Carnal” as a whole: “So far the movie’s looking really good, it’s just a wide variety of different characters and groups of people and sets that go along with them. ‘Carnal’ is all over the board, from latex slaves, to steampunk, to ice queens, to Asian princesses, to Egyptian gods. We got a little bit of everything for everybody. Hits on all the markers. It’s kind of cool.”
I ask him about his level of collaboration with Drake. He explains, “We definitely bounce some shit off each other all the time. But I will take full credit at every turn.” Despite the bravado, without prompting he tells the story of how Drake inspired him to use Dreams for the shape-shifting scene. “That was her idea,” he admits without my even asking, underlining his underlying gratefulness for his partner’s contributions.
After having seen Armstrong direct on the set of his feature “Camgirl,” I find myself curious about his feelings about having to perform, too. “If it was up to me,” he admits, “if I could make as much money acting as I do directing I would 100 percent [act]. Because when I’m just doing acting, that’s like a day off. Very little prep. As opposed to filling a truck full of stuff, I have to shave my balls … to be behind the camera, you definitely appreciate the work that goes into it a little bit more.”
For his measure, Armstrong seems to appreciate what’s going on in front of the camera plenty. “Wash your holes,” he says to the girls before the scene begins.
“Do you want my…?” White asks, confused by his use of the plural.
“I can’t afford your other hole,” Armstrong jokes.
“Yeah, good luck with that. I’ll clean this one and leave that one dirty.”
Drake remembers the final piece of the puzzle and jumps up like there’s a fire, running over to a bag and pulling out a bunch of steampunk dildos that Armstrong had apparently slaved away on the night before. And with that, the action is deemed ready to begin.
Masterson still seems perplexed by his gloves, telling the story of how, like now, he didn’t know what to do with his hands during his first-ever doggy style. In the end he decides that the gloves are going to come off after all.
Armstrong leaves his on and makes good use of the leather, admittedly thinner and softer than Masterson’s, to reach down and touch White as the girls tell one another what they do and do not like during sex.
“I know you can take a lot,” Carrera says to White, “I don’t know what you like.”
“If you’re in it, I’m in it,” White replies.
“I do not like having my hands restrained,” Carrera explains.
Drake pipes in, “I like it.”
White and Drake kiss, with Drake demonstrating the trademark caring nature that White had told me about earlier. The scene alternates between hardcore and softcore, with the actors needing to be reminded when the raunch has to be turned down.
“No slapping in hardcore!” Armstrong says to the eager performers.
“Softcore is never exciting,” Blade laments.
Carrera and Masterson hook up on the couch and the actors slowly strip. Carrera, for the record, is the only woman to keep her hat on — a fact that impresses White.
The three girls move to the center of the set and perform acrobatics on the wooden trunk, Carrera lying underneath White and eating her out while White does the same to Drake from behind.
Even in the middle of performing, the director gets up and adjusts White’s corset so it fits just right. “Alright you dirty whore,” he says, “Someone sit on a dick.” White goes on to fuck Masterson while Armstrong takes Carrera from behind over the trunk, Drake standing over and watching them.
The actors arrange themselves in various combinations over the course of the shoot, the girls giggling and complimenting one another when given the chance.
“Your arse is just, like… I love it,” White coos at Carrera.
“I love your tits!” Carrera replies. The performers seem giddy at the chance to be able to speak to one another candidly during the shoot.
“Eat ass, that’s good,” the camera operator says to White.
“I’m down!” says the ever-game Aussie before going straight for Armstrong’s behind while he fucks Carrera.
“Spitroast! That’s American,” marvels the operator.
Finally, out come the steampunk dildos — the shoot’s gun on the wall. Drake ends up with one inside of her at the hands of Carrera, enjoying it thoroughly.
The shoot wraps up with Carrera’s anal portion and a DP for Drake, each section organically flowing into the next — the result of some fiery on-set chemistry that can only portend a rousing, and sexy, release.
It’s no shock that everyone on set, from the crew to the performers, were excited to make “Carnal” — just as it will come as no surprise when everyone clamors to watch the full release.
