"The Emperor holds Kristen Bjorn and his videos in high regard, as you all no doubt know by this time. Every serious porn fan has probably wondered what makes his movies so exceptional. Bjorn has decided to satisfy our curiosity by making this fascinating documentary, which follows the behind-the-scenes action in producing his most recent sex epic, "Wet Dreams." "Making It With Kristen Bjorn" is an eye-opener. It offers us rabid porn fans a rare look into the creation of our favorite form of entertainment".
"The documentary is narrated by Bjorn and follows the production of "Wet Dreams" scene by scene. Each segment begins with a montage of moments from the final product. Behind-the-scenes vignettes are then used to illustrate particular points about the trials and tribulations of making porno. Interspersed with these clips are interviews with most of the performers. They're asked a series of several questions, including "What is the best/worst part of making porn?"; "What is your sexual orientation?"; "What was your first sexual experience with a man?"; and so on".
"This is a very long video, at least two hours, and just packed with interesting tidbits of all sorts. It's nice to catch the models at unguarded moments, laughing and smiling, and also to see them talk about their work in porn. And needless to say, it's fascinating to watch Bjorn at work. He's the ultimate in "auteur" filmmaking. It's already well known that he takes up to four days to film a single scene, and now we know why. Every moment, every position, every camera angle and lighting effect, is planned and choreographed and endlessly refined. All of this is with the support of The Bear, his trusty assistant, and -- at least in the case of "Wet Dreams -- Andres Navarro, who is also one of his models from time to time (and who filmed much of "Making It With Kristen Bjorn"). Bjorn and his team work effortlessly together, undoubtedly the product of many years together. However, there is no one else on the set except for the models, which creates a more intimate atmosphere that one might find on other porn sets".
"The overwhelming impression given by this entire documentary, especially the models' comments, is that making porn is a lot of hard work, and not really any more fun than any other job. This is underscored by what we observe happening behind-the-scenes, where the models have to repeatedly get erections, only to lose them when the shot changes and the lighting is altered. A number of them self-identify as straight, and in their interviews complain, grimacing, about how hard it was to take this or that big dick up their asses".
"Getting to know their personalities will only make you bigger fans of some of these performers. Buddy Jones is absolutely adorable. He has a sweet, gentle, open manner that is completely charming. You can't help but want to hold him in your arms and cuddle him. Ferran Griego is something of a cut-up on the set, but extremely bright and articulate in his interview. Miguel Leon is a joker as well. Bruno Diaz (from Spain) seems like a character from an Almodovar movie. Alexei Gromoff is so sweet and boyish it's hard to believe he's married with a child".
"And of course we learn lots of amusing fun facts in the course of the video. For instance, did you know that models don't work well on a full stomach? Bjorn gives them an hour off after a meal. Being a Bjorn model also means you're a grip, a gopher, a janitor, a moving man, and just about everything else. Since he only has a crew of one or two, the models are pressed into service for all kinds of on-the-set chores. (Hey! These guys need a union!) Another oddity: Bjorn usually films his videos backwards, starting with the final scene and working his way back. (Although he doesn't say so, we think this is because it makes continuity easier.)"
"This video is a must for all true gay porn fans. It's the best behind-the-scenes movie since director Ronnie Larsen's "Shooting Porn" (1996), and much more technically revealing (if less gossipy). Although it does include hardcore scenes, you don't really want to watch it like you do regular porn. It's a documentary film with explicit sex, and that's the best way to enjoy it. Don't miss it".
Rating: *** Highly, Highly Recommended ***
-The Emperor, MANNET.COM
Ever wonder how porn videos get made? If so, this is the perfect behind-the-scenes video for you. Just looking for super-hot men having super-hot sex? Then this is the perfect video for you too! Award-winning director Kristen Bjorn lets us take a look at how his latest opus, Wet Dreams 1 & 2, was filmed, including filming techniques, interviews with the stars, out takes and bloopers. Documentary-style specials like this usually focus on major motion pictures and are unheard of in the adult entertainment industry. While Wet Dreams 1 & 2 doesn't have much in the way of costumes, it does have lavish sets and a brilliant director going for it. Not to mention a stellar international cast of hot and horny super-hung tops and hungry sexpig bottoms. Sounds like documentary material to me!
The documentary is narrated sparsely by Bjorn, letting the film footage speak for its self. After commenting on how important the models are to a movie, Bjorn explains that movies are filmed out of sequence, usually backwards. For continuity's sake, the documentary has been edited to follow the scene sequence from the film. In case you haven't seen Wet Dreams lately, Bjorn starts each scene with a brief video recap of the sexual action in the scene. This is a big help, not only for jogging your memory but also to help you appreciate the documentary segment to follow. If more documentaries started out with hot sex scenes I'd be more inclined to watch them!
Watching Bjorn work in each scene is amazing. First off, each scene takes days to film. That's a 12-hour workday, by the way. Bjorn is no prima donna director. He and his assistant, The Bear, set up lighting, do hair and make-up, and do the videography and still photography. On top of this, he directs a huge cast of men, many times in multiple languages. It is truly amazing to watch. When Bjorn shows the guys exactly how he wants them positioned, many times doing the position himself, he may come across as demanding. But it's not ego on display here, it is an experienced director who knows exactly how to get the hottest take in each scene. You have to respect that. Other times, Bjorn jokes with the actors in between takes and comes across as an easygoing guy with a good sense of humor. May I also mention that he is as hot as any of the men he films! Too bad he stays fully clothed in this documentary sigh.
Since there are so many foreign men in Bjorn's movies, many of them have plot but little dialogue. This documentary shows them when the cameras aren't rolling, and they come across as real people, very playful and generally in a good mood, considering the long hours. In between shots, the actors are also interviewed (subtitles appear for those who don't speak English). They are asked the best and worst things about making a porno, their sexual orientation, would they advise a friend to make a porno, etc. There are no shocking revelations here, but it is surprising to hear how many of them identify as straight - especially when you've just seen them with a monster size dick up their ass. The interviewing makes the actors more human, less godlike and is generally interesting.
More shocking is how much porn is lying around the sets. There are piles of straight and gay mags everywhere for the guys to use when they have "equipment" failure. Some of the hottest scenes in this video are those where the actors are helping each other out, off camera. You know its not staged, these guys are just into their equally hot costars. And who can blame them?
The parts of the video showing how they film the "under carriage" shots are wild. You won't believe what they have to go through to get those underneath shots of assfucking. Also interesting is how Bjorn gets those famous no-hands cum shots. I really enjoyed the outtakes and bloopers that are interspersed throughout the tape. Bjorn is even caught on film accidentally falling facefirst into one guy's spread ass crack and then making a joke about it.
There are very few things I didn't enjoy about this video. The interviewing segments are great, but I would have liked the questions to have been changed for the different actors. Hearing dozen guys say that the best part of making a porno is the money gets monotonous. Also, I would have liked to have seen more of the prep worked involved in making a video. Actors are important, and Bjorn picks guys from all over the globe, so why these guys? And why are certain guys paired up, even in group sex scenes? It would be interesting to find out why people are picked for specific scenes.
Overall, this is a great video for anyone who enjoys porn videos and a landmark video for the gay porn industry. It's great to see what goes on when the camera isn't rolling. You'd never guess this much work goes into making one scene for a movie. Getting Wet Dreams 1 & 2 wouldn't be a bad idea when seeing this video. I bet you will never watch videos the same way again.
- Ryan Williams