In this guest post, filmmaker Jennifer Lyon Bell shares her philosophies behind SILVER SHOES Jennifer Lyon Bell, winner of “Movie of the Year” at the 2014 Feminist Porn Awards.

My General Approach

I try to make the sex films that I myself wish I could find. It’s so hard for me to find erotic films that are quite sexually explicit but where the characters also have great chemistry and there’s an interesting story. Being true to my own quirky taste is the only way I can make movies. I pick the cast, the stories, and the styling based on what I personally think is hot. I try to tune in to my instincts and follow from there.

The Carnal Power of What We Wear

I like characters that don’t quite fit the mold of masculinity and femininity that I see in most mainstream TV and ads. Studly dudes and sexy ladies in black stockings aren’t quite my taste. That’s how Silver Shoes came about. For Liandra and AnnaBelle’s scene, I wanted to explore the idea of a feminine woman who purposely plays with masculine clothes and masculine attitude at the same time. That’s hot to me. Or in Liandra and Joost’s scene, a handsome chiseled guy who’s comfortable in tight shiny leggings. That’s why Silver Shoes is about “the carnal power of what we wear”. These unexpected “carnal” clothing items symbolize so much about the personality of the wearer who chose them. They become saturated with meaning, which can linger long after the wearer is gone. In AnnaBelle’s solo scene, “Silver Shoes: The Housesitter,” I can relate to how intensely she’s trying to soak up feelings from someone else’s empty clothing. It’s so touching because we’ve all felt that way.

Personal Filmmaking Style

My personal filmmaking challenge is to balance cinema craft with the unexpected. I love spontaneity. The most exciting porn for me is where I feel like I’m watching some kind of first-time experience play out in front of me, surprising even the performers themselves. So I can’t script every word, or choreograph the sex scene practically at all, because I want to give the performers freedom during filming. If they’re still enjoying each other while the cameras are rolling, I never stop the sex scene or try to encourage them to do something else I have in mind. When people are being spontaneous and emotionally present, all these tiny amazing details flourish. A certain fleeting expression on someone’s face, a small but powerful sound — I wouldn’t jeopardize that for the world. It’s like magic. In one of the Silver Shoes stories (“Silver Shoes: Undressed”), Liandra Dahl has the most amazing expression on her face for just a second or two while she’s fucking AnnaBelle Lee on her lap with a Feeldoe. I feel lucky to have been present for that. I feel that way about a lot of the shots in Silver Shoes.

Creating the Unexpected on Set

In Silver Shoes, I’m trying to be even more true to that feeling I’m always trying to create: That the story and sex are playing out for the very first time in front of the viewer. I cast some actors/actresses with great acting skills, and then let them improvise on set around the plotlines that I thought would be cool. This was my first time asking the performers to improvise so much material on set, and I’m grateful that they trusted me enough to try it. It let them add their own personality to the role, and it let them speak in a comfortable rhythm in sync with their native accents (which was important on Silver Shoes, because we had performers from the USA, Australia, Belgium, England, and Holland!)

From my stage actress days, I remember that improvising dialogue can help you “click” into engaging with your costar, because you genuinely have to listen closely to the other person. I think that process helped our sex scenes a lot. Honestly it’s hard to account for the great chemistry: I actually had to leave some footage on the cutting-room floor for the first time ever, because the performers were so into each other that I captured more orgasms than I could reasonably show per storyline! I’m a very fortunate director.

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