Alex Ladd & Contance Le Interview - Alex Ladd's Movies
Aug 2002

This is going to be interesting. I’ve interviewed over a hundred people so far and never have I done so in this type of surrounding.

Really? Why not?

Why not interview someone in a strip club? Well, it’s hard to hear for one thing, but you know it’s already growing on me. Let’s get started. I’m here with Alex Ladd and Constance Le and we should start with the big announcement. You have formed your own production, correct?

Yes, production, distribution the whole deal.

What is it called?

DVSX.

Is it just you?

Actually, I have a partner, Javier.  You might know him.  He’ll be taking care of the sales end, and I’ll be handling production.

When does the first movie come out?

October 8^th. It’s called Teen Sensations and it’s directed by Constance Le who is sitting right beside me. It’s her first movie.

Why hers first?

Simply because mine wasn’t ready and I won’t release something if I’m not happy with it.

Are there only two directors shooting for DVSX right now?

No, we also have newcomer Bryan Xin who is doing two lines. The first is a naturally large breasted line, DDs and over, called Truly Nice Tits, or TNT. The other line is called Truly Nice Ass or TNA. I am directing a line called Double Parked, or DP.

I see a common theme, but it doesn’t work with Teen Sensations.

No, TS wouldn’t really fit with what the movie is.

Constance: It was the first movie we titled, so there was no scheme.  Sakura Tales doesn’t fit the scheme either.

Alex: Bryan made up his own titles. All of the directors will own their own product.

Why did you start your own company?

I just got tired of hopping around from company to company. I knew that there had to be a better way. Why not get a bunch of directors who want to make real money and start a company where everyone owns their own product. It’s their energy and it assures better quality. No one is going to release crap because they won’t make any money with it. We’ve scrapped a few scenes that we didn’t like because that’s how it should be done. It’s what the better companies are doing and that’s what we want to do.

What other differences will there be in your movies?

We are shooting six scene movies instead of five. There are a lot of multiple partner scenes. The DVDs are filled to capacity. Bryan had more stuff he wanted to put on, but we ran out of room.

Are you doing simultaneous DVD releases?

Absolutely, that’s the only way to do it.

Going back for a little background what are some of the companies you’ve shot for?

I shot for just about everyone. You name it, I’ve done it. Thirteen years ago I was painting sets for Ron Vogel. I handed out towels, move up to still photography, then camera, and eventually got to direct.

So why make this move now?

I have the distribution both foreign and domestic and I have the money right now. I’m ready to go.

In case some people aren’t familiar with your stuff, you’ve done a lot for Elegant Angel.

I shot for Elegant Angel, Metro, Sin City and many other companies.

For Elegant Angel, you shot the Gang Bang Angels for a while.

I started at 3 and then stopped at 13. I also shot the last one that they released under a different name.

You shot the one that got pulled off the shelves right?

Yes, that was number nine with Miko Lee.

Why was that pulled?

Alleged copyright infringement.  It was settled out of court.

You shot in a fraternity house right?

Yes, it was the use of their emblem and shooting in the house that caused the problem. We had the permission of the President of the local chapter to shoot there, and everyone there knew what was going on. But this is sue-happy America, after all.

Well fraternities have to keep up their squeaky clean image. Nothing scandalous ever happens there.

God forbid. Fraternity guys don’t watch porno or anything.

If anyone can get a copy of that movie, it’s a great gang bang.

It was fun. Miko Lee was great. I can’t get a hold of her these days though. Miko call me!

What do you think some of your best movies are?

Gang Bang Angels 3, I went all out on. Sabrina Johnson was great. It was over budget, but it came out great. For Sin City, I think Behind the Counter was a good one.

Constance: That was our best one.

That was a funny movie.

Yeah, the writing was really good, very funny.

I heard you had to trash the script and start over though.

That’s not entirely true.

You’ve shot gang bangs, all sex movies, features, pretty much everything.

I have even shot transsexual movies in Brazil for Elegant Angel. I’ve done about a hundred videos in my career, maybe five of them were TS titles. To this day, people come up to me and say “you’re the guy who shoots transsexual movies.” You get labeled pretty quickly.

Do you like shooting TS stuff?

I have fun shooting them, but they aren’t what I prefer.

Are you going to be shooting any for your new company?

I won’t say never, but it’s not on the top of my list of things that I like. That’s another thing that we’re doing. Everyone is shooting the kind of stuff that they like to shoot. When we release a movie, it’s not a variety show. Everything is genre specific. I like shooting DPs. I actually like the big boob stuff, but Bryan beat me to it. Everyone is doing what they enjoy going, but the company is not limited to just a few lines. None of our tapes will be just random though, they will all be genre specific.

So people will know what they’re getting.

Exactly and all of our lines are going to be just sex. No scripts, just the good stuff.   Plenty of tease.

For the big boob stuff, were you able to find enough American girls?

We were all over the place for that one. Wherever we find naturally large breasted girls, we go. We’re spoiled that way with a small crew, we can go wherever we need to go.

Since we’re talking about Teen Sensations, let’s move over to Constance for a bit. Is this your first directorial effort?

Constance: It’s the first one that I’m taking credit for. Alex and I are a team.

Alex: She pretty much directed Behind the Counter, as well as a few other features we did.

So she does all the work and you get all the good reviews?

Constance: We work side by side. If he has to step away, I can take over.

When he screws up, you take over.

Constance: Something like that.

Alex: The one she took over the most on (Behind the Counter) is the one that turned out the best.

How did you hook up with DVSX?

Constance: I slept with the owner.

We should probably clarify that you’re married to the owner.

Constance: Yes, we are married.

What were you going for with this movie?

Constance: I wanted to shoot a line that wouldn’t be impossible. The teen lines have the biggest talent pool to pull from. The younger girls are the hottest, and lucky me gets to shoot them. I also wanted to do right to something that so many are doing wrong. There are a lot of lines out there where girls act like retards. What Teen Sensations is about is young girls being themselves.

So you aren’t going to have girls acting like they’re seven?

Constance: No. Just girls doing their own thing. I try to capture them as the sort of girls you actually stare at when you’re out.

Alex: And who better to do that than a girl their age?

So these are the girls that we watch, but are they girls that you watch?

Constance: Well yeah, and they keep getting younger.  Gotta be careful. 

You’re different from a lot of female directors in that you’ve never actually performed in front of the camera.

Constance: True, though I have been shooting camera for a while now. I can say that I can really relate to these girls, cuz high school is still fresh in my mind.

Who is in the movie?

Constance: Aurora Snow is in the first scene, just for you. Phoenix Ray has an interesting scene.

She’s a naturally busty girl.

Constance: Yes, but not big enough for TNT.

Alex: For that one, we’re going huge.

Constance: The girl I shot for my first scene was doing her first scene ever. I think it might even be her first and only scene.  Not sure.

Why?

Constance: After we shot her she was going to look for more work, but no one really heard from her. She did a really good job for her first time. The other girls are from Europe. There is a really hot girl named Suzie who is on the box cover. There are nine girls, six scenes, including a five way and a three way on a boat. We did a lot of great stuff.

Most female directors keep things soft and pretty. Is this movie for couples or is it for the harder crowd?

Constance: I try to please everybody so I’d say it’s a happy medium. There is no music during the sex. The scenes have some lead up, but it’s to present the girl.   Like an appetizer.

Is there dialog?

Constance: Some.

Was that fun?

Constance: I don’t know if fun is the word, but we definitely do a lot of laughing.

Alex: Especially the ones who don’t speak English. We aren’t sure what they were saying. If you recall a movie called Jimmy Bone, we had the same problem.

I do remember that one, funniest movie I’ve ever seen.

The words were there, but I have no idea what they were talking about.

Someone needed to tell the script writer that girls who don’t speak English won’t be very good at vocal inflection puns.

It was unintentionally funny.

Are you going to do any other lines?

Constance: I am sticking with this one for now. There is nothing else at this point that I want to shoot. I’ll just help him out with his lines. He’s got an Asian line that leans toward younger girls so I can give input there. The only other line I would want to shoot is a butt line. I love ass. Bubble butts are my favorite thing, but Bryan beat me to it.

We just want to make sure that we find the right director for each line. There are so many possibilities, but we want them shot by someone who really likes the genre.

You’ve worked for companies who want directors to shoot certain kinds of movies. All Elegant Angel directors end up shooting foot stuff for Patrick. Is that something you are going to stay away from?

I don’t want any cookie cutter porno. What we have is a basic format. I need six scenes, other than that it’s up to the director. If they want to shoot a ten minute lead up, shoot a ten minute lead up. All of the directors are designing their own boxes, I don’t want to interfere there at all.

Is that something you have ever had control of?

I had absolutely no control at the other companies. Ninety percent of the companies won’t let you touch the movie once it’s shot. No control over the editing, the box, nothing. More than half the time, I wasn’t happy with the way the movie turned out. In the end, it wasn’t really my ideas that ended up in the finished product. For example, Gang Bang Angels 9, I had no control over, and look what happened.

And your directors have a say in the editing?

Absolutely. As long as the content is legal, I’m out of it. Each one will be unique. The only thing that will be the same is the DVSX logo which is a chrome stripe along the bottom of the box. That will be consistent. The boxes will all be different. TNT looks like a magazine.

Constance: Teen Sensations looks like it was designed by a girl, which it was.

Has Bryan Xin directed before?

No, he is brand new and I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

How did you meet him?

We’ve been friends for a while. He was a graphic artist who always had some cool ideas. Now he has a chance to show them off. I’ve seen TNT and I’m happy with how it turned out.

Do you remember the first movie you directed?

It was something at Elegant Angel. I don’t even remember the title.

OK, you’ve seen Constance’s first movie, whose is better, yours or hers?

Hers is, hands down.

Why do you think that is?

I didn’t really know what I was doing. I wasn’t around other directors who spoke about what to do and what not to do. They were tight lipped like it was some magic or something. I’m very open with the people who work around me. I’m not saying I’m the greatest director in the world, but I’m decent.

Constance: I’ve learned a lot watching him during my two years around the business. I also do my homework. I try to read up on what the fans want.  I’m a fan, myself.

Liking what you shoot and being given the freedom also makes a big difference. I’ve shot a lot of movies just for pay, things I wasn’t into and I wasn’t happy with how they turned out. It makes all the difference in the world if you’re shooting what you’re into.

You guys seem to have a solid partnership.

We do. She fills in places where I need help. She is also a very confident woman. I’m not the easiest guy to get along with. I need my space, but she is fine with that.

Do you think that your relationship would work if one of you were performing in front of the camera?

Constance: I don’t think I could.

I’ve dated talent, it lasted about a week. I think that any actress, adult or otherwise is out for attention. I am not around a lot and it makes relationships very difficult.

Constance: For me it’s a privacy thing. I wouldn’t want my other half out there for all to see. We can still have plenty of fun, just off camera.

Do you think you can relate better to talent because you’re a female director?

(At this point, the perils of the strip club bite us in the ass. A young dancer, sits down at our table, misses the recorder in Constance’s hand and starts talking. )

Stripper: Hi guys, does anyone want a lap dance?

Constance: Maybe in a little while.

Stripper: I like girls. How are you guys doing today? Oh you have a tape recorder. Is that for like a project or something?

They are being interviewed.

Alex: We are being interviewed and I thought that a strip club would be a good place. Good intent, but a bad idea. It’s very loud.

Stripper: What are you interviewing for?

Because they are famous.

Stripper: OK, I’m confused.

Alex: We make adult movies so we thought this would be a perfect location to do an interview.

Stripper: You do? That’s not fair. I want to do that.

Alex: All right.

Stripper: I’m too young though.

Alex: How old are you?

Stripper: I’m eighteen.

Alex: That’s perfect.

Stripper: I’m only eighteen though and I’ve only had sex with one guy in my life.

Alex: Nothing wrong with that.

Stripper: Plus I have a really big pussy. Don’t let me stop your interview though

Are you going to shoot any cable footage for the movies?

No. I tried shooting a couple of scenes with soft core and I really didn’t like it. It interfered with the overall feel of the scene. No soft, screw that.

By the way, we have new talent here with us, this could be her first interview as well. Are we going to wait around to see how this new girl dances?

I think we have to after what she said about her vagina. Can we call you something on tape?

Stripper: Call me Cherry.

You know as a professional, I can recommend working for Alex. He’s not a director who demands that you sleep with him to get a part in his movies.

Alex: But I do insist that you sleep with Constance.

Stripper: OK, no problem. I want to make a movie and send it to my ex-boyfriend.

Constance: That’s not unheard of.

Alex: We can shoot a movie based on reality where we meet you in a strip club, shoot a scene with you and then shoot you really sending the tape to him.

Stripper: I like that idea a lot.

(At this point, I turn off the recorder as we all decide that we have to see what she means by a “really big pussy.” After watching Cherry, Constance decides to get a lap dance and talk to her more about being in the movies. We continue.)

Is that how you usually find talent?

No, that is one of the strangest things that has ever happened.

But how cool would it be if she actually calls and shoots for you?

If it really does happen, I want you to be on set to do part two of this interview.

Done deal. Constance would you shoot her?

Constance: Oh yeah, she’s cute. Kind of looks like Britney Spears in a way.   But with red hair.

Alex: She likes redheads.

Constance:  That was probably one of—no, two of the best lap dances ever.  She really got me into it.

Since you said you were a fan, what sort of porn do you like?

Constance: I like anime.  I like girl girl stuff.  Unfortunately, I'm encouraged not to shoot girl girl.  I like pretty porn with no plot, like some of Andrew Blake's stuff, but I also like hardcore ass-in-your-face porn too.  I could get off watching a girl in just about any situation as long as she is hot.

Do you have any favorites?

Constance: I love watching Sylvia Saint, she's perfection. But my new favorite is Belladonna.  I love her beautiful ass and her energy.  She is so hot.  Gauge is also a blast to watch.  Oh, and Britney Spears.  Does she count?

How did you get into the porn industry?

Well, when Alex and I started dating, I would hang out on set with him, help him out here and there.  At some point, his old production manager quit the business, so I kind of volunteered to take the position.  We'vebeen a team ever since.

Then I must ask how the two of you met.

Well that's sort of a long story, but I'll give you the short version.  Basically, I was dating a stripper who wanted to get a nude portfolio done, so she needed to find a photographer.  Some girls I knew from my old job always spoke of this Alex guy they knew who was in porn so I asked them to put me in contact with him.  I hooked my girlfriend up with Alex, and the rest is total chaos.  That's the short version.


Would you like to direct features down the line or are you sticking with the gonzo style?

Hmm.  Actually, I wouldn't want to do features.  I don't think it's possible to direct a scripted porno properly.  Even if you put the best directors with the best performers and a ton of money, in the end you get something you can't jerk off to.  So what is it anyways?  To me, that's just not what porno is about.  I'll go as far as vignette porn, but if I’m ever gonna direct a feature, it won't be a porno.
 
Anything else you want to talk about?

If I think of something, I'll let you know.  Oh yeah, BUY MY MOVIE!  teehee.

OK Alex, What other jobs in the industry have you had?

I did foreign sales, production manager and I owned a graphics company that designed boxes for a while.

How many titles are you going to be releasing?

The first couple of months we are going to release two per month and then we hope to go to four. After about six months, we would like to go to eight. That depends on how many more directors we hire.

Are you going to shoot any features?

I don’t think so. No offense to the guys who shoot them, but I don’t really like doing features. Shooting them can be fun, but watching them bores me.

You shot a feature for Puritan that ended up not being a feature.

Yeah, that’s a prime example of what can happen when you have no control over the product. I heard it got chopped up really bad. I shot it, handed it in, and that’s what happened. It was a cool idea, I worked my ass off and they decided to chop it into a wall to wall thing.

They left in some dialog for the final scene which makes no sense at all in context.

Hopefully Puritan never put my name on that piece of junk.

But you got to work with the Sin Twins.

Everyone knows how I feel about them, they are a couple of psychotic drunks. They are lovely to look at, every man’s dream, but they were my nightmare. I have never thrown anyone off a set in my life and I threw them off on the third day. They came back the next day and apologized.

You shot them in two movies.

We shot “Sin Twins” for Sin City and this Puritan movie. No offense to the writer, since I’m comparing two pieces of his work, but the Puritan movie had the better script. It was that kind of bullshit that made me put my money where my mouth is. I love what I do, but I hate the politics. I’m not a good kiss ass and I don’t want to be. Sin City wanted me to be a personality, I don’t want to do that. That’s not me. I don’t want to be a bad boy. When did it become cool to be an asshole? I’m just a nice guy and I’m happy with myself.

What do you think you’ve learned from the people you’ve worked for over the years that you hope to carry over into your position as company owner?

Owning your own product is the number one thing. Only a few companies do that and they are geniuses for it. All that does is guarantee better product. You are going to do what you have to in order to make the product better. When you pay a guy fifteen hundred bucks to direct, he doesn’t give a shit. He’s going to go find a couch and sleep. Either that or he’s going to rip you off.

You have three directors currently, are you looking to expand that number?

We have talked with a few people, I don’t want to name any names at this point, but we’re looking for some directors who fit in with the team.

What about contract girls?

That’s not something we’d be looking for. I like a variety and with a contract girl, you’re stuck shooting her over and over.

Do you have a company web site?

We have one coming soon, www.dvsx.com

Anything else?

Just this last thing. This is the first interview I’ve given about the new company. It’s an exclusive for you.

Thank you, and thank you on behalf of the readers. We’ll be looking for DVSX movies soon.