Inspired by alternative, indie, and experimental porn movements, we at Thousand Faces provide brain-food, eye-candy, and mind-body arousal in equal measure. With original music, carefully curated visuals, Queer themes, and outsider narratives. We passionately support and promote sex workers of all kinds in all our content.
“Porn is a medium, not a genre.”
Pandora / Blake
FAQ
Hi! I’m Marcus Quillan, the primary being behind the Thousand Faces curtain (and often infront of the camera). Here I’ll explain in a bit more detail about how we work:
What is Theatrical Porn?
I have long had a fascination with performance of all kinds: whether musical, sexual, literary, dance-based, comic, or tragic. Amateur theatre is where I first encountered many of these combined, and where I discovered the many varieties of tone any one performance may have: whether highly stylised, naturalistic, ‘over-the-top’, direct, subtle, artsy, or bawdy. I went on to study Shakespeare and train as an actor at a London drama school, working in film, theatre, and dance, before branching out into modelling and sexual media. I wanted to explore myself as a performer and how I could bring my training, and my truth, to a more explicit medium. With Thousand Faces, I want to explore the many facets of performance through a sexually explicit lens. I want to show that no one style or genre of porn, or performance, or any one medium, is inherently more ‘real’, valuable, or valid than any other.
Despite being as diverse as any other form of media, porn often gets generalised and pigeonholed as either ‘mainstream’ and ‘fake’ (bad), or alternatively, ‘authentic’ and ‘natural’ (good). These words often get swapped out for ‘sleezy’, ‘degrading’, ‘patriarchal’, or ‘romantic’, ‘soft’, and ‘feminine’. (Do you see a pattern?). Though our approach does try to avoid the commonly assumed ‘male gaze’, thinking in binary opposites is reductive and ignores the many variations of truth and meaning that can be found in any style of performance within any genre or medium. Just as people like to have sex in an infinite variety of ways, people like to act in films and make music and play sports that all feature performance in an infinite variety of ways. No-one would deny the moving and expressive potential of ballet, for example, despite its highly specific style providing the opposite of ‘realistic’ story or ‘naturalistic’ acting. It could never be claimed that it is ‘fake’ or inauthentic, or that dancers’ performances are not ‘truthful’, despite the perceived rigidity and stuffiness of the style and the strenuous (often violent) exertion of performer’s body parts; not to mention the highly sexual displays of gender, power, romance, muscle, sinew, and skin.
Is it OK to pay for porn?
Not only is it ESSENTIAL to performers and individual creators that we all pay for our porn as much as possible, it makes sense for the consumer to be discerning and support what they like, helping to create more of that thing. People on the ground in our industry generally do not make money from free tube-site clicks and ad-revenue, nor can new content be receive investment and be created this way. Though individual creators, producers, and companies all vary in every way imaginable, just as in any other industry, there is no one type or style of porn that it is better to support than any other: you get to choose. Just as long as you support it!
What about Feminist and Ethical porn?
I support and enjoy much of the work that has been described in these terms or been considered part of movements associated with them. I understand their use as marketing labels or ways to differentiate certain creators from others, yet there is already much written about how they can be problematic phrases that further stigmatise those who don’t fit certain slippery criteria. It is not for me to decide if our work serves a feminist or ethical function, and I would rather not rely on these terms to hold our work to standards that are subjective, ever-changing, and disputed. This does not mean than I do not strive for ethical practises in everything we do, and that I am not constantly informed by feminist principles that I consider aligned with the more progressive or ‘left-wing’ branch of feminism that exists and evolves today. I understand the wishes of many to be as ethical in their consumption as possible, as far as is possible under capitalism. Porn should not be a special case, nor be under or over-scrutinised. For us this means providing a product as ethically made, and ethically paid, as possible, centering consent, and acknowledging that peoples’ desires and porn tastes (including women’s!) are as diverse and numerous than anyone can imagine. We are lucky that we do not have to cut corners for profits, despite that being a necessity for many producers (and companies generally) in a capitalist world. We do not discourage making porn for profit. But with no investors or parent company of any kind, we, like many others, are self-funded and thus have the privilege of being able to put all the money we make from our supporters back into the films we make. I would encourage anyone curious about our working practises to read our Performers’ Bill of Rights, or contact performer’s who have worked for us to find out more. (Tip them and buy their content, too!)
What about sexist and racist porn?
We are committed to ethical production and business practises, which for us includes the serious responsibility of representing performers and characters in an ethical way, free of assumed stereotypes and stigma, prioritizing consent in all scenarios and acts. The politics of representation are complex, and we believe centering consent in our production practises is the key to navigating them. Porn is still a performance, and is subject to different styles of performance, to infinite degrees. The key question is often: who is telling the story? We believe that prioritising diversity and inclusion of as many different voices, sexualities, identities, and backgrounds as we can, will help us tell our stories as thoughtfully and respectfully as possible, while being aware of our privileges and limited perspectives.
What about violent and degrading porn?
If you are wondering whether some styles or acts may be more ‘ethical’ than others – watching them, depicting them, or doing them – then we would suggest reframing the question to ask: why might someone think this to be the case? Is it due to genuine concerns regarding consent? In which case we would advise researching the many diverse things that many people (including performers!) enjoy sexually, and can be perfectly safe when consent is given and part of a healthy sex life. It is important to respect the diversity of desire and choice that exists both within and without the political frame, and to respect the giving of consent as well as the withholding or withdrawing of consent, even (or especially) when it comes to wage labour. Some people work for fun or passion, some out of necessity. We can advocate for better wages and working conditions without denigrating or abolishing the ways in which some people support themselves just because we would not want to do the same. For those assumed to not be ‘truly’ consenting due to monetary need, can you identify viable alternatives without simply assuming that our capitalist societies will provide better options?
Or could judgement come from stigma, hearsay, tradition, classism, or upbringing, that can all present problematic narratives regarding sex itself as well as porn? We do not believe that porn can have a ‘corrupting’ or harmful effect beyond that of having to stand in for social and scholastic sex education sorely lacking in most of the world today. Studies on addiction and violent behaviour show no causal link to porn. Shame around porn, compulsive behaviour, and ‘harms’ caused by it are almost always symptomatic of other pre-existing issues, including societal stigma: just as unhealthy behaviours around food, shopping, exercise, or sex, vary immensely, and can be extreme, depending on differing attitudes to what constitutes ‘healthy behaviour’ around those things. This does not mean those things are bad, cause bad things, or are bad influences.
So…are you the good guys?
Again, it is not for me to say. We try to be. Don’t we all? Check out our content, ask our performers, read our words, do other research, see what others have said about these issues including but not limited to those we recommend in our inspiration section below.
This space is also dedicated to the other great artists that inspire Thousand Faces and make the kind of important, gorgeous, mind-blowing work we think the world badly needs. Each of these creators pushes the boundaries of porn and what it means to express artistically through the medium of sexuality, as well as leading progressive movements for sex worker’s rights, queer visibility, and anti-shaming through their work.
Pink & White, Pink Label TV, Crashpad Series, USA
The brainchild of film-guru master-director Shine Louise Houston, and award-winning, gender-queer, alt-performer Jiz Lee, this collection of sites showcases the best in authentic queer porn, alternative gender expressions, and vibrantly diverse sexual practises. They also provide an incredible array of resources for indie porn creators and a hub for all who are interested or involved with the growing worldwide alternative porn scene, providing workshops, essays, festival news, and much more, as well as some of the hottest material you may struggle to find elsewhere. We are honoured to have our films appear on Pink Label TV.
@pinkwhite / @pinklabeltv / @crashpadseries / @ShineLouise / @JizLee
Kate Sinclaire / Ciné Sinclaire, Canada
Ciné Sinclaire documents some of the truest experiences of pleasure available. Their films are created in intimate locations with performers that truly enjoy one another’s company. Much thought has gone into the comfort and boundaries of performers and crew, and the result is some of the most intimate moments of life being caught beautifully on film. Ciné Sinclaire stands for equality and inclusion, and selects its performers based on personal narratives first and foremost. We specifically encourage people of colour and GSM folks to apply to work with us.
Thousand Faces are honoured to have our films appear in the Ciné Sinclaire ‘Guest Directors’ library.
Bright Desire, Australia
Award winning porn with women in mind, featuring real couples, kinky story lines, and solo scenes with bespoke voice-over by site-creator and director Ms Naughty, for your aural and visual pleasure. Bright Desire is a celebration of sex. It’s a deliberate attempt to show all the good stuff that we love about sex – intimacy, laughter, connection and real pleasure. It’s also about enhancing and exploring fantasy – because our brains are just as important to our sex lives as our genitals. It is “thinking porn” – erotic material that engages your mind as well as your heart and your libido – and “grateful porn”, sexy videos that inspire joy and happiness.
Pandora / Blake, Dreams of Spanking, UK
Through their tireless campaign work on UK porn laws like the Digital Economy Act and the upcoming Age Verification requirement, as well as their sold-out workshops on ethical and how-to DIY porn, Blake manages to mobilise, arouse, and educate in equal measure. Recently a guest of honour at the London Porn Film Festival showing a retrospective of their work, they are an icon of the alt-porn scene, and their site Dreams of Spanking showcases some of the best examples of ethical BDSM porn made with love, creativity, and happy, hot performers. They are also making great, easily accessible content on their ManyVids channel.
tinyurl.com/blakefanclub / patreon.com/pandorablake / tinyurl.com/blakemanyvids
Petra Joy, UK
Along with her friend and colleague Candida Royale, Petra pioneered a movement putting the female perspective front and centre with her ‘artcore’ porn films. With her 14+ years in the industry, this British director and producer has inspired a generation of content creators wanting to do things differently. Her influence is felt through all of the above creators, including us at Thousand Faces who are honoured to have our films appear on her platforms Cinema Joy. and Couples Cinema alongside luminaries such as Morgana Muses (@Morgana_Muses), Maria Beatty (@MariaBeattyFilm), and Signe Baumane (@SigneAnimated).
A Four Chambered Heart, UK
The beautiful post-porn lovechild of Vex Ashley and her gorgeous porn-family of alternative performers and collaborators. Arguably no better representation exists of porn as a visual and aural art-form. Addressing themes of religion, death, queerness, politics, art history, and horror movies, Four Chambers will become your new favourite crowd-funded porn project.
Sluts 4 Sluts Collective, UK / Worldwide
Sluts4Sluts is a london-based queer porn platform founded in summer 2016 by beautiful genderqueer sex workers, performers, and film-makers DiscoTitts / Andie Macario, Rooster (@Rooster_XXX), and Dion de Rossi (@DionDeRossi). With a host of other core members and collaborators, they produce queer pornography and provide a platform for other independent queer producers. Their work aims to centre sex workers, survivors, People of Colour, as well as trans & non-binary people. Check out their manifesto and rad porn centring queer, trans, PoC, disabled, neurodiverse & survivor bodies.
Blue Artichoke Films, Holland
Jennifer Lyon Bell directs award-winning, creative erotic films that portray sexuality in an emotionally realistic way. Hot, surprising, and intimate. Sex is a giant, beautiful, strange, messy, fascinating, fun and thrilling force of nature. It doesn’t usually look that way in movies. By finding creative ways to show the true thrill of good sex, Blue Artichoke wants to give people the confidence to trust their own desires and to know that not only is nothing wrong with our sexual pleasure, it’s a force for unique self-expression and for connection with the rest of humanity.
altSHIFT, UK
altSHIFT is a partnership of two filmmakers with over 15 years’ experience in feature and short films,TV and branded content. They have been creating porn together for other companies for around 10 years. They recently started altSHIFT to utilize our expertise to create alternative porn, moving away from mainstream practices in the industry.
They have a passion to make beautiful, arousing and unusual content. We want to harness our audiences’ progressive understanding and practice of sexuality, moving away from well-worn porn tropes that can create a false sense of ‘real’ sex.
They care about LGBTQ+ stories, kink and BDSM, #MeToo, feminism, ethical non-monogamy, subverting traditional relationship roles, gender fluidity, and the orgasm gap to name a few. They want their porn to turn you on, but also to address the policing of our gender and sexuality.