Gonzo pornography

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Gonzo pornography is both a category, and filming style of adult video. It is characterized by a filming style which attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. The name is a reference to gonzo journalism, in which the reporter is part of the event taking place. By analogy, gonzo pornography puts the camera right into the action -- often with one or more of the participants both filming and performing sex acts -- without the usual separation characteristic of conventional porn and cinema.^[1] Deeply influenced by amateur pornography, basic gonzo porn tends to use far fewer full-body/wide shots, and more close-ups (see Reality porn). The loose and direct camera work often includes "tight" shots of the lower genitalia, unlike much of traditional porn.

Gonzo videos tend to focus far less on the plots, extended dialog, elaborate costumes/sets, and artistic camerawork commonly found in conventional porn. However, due to the explosive growth in its popularity since the mid-1990's, gonzo has attained mainstream popularity; several individually distinct styles of no-frills, filmed pornography can be labeled gonzo porn. Today, several companies produce gonzo that has excellent lighting and sound quality, (temporary) lingerie costuming, and is shot in various rooms of luxury homes. One trait that all gonzo films share, though, is a much greater emphasis on intense (almost hyperactive) sexual performance. Regardless of camera techniques or the degree of director involvement in the scenes, a gonzo film has "more sex", per se, than a traditional (e.g., Vivid or Adam&Eve brand) adult video. Gonzo scenes tend to run longer; it is common for a single boy-girl scene to run anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes.

John Stagliano is considered to have started the Gonzo pornography genre with his Buttman series of films.