Written by Madam Curator, Sarah Beall.
Hello darlings,
I’m so thrilled to announce that the 15 min SFW documentary MakeLoveNotPorn: The Social Sex Revolution has finally arrived! This project was a labour of love for many people, and one particularly close to my heart. Read on to hear the story behind how the MLNP team and MLNPstars Efi & Walter, Colin/Gray, and FeverDream ended up together capturing the #socialsexrevolution at Mermaid Ranch!
The entirely SFW long trailer for MakeLoveNotPorn: The Social Sex Revolution
In late winter of last year, the MLNP.tv team began working on a very special project. Imagine our delight when Jason Harler of Chandelier Creative reached out to Cindy asking if our team would like to spend a week at Mermaid Ranch working on a project of our choice as part of their Summer of Sex and Love series! One look at the dreamy photos of the ranch and we were hooked. Now we had to decide what kind of project we wanted to complete. With such a beautiful space at our disposal we wanted to create something equally beautiful, and really dig into the transformative power of sex and love.
Click to view slideshow.We took a lot of photos!
As Madam Curator of MLNP.tv, I’ve been uniquely privileged to witness the revolutionary and often life-changing impact sharing #realworldsex has had on our MLNPstars. Since going live in public beta in January 2013, I’ve received a steady flow of testimonials from MLNPstars of all walks of life talking about how the process of capturing their everyday #realworldsexlives has helped them communicate better in their relationships, understand their sexuality more, and given them more confidence asking for what they really want in bed, all while embracing their #realworldbodies in all their messsyawesomehumanness. You can’t make this stuff up — it’s better than we could have hoped when we were concepting this tiny, bootstrapping #socialsex experiment.
Click to view slideshow.From my previous work creating and curating feminist smut, I had a hunch that the entire process of talking about, capturing, and sharing #realworldsex would be enriching for our MLNPstars. And my heart flutters anew every time these brave #socialsexrevolutionaries share their stories. What I didn’t totally anticipate was the transformative effect curating #realworldsex would have on me, and the close relationships I would end up having with our MLNPstars.
When you think about it, the best relationships are built on trust and great communication, and MLNP is a venture built pretty much entirely on those things. Well, those things and vision, grit, and determination in the face of a crazy number of obstacles, but I digress.
Our MLNPstars put their trust in MLNP and Ariel and myself when they submit their most intimate moments for review (!) and we in turn treat them with the utmost gratitude and respect because, this is not hyperbole, they are our superheroes. Without them and their incredible generosity in vulnerability, we would not exist.
Waiting in anticipation of Efi & Walter’s arrival!
In addition to the trust and deep lines of communication established through often years-long email communications and social media #funtimes, MLNP takes the opportunity to meet up IRL with our MLNPstars when a few of us happen to be in the same city at the same time. To date I’ve shared cocktails or at least chatted in person with Colin/Gray, Janira Wolfe, Modesty Ablaze, lovesurfsing, MrandMrsLau, Rickat, Dale Cooper, bzandgloria, VonBettie, Lily Cade, Fox+Aphrodite, Andy+Becky, xxxotter, SaulofHearts and Violet+Rye. Cindy’s friendships with Danny Wylde, Lily LaBeau and Lily Cade was what introduced them to us originally, and one of our former interns made a point of grabbing tacos with Efi & Walter while on vacation in Mexico City.
Side note: Janira Wolfe actually found out about MLNP from MLNPstars AllenandtheJean. More proof that the future of sex is social. Talk about it!
In person gatherings with our MLNPstars are always a joyful occasion, and have the feel of old friends convening for a much needed catch-up. When I met Janira Wolfe at the documentary premiere last week she said to me, “You’re exactly what I was expecting. When I first saw you tonight, I forgot that I don’t actually know you.” To which I replied that well, we do know each other! The thing is that our bond — based on trust and communication and the values of MLNP — is deeper than one might expect given it started with her uploading #realworldsex videos through an online form.
Click to view slideshow.And these were the things I wanted to capture and bring to life at Mermaid Ranch. I wanted to bring together our MLNPstars and manifest the experience of MLNP on the spot through conversations, fun, and yes, filming on-location #realworldsex. We are so grateful to Chandelier Creative for supporting this vision and to Thalia Mavros and her crew at The Front for capturing it so completely and in such a stunning way. And, we’re bowled over with appreciation for the MLNPstars who joined us at the ranch — Efi & Walter, FeverDream, and Colin/Gray — our #socialsexrevolutionaries who brought all of the courage, vulnerability, trust, and sexy to our time together.
MLNP is bucking conventional wisdom that says that interacting online is making people feel more isolated. It’s challenging the idea that sharing sex videos online is an impersonal act that trivializes sex, and it’s proof that sharing and watching #realworldsex has the power to transform lives and relationships for the better.
Holy energy shift! Ariel and I feeling the love (and exhaustion) on the last day of our three day shoot
MakeLoveNotPorn is the #socialsexrevolution, and I truly believe that it creates more love in the world. A revolutionary, lasting, and empowering love that has the potential to change the world for the better.
One last trailer for the road! Now please go watch MakeLoveNotPorn: The Social Sex Revolution in it’s full 15 min SFW glory, here! You can read what our MLNPstars have to say about their experiences at the ranch, here and here. And you can rent the #realworldsex videos shot at Mermaid Ranch, here.
