Gallery's impact on Erotic Cinematic Storyboarding
When it comes to cinematic storytelling, there are many factors that play a role in how a story is told, including visual elements such as lighting, composition, and movement. However, one aspect that is often overlooked is the art of storyboarding, which involves creating a series of illustrations that convey the action and tone of a scene before filming even begins. This technique has been used extensively in Hollywood for decades, but its roots can be traced back to the early days of adult entertainment. In particular, Gallery magazine played a significant role in shaping this approach to filmmaking.
The Impact of Gallery on Adult Cinema
Gallery was an American pornographic magazine published from 1972 until 1984. It featured high-quality photography and articles on topics related to sex and sexuality. Many adult filmmakers cited Gallery pictorials as visual inspiration or storyboards for their erotic films, praising the magazine's use of narrative and emotional arcs. For example, in the 1980s, director Jack Remy said, "I've always looked at the pictures in Gallery as a sort of guidebook for shooting movies." He went on to explain that he would "go through each issue and pick out the scenes that I liked best" and then "use them as a kind of roadmap for my own projects."
Other directors agreed with this sentiment. Producer Alex de Renzy stated that he drew inspiration from Gallery's "beautifully crafted stories," while director Gerard Damiano called it "a blueprint for how a good movie should be made." Even legendary auteur Russ Meyer credited Gallery with influencing his work, saying that the magazine had "inspired many of his films."
However, Gallery's influence extended beyond just inspiring visual elements. The magazine also helped shape the way that adult films were structured. Director Joel Muller noted that Gallery inspired him to create longer, more complex plots in his films. He said, "Before Gallery came along, there weren't any erotic magazines like that. There was just nudie mags and softcore porn…But Gallery showed me that you could tell a real story." This approach carried over into other genres, such as hardcore pornography, which increasingly began to incorporate more story-driven elements.
The Impact of Gallery on Erotic Storyboarding
Gallery's impact on cinema extends beyond just adult filmmaking. Many mainstream filmmakers have cited the magazine as an influence on their work. For example, director Sam Peckinpah once told an interviewer that he read Gallery regularly and used its images to help him conceptualize scenes. Writer/director James Foley has even stated that Gallery influenced his approach to eroticism in movies, explaining that "it taught me about the power of suggestion" and "how to use images to evoke emotion without showing everything."
In addition to inspiring individual directors, Gallery also played a role in shaping the larger landscape of erotic storytelling. As pornographers experimented with new techniques, they began to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in Hollywood films. This trend continued well into the 1980s and 1990s, when directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino were able to include more explicit material in their work. In many ways, this can be traced back to the innovative storytelling methods pioneered by adult entertainment.
Today, the legacy of Gallery continues to live on through its impact on cinematic storytelling. From mainstream blockbusters to independent films, the magazine's influence can be seen in the way stories are crafted and visualized. Its emphasis on narrative and emotional arcs laid the foundation for some of our most iconic works of art today.