Adult film industry
The commercial sector that produces, distributes, and monetizes films and videos featuring sexually explicit content for adult audiences.
Pornographic film production: The planning, financing, filming, and postproduction of sexually explicit films. This is the production process at the center of the industry.
Blue movie: A colloquial term for a sexually explicit film, especially in historical usage. The phrase reflects an older vocabulary surrounding commercial erotic cinema.
Linda Lovelace: An American performer known for starring in the 1972 film Deep Throat. Her later account of coercion became central to debates about consent in adult film.
Erotic cinema: Film that emphasizes erotic themes or imagery without necessarily depicting explicit sexual activity. It distinguishes sexually suggestive filmmaking from explicit adult film.
Pornography and the internet: The relationship between online technologies and the production, distribution, and consumption of pornography. Adult video helped drive demand for online privacy, streaming, and payment systems.
Video on demand: A system that lets users select and watch video content when they choose. Online on-demand services became a major route for distributing adult films.
stag film: A short, clandestinely screened pornographic film, especially common in the early twentieth century. Stag films were an early form of organized pornographic film production and exhibition.
Ginger Lynn: An American adult-film performer who became prominent in the 1980s. Her career illustrates the emergence of recognizable performers within the video era.
Feminist pornography: Pornography made with attention to gender equality, consent, and diverse sexual representation. It challenges assumptions about whose desires and perspectives adult films represent.
Pornography and copyright: The application of copyright law to pornographic works and their unauthorized distribution. Piracy and copyright enforcement affect adult producers' ability to earn from films.