From JAPAN TODAY news website:
University teaches how to make porn videos
In Tokyo's Roppongi area, a rather unusual "university" is about to open. It offers a six-month course in how to make porn videos, known as AV in Japan. One of the "professors" on its faculty is Tomonori Fujii, who produced the popular porn video "Sentaku-ya-Ken-chan" (Laundry operator Mr Ken).
Students don't have to state their age or sex on applications; instead, an interview is the only requirement for admission. Their motivation is the most significant point, said Fujii. So far eight applicants have been accepted.
Admission fee is 200,000 yen and tuition fee is 980,000 yen, which seems fairly expensive. However, considering that there is a lecture in which students actually make a video, the fee has to include costs such as actresses' fees. The course teaches everything from how to scout actresses, actual filming techniues and audio-visual theories.
Adult videos first appeared in Japan around 1985. "Sentaku-ya-Ken-chan," produced in 1986, sold more than 200,000 copies throughout the country. It was said that this AV helped increase sales of video cassette recorders.
Since then, the Japanese adult video industry has soared to be worth about 100 billion yen today. Some AV makers hire 10 university graduates per year as future producers. So the demand for porn movie directors is high, hence the need for a "university."
One of the executives of a leading AV maker said, "We set no criteria for applicants. Our employees' previous jobs are varied. Sometimes, we work 24-hour days and don't go home for one or two weeks. Without a strong motivation, working in this industry would be tough."
One AV director said: "We are always seeking prospective new employees. If graduates of this school are highly motivated and have an interest in AV, we want to hire them."
Due to the nature of the business, the job turnover rate is high. "It's all about money," said Fujii. "While the producers make a profit, directors only get about 100,000 or 200,000 yen. That's why they tend not to stay very long."
Fujii has an office now in Los Angeles to make adult videos for Western customers. "Videos with Japanese women are in great demand. The market is spreading all over the world. I want to train AV creators, whose works are valued internationally," he said.
Katsumasa Fujino, a representative of Nice Planning Crew Co Ltd, which runs the porn video university, said, "If laws on contents were deregulated, we could ship videos worth more than 300 billion yen. This might help Japan recover from the present recession."
