NEW YORK — Even though it was September and Saint Nick was nowhere to be found, the stockings were still hung by the chimney with care…and they weren’t the only endowed danglers heating up by the fireplace. That’s because at Lucas Entertainment, the change of seasons brought a shoot for “A Very Merry Bareback Christmas,” a rare foray—not just for the studio, but for the industry—into holiday-themed territory.
“The marketing window for Christmas-themed anything is limited, no matter what the product is,” notes director Jake Steel. “In the pace of this industry, I think that’s a risk a lot of studios aren’t willing to take. We were very aware of the marketing timeline for the project and we made a conscience effort to develop our marketing campaign for this DVD to complement the holiday season.”
Christmas releases are few and very far between in the gay porn landscape, and have included 1995’s “‘Rican Christmas” (All Worlds), William Higgins’ “Christmas Wank Party” in 2008, “Merry Twinkmas” in 2009 (Bare Twinks) and “Here Cums Santa Clause” in 2003 (yes, Bacchus spelled that wrong). Dink Flamingo did it perhaps most successfully with “Active Duty Live Christmas,” which received a nomination for Best Specialty Release at the 2008 GAYVN Awards.
“Sadly, we did not have any snow for the models to roll around naked in,” notes Steel. “I would have loved to have done naked snow angels. Maybe next year! In terms of location, I knew I wanted something remote geographically, and had this vision of an amazing fireplace. It took a little looking, but I found exactly what I wanted. The props and set dressing really gave the scenes that touch of Christmas cheer. We focused on a rich holiday color palette and it complemented how beautiful our stars looked perfectly. There were also some very specific wardrobe choices, which were some of the most fun to incorporate into the filming.”
The DVD released November 21, while the five scenes will debut digitally every Friday of December through Christmas exclusively on LucasEntertainment.com. Steel notes that the idea to do a holiday release sparked from their sales manager and office controller. He was quickly sold on the idea, and from there they pranced with it.
“We committed to not tiptoeing around the word ‘Christmas’ and to go all in. From that inception point, the creative decisions started coming really naturally. The casting, the locations and the overall tone came together very seamlessly. At Lucas Entertainment, we strive to make things feel as genuine and organic as possible.”
Steel, who is also the studio’s Director of Studio Production (his responsibilities ranging from that of Creative Director all the way up to Executive Producer at times), has also performed in front of the camera.
“I was a model in the industry for a little over six years. I got involved the week of my 18th birthday. It’s a bit cliché, but porn is what paid for my college education. I went to school for production design and management. I also got a minor in digital photography. I never planned on coming back into the industry, but the opportunity presented itself and I was excited to combine my past experiences with my present knowledge and training,” he says, adding that he has been contributing to creating and directing most of the scenes for Lucas Entertainment since November of 2013.
“This was definitely one of the company’s bigger productions I’ve taken on since stepping into that role, but I had a great team on set and have been able to learn from a lot of industry staples, so I felt ready. Having worked previously as a model in the industry, I think it has made my transition into this position much easier.”
It also helped him work seamlessly with the models on set, including Dato Foland in his bareback film debut. The film gave both Steel and the cast plenty of opportunities to shine, with higher-degree-of-difficult tasks like threesomes and an orgy thrown their way. While Steel doesn’t want to give away all of the presents under the tree, one of his favorite things to film was a double penetration in the last scene.
“I think there’s something inherently sexy but unspoken about Christmas. The fireplace I had imagined came into play so perfectly when I shot the scene with Dato Foland, Donnie Dean and Nigel Banks. You can feel the heat of the scene when you watch it. When it comes to our Lucas Men, all things just become sexier. You’d be surprised by how arousing two of our models made eating milk and cookies look,” Steel says.
“As soon as we had the set decorated and the guys were in wardrobe for the first time, everyone got swept up into the Christmas spirit. We even had a Christmas ham dinner one night, and the guys had a gingerbread house decorating party. It was a very fun experience. Christmas came early, and often.”
Here comes Santa Claus, indeed…
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