Flash back to the Spring of 2003. MARIE AND JACK has been finished for almost a year and a half. It’s done well in the few film festivals that accepted it. But so far, no one is interested in selling it. I am sending copies to anyone I can think of who might support the film, and one of those people is the founder of Good Vibrations, Joani Blank. Joani loves MARIE AND JACK and encourages me to keep at it.

Now it’s October of 2004. I’m in the San Francisco Bay area to meet several prospective couples for shooting we hope will take place in 2005, including Bill and Desiree, who have found their way to me through Joani. It’s also my first chance to meet Joani and others in person. I take BART over to Oakland and am introduced to co-housing though a communal meal at Joani’s place (meated and meatless chili is served.)

My visit with Joani end up being one of the high-lights of the trip, but she is very anxious about Bill and Desiree’s inclusion in the schedule. I don’t want to disappoint Joani, but I’m also not interested in shooting an older couple simply for the sake of being inclusive. My primary criteria when considering a couple are: 1) would I enjoy watching this couple fuck? 2) Would I enjoy spending an hour or two chatting with this couple? I haven’t yet met Bill and Desiree, so I don’t know the answer to either question.

Joani and I visit for several more hours after dinner, talking about a million different aspects of the art and business of sex. She shows me her incredible collection of Jan Saudek prints. But the conversation frequently circles back on what great subjects Bill and Desiree would be. I am doing my best to be noncommittal while trying to seem enthusiastic. I’m quite sure she’s on to me.

A few days later I’m at the W Hotel. I am meeting couples more or less on the hour, and I have been at it for nearly two days. The W is noisier, darker, and hipper than I would have cared for, but it’s sufficient.

All of the couples I’ve met have already sent me photos, we’ve exchanged e-mails, we’ve talked on the phone a few times. But there’s nothing like meeting in person; seeing how they respond to me, seeing how I respond to them. I am also shooting some very brief screen tests. We’ll be shooting film, and I want to see how these people look on film, so I’m rolling off 40 or 50 feet (about a minute) on each couple. When you have a look at Bill and Desiree’s “screen-test” (linked below) I think you’ll see why, when after I saw it, I wanted to see them make love:

Bill and Desiree’s Screen Test (MOS)

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