A money shot (also called a "money-making" shot) is a provocative, sensational, or memorable sequence in a film, on which the film's commercial performance is perceived to depend. [emphasis mine]
Big Money - Photo of video from Behind the Green Door - 1972
In Pornography:
A money shot has also been used as another name for a cum shot in pornographic films. The shot was so named because if a male actor could not provide this shot he would not be paid. It has also been argued that this is the filmed moment the audience has paid to see. According to Stephen Zitlow, author of The Film Maker's Guide to Pornography , "...the cum shot, or, as some refer to it, 'the money shot', is the most important element in the movie and that everything else (if necessary) should be sacrificed at its expense."
The degree of acceptance that the term has acquired in pop culture is problematic to estimate.[emphasis mine] - Wikipedia
Why is the culmination, the ultimate moment, the money shot the absolute must have in porn? There is the physical obvious. When a many cums, he needs to go through a full cycle before he is ready again, and that is assuming he can get ready again. While that is the obvious, the allure and importance of the money shot goes beyond that.
To try to find reasons why the money shot has achieved its status, let us explore the actual event. I've watched enough porn to be able to break down the money shot ending three ways (can be straight or gay):
- The man pulls out of her vagina (or anus) and finishes near the location (backside or front). The partner (male or female) still moves his/her hips in the sexual rhythm prior to the pull out. The physical remnants of his orgasm are either played with by the partner or the scene fades away and the mess is forgotten.
- The man is getting a blow job or mammary stimulation (titty fuck in porn parlance) and releases on her/his mouth, face, neck, breasts, chest, etc.
- The man pulls out of the vagina or anus and both quickly move around so he can finish on her/his mouth, face, neck, breasts, chest, etc.
According to a University of Sydney study, 70% of men and 30% of women admit to viewing online pornography. With that in mind, the producers of porn are obviously going to create their products for the male gaze (although there are a number of porn and erotica producers, like Candida Royalle, that create material for female audiences.) It then is easy to assume the money shot is intended for guys. In femme-focused adult movies, they rarely, if ever, show a money shot.
So, what is the need of the money shot? As stated above, it is the omega to the scene, but that doesn't answer why it has to be external. I would guess it is because men are such visual consumers of erotic content, they have to see it to believe. If they don't see the man ejaculate all over, it didn't happen. In the past twenty years, more porn showing female ejaculation (squirting in porn parlance) has also grown popular. This may be attributed to the same basic reason, by seeing it, we can believe she actually had an orgasm. On a side note, the woman's ejaculation is rarely the money shot. It usually is just a build up to the male money shot that ends the scene.
Another reason for the absolute importance of the money shot may be that many men can not handle the moments after orgasm, both in porn and in reality. They want the end to be... the end. Many men do not like dealing with life after the orgasm. This is the time when the intimacy after post-intimacy begins. This is the time when true emotions either are shared or hurried out the door. Some men can't handle that post-moment moment. There is an old saying, "Men don't pay prostitutes for sex, they pay them to leave afterward." The same may also be true about the money shot. Many men want the orgasm and not the afterward.
One reason that many men would not admit to about enjoying the money shot is its homoerotic nature. In most porno movies the guy has a well hung cock that is swollen, sexy and perfect. By watching the ejaculate flying out, it is a primal rush. We are watching an alpha male with a big one and we admire it, envy it, and for some - desire it. I think the comedian Ron White states it perfectly.
What about real life? Yes, it can be sexy. We have to remember though the reason for a money shot can be very different than why we may do it in our own sexual relations. (That may be worth another entire post, but maybe not.)
Why is the money shot crucial? To be honest, I think every male (and maybe female) viewer of porn has a different view and appreciation of it. It may be just another way to say "The End" without words. On the other hand, it could be a much deeper need for closure, arousal, fear, power, and other needs and emotions that make male sexuality a lot more complex than many think it is.
Photo note- During my recent trip to Las Vegas, I visited The Erotic Heritage Museum. It is a great sex-positive museum with a pretty decent academic/artistic push in it. It will have something to arouse everyone and a few things that will disgust anyone. I highly recommend taking the side trip to it. One of the best treats is they let patrons take photos of the exhibits. You will see more of my photos in future posts.
They have an oval shaped room that shows pornographic movies from all the decades, including one from the beginning of the last century. You sit on these overstuffed,plush benches in the middle and are surrounded by moving porn of the ages. I started taking photos of the various movies and got the one above. It is from the San Francisco cult classic, Behind the Green Door. I knew as soon as I started this post I wanted this image at the top.
*The title comes from the genetic chromosomes that determine male physical gender, XY. (Women have XX chromosomes to identify physical gender.) The chromosomes got their name by their shapes.
No comments:
Post a Comment