IF 'ADULT VIDEO' is a euphemism for Japanese porn, is local writer Tong Ching-siu's latest book an excuse for sleazy voyeurism? He certainly got a close look at Japan's porn industry when conducting research for his Chinese-language work AV: On the Set.
Not so, Tong insists. As far as he and his film buff friends are concerned, adult videos or AVs are no different from the third-rate productions they call movie trash. What they get a kick out of are the surprisingly creative ideas and filming styles used in porn videos, he says.
'It's really interesting to see how they shoot without any lighting,' says Tong, who's also a critic. 'There are a lot of approaches in making the video. I wondered how they make so much money when the production is so low-tech.'
There's no denying pornography is an attention-grabbing subject. 'This is a topic everyone wants to do,' says the author in a cafe at Sha Tin's Pai Tau Village. 'Everyone knows a book on AV will sell.'
AV: On the Set was banned from this year's Hong Kong Book Fair because of its explicit content, but has since been selling steadily. It's now in its second print run.
Despite its sealed plastic wrapping and warning label, the book is a serious examination of the development of Japan's porn industry. Tong thinks it's meaningless to analyse the content of AVs without looking at the structure of the porn industry. He hopes the book will serve as reference material for people studying the cultural or social impact of AVs.