What Makes A Great VR Voyeur Scene? – Part 2: Breaking Down The Elements

Welcome back to the discussion on what makes a great VR voyeur scene! On part 1, I spent a lot of time talking about the two categories of VR voyeurism I proposed: third-wheel voyeurism (where the performers acknowledge that there is a viewer and the viewer is part of the scene) and peeping-tom voyeurism (where the performers do not acknowledge the presence of a viewer). I also mentioned JOI, a special type of third-wheel voyeurism.

I discussed the idea of relationships in VR voyeurism, a relationship being a ‘chemistry’ between two or more people in the porn. They are responsible for maintaining momentum in a scene, from foreplay to orgasm, and are the main source of the viewer’s arousal. Relationships form the basis of where a performer should divert their attention and some are more important than others. Relationships could be between the viewer and performer or between multiple performers. The type of voyeurism used will determine which relationships are more important.

On part two, I’m going to move away from talking broadly about types of voyeurism and talk more in-depth about the elements that come together when making a voyeur scene. There are many elements we could talk about but that would take an eternity. Instead, I’m going to focus in depth on two key elements: the camera and sex position choices.

Disclaimer: All of what follows is from my own experience in watching porn, pulling it apart and analyzing its elements. The information will be presented as facts, but take it with a grain of salt. I do not consider myself an expert on the subject.

The Camera

You can’t have a porno without a camera. The importance of the camera in any porn is right up there with the presence of a performer or the presence of nudity. Just as important as the camera is the visibility of the performance to the camera. In VR voyeurism, by design, the camera is usually set back a little bit from the action. This allows a greater scope of the scene and more objects and performers can fit onto each frame.

Working with VR, the camera position can be quite ‘touchy’. It’s very hard to get the camera position perfect in a way that looks natural to the viewer but is also comfortable to watch. I’ve seen many comments on virtual reality porn sites that complain about how the camera is too low or too far etc. So we’re going to talk about it!

Camera: Too High or Too Low?

Filming porn is not as simple as saying “Keep the action in center frame.” There are many generalizations I could make that would be correct for some of VR porn but incorrect for others. When talking about height in VR voyeurism, as a very general rule of thumb, the action should be kept at eye level. This means when the viewer watches, they don’t have to look up or look down significantly. The last thing the viewer wants is to feel like they’re ‘doing work’ to watch porn.

Image: On-The-Job Penetrating

Adjacent is an example of a blowjob from BaDoinkVR’s ‘On-The-Job Penetrating.’ The eye level of the viewer will lie roughly along a horizontal line halfway down the video (the red line). The camera is in an excellent viewing position of Alexa’s blowjob. The viewer doesn’t have to look significantly up or down (in a sitting position) to view the action.

However, under the headset, we wouldn’t be able to see the guy’s face if we stared straight forward. This is a problem of the camera being too close to the action. Not being able to see the torso of the guy may not seem like much of a problem (as it isn’t vital to the action), but it impedes the developing relationship that the scene tries to create between the guy and Alexa. Seeing how the guy responds to the blowjob would help us see the two as more of a couple, rather than just Alexa and a penis.

Camera: Too Far or Too Close?

This one can be a bit more tricky to get right. If the camera is too far, the viewer can’t see the action. This is especially frustrating in the lower end VR headsets (such as the Google Cardboard) as the resolution can be atrocious and anything further than a meter looks very blurry.

On the other hand, if the camera is too close, then the viewer will have to move their head around a lot to keep up with the action as the features will be further apart. Also, we may miss out on some aspects of relationships between performers (such as in the last example). There are times, however, when close-ups can work. Close-ups need to be preceded by shots that develop relationships (full shots that show the performers). They also need to be approached in a way that doesn’t create a jarring transition. I’ve watched scenes where a performer will walk into the distance off camera and then the scene cuts immediately into an ass in the face. Not cool man.

Let’s take some examples.

Image: Hole in One

Above is an example of a fingering sequence from WankzVRs ‘Hole in One’. Lexi Belle and Jenna Sativa are obviously too far away. I can barely make out what Lexi and Jenna are doing under the headset. I can’t see Lexi’s pussy, even though it’s spread right toward the camera. The camera and the girls need to move closer together.

Image: Roses On A Piano

Above is an example of a frame from BaDoinkVR’s ‘Roses on a Piano’. Unlike the ‘Hole-in-One’ example, this shot is a little too close to the camera. The showcase in this scene is the pussy that Bella Rose is rubbing. However, all the viewer can see is Bella’s right ass cheek. During the sequence, Bella does move a little so the pussy fluctuates between being half visible and invisible.

The Moving Camera

Image: Parents Away, Kids Will Play

Whether or not a viewer will like a moving camera really comes down to preference and whether they can handle the sensory dissonance that comes with a moving VR camera. Some viewers may feel a little barfy. I don’t get particularly nauseous but I do get a bit of a headache when I experience shots like this. I think the effect that the director is going for is that it simulates an invisible person going up to the action and looking at all the cool parts. It’s actually kind of cheesy when you think about it.

For directors that really want a moving camera, I would say use it sparingly. At least mix it up with jump-cuts for the folks with weaker stomachs. You may also be restricting your viewership as people that can’t handle it will inevitably go watch something else. When I was doing research, I did notice moving cameras becoming a bit of a trend particularly from VRHush (maybe other studios as well), so I thought I might mention it.

Sex Positions

Sex positions make up the main substance of porn. In regular point-of-view VR porn, because of the limitations of the camera, the number of sex positions can be quite limited. You’re almost restricted to simple positions such as missionary, doggy-style and cowgirl (maybe a Viennese oyster if the performer is particularly flexible). In VR voyeur, you have a much more diverse range of sex positions on hand. Any positions you could use in non-VR porn, you can use in VR voyeurism. Creativity is key!

The next few paragraphs with examine a few scenes, outlining the possibilities of VR voyeur sex positions.

Image: BFFs

The frames above are from the VR Bangers scene ‘BFFs’ and they are excellent examples of types of positions voyeurism in VR is capable of. Very rarely would we see a lesbian tribbing sequence in POV VR. Face-sitting is more common, but often poorly executed in POV VR. The 69 position would be nearly impossible to film in POV VR. These positions are creative and well suited to filming in voyeur style.

Image: Lez Be Friends

The frames above are from the BaDoinkVR scene ‘Lez Be Friends’. The positions chosen in this scene are relatively simple compared to the ‘BFFs’ example. The left and middle positions are just plain pussy rubbing, which could easily be done in POV VR. The right position is a pussy-in-the-face sequence which is just textbook VR porn. A lot more could have been done in terms of the creativity of the positions and using the voyeur set-up advantageously. The scene also has the performers staring at the camera which doesn’t work in a peeping-tom form of voyeurism.

Next Time: We look in depth at a form of voyeurism that we’ve been neglecting a bit during these last two parts: the jerk-off instruction. Stay tuned!