Cybersex

Aim: A Documentary exploring online sex work, particularly on the platform Onlyfans. The narrative of Cybersex is led by sex workers themselves.

Our story takes place within a studio, where we plan to build an installation set to film within. Drawing inspiration from performance and installation art as well as digital and interactive design, our intention is to create a space that allows our contributor’s story to unfold. 

We are accustomed to engaging with the internet on a screen, always in 2D, where platforms such as OnlyFans can push creators to tailor content to viewerships’ desires which they rely upon for income. Alternatively, the studio installation serves as a 3D space, personal to the contributor and allowing her to reclaim it as it becomes her own space to ‘perform’- discussing sex work without restrictions, she is encouraged to set her own framework for viewers to engage with. 

Her thoughts and experiences on sex work will be projected into the space, onto different features of the installation, giving the 2D projection physical weight, warping it around the different shapes and objects within the space.  

Coco, our lead contributor, is ready to approach sex work critically and being open to hard questions, we want to discuss with her more than surface-level issues, in hopes of unravelling the complex debates that surround online sex work. 

Xanthe Nimmo: Director

Xanthes' career path initially began in photography, self-taught and shooting freelance commissioned work from a young age, then experimenting more with film-making until it led her to a film degree. She’s been commissioned to shoot on fashion and commercial and fashion projects, but her favourite work has always been the most personal. From photographing and interviewing a story about repealing Irelands 8th amendment to directing a documentary earlier this year about BPAS Bournemouths’ struggle with anti-abortion protestors, she has always steered towards capturing stories central to women, finding motivation through emotion.  

"I’ve come a long way from childhood where I used to shield my eyes from seeing kissing in films to now texting my family that I’ve used their account to order sex toys for my documentary trailer. I began researching this documentary idea as I felt many peers blushed or seemed to shy away from being able to talk about sex work. The
audacious few who didn’t, prompted me to pitch, our lengthy debates about everything and anything about online sex work becoming early development exercise for the doc.

I find my projects consistently gravitate towards stories led by women, about women. The female gaze has remained a strong theme through my work, I want to utilise this concept as a director. I feel it is important to explore a narrative where the perception is guided by women, by sex workers themselves, in order to provide the audience a unique cognisance that I feel will help them discuss more about sex work."

Tom Stuart: Producer

Tom has produced both major projects in first and second year whilst at uni before taking a year off to gain experience in the industry, working on music video sets and short-form fashion content.

"If you had told me 6 months ago that I would be working on a documentary about OnlyFans and the women who use the platform I would have not believed you. However, it is a subject that is being spoken about by nearly everyone I meet, yet most people (myself included until recently) have only a surface level understanding of the social shift and implications that OnlyFans is causing. 

I’m particularly interested in the fact that the founder of the platform is a man, and how that dynamic works with the people who use his platform, but also the parasocial relationships between women using the platform and their audiences." 

Charlotte Rogers: Co-Producer

Charlotte is proud to be the Co-Producer on CyberSex.  Her love of documentary and film started at an early age when as a child, her home was chosen for a TV shoot. She was allowed to sit very quietly next to the Director and was captivated, watching the story come to life. It was then she knew she had a desire to work in the Film and TV industry.  By studying at AUB, Charlotte has developed and refined her creative and organisational skills, producing a number of documentaries, short films and animations. She particularly enjoys the aspect of bringing real-life situations to the screen and raising the funds required to make a production happen. Charlotte’s aim is to foster an environment where creative aspirations can be fulfilled, on time and within budget. 

"This is such a topical, interesting and controversial subject. It is important to highlight how women in the ‘new age’ sex industry are perceived and explore how they are projected on social media platforms such as the (male-owned) Only Fans’ website. I'm drawn to discussions on the personal side of this documentary, exploring the emotions felt in creating content as well as challenges or judgements they face. As a Co-Producer, I want to ensure that the true facts are relayed and 'controversial' questions are addressed."

Olivia Morrison: Cinematographer

Having worked within the camera department in both education and industry, with short/feature films and commercials, she is excited to adapt and cultivate her practical fiction knowledge with this documentary. Being a member of Primetime and a current mentee of the ScreenSkills x Illuminatrix mentorship programme, Olivia is determined to bring her professionalism to this adult topic, ensuring the voices of the creators themselves are heard.

"As somebody who frustratingly is aware of their digital footprint, growing up on the internet I've seen first hand the societal culture shift with digital sex work slowly morphing from being called perverse to become #girlboss. That shift was the catalyst of my curiosity, feeling that the verge of adulthood is now so often tied with how you present yourself online. How content creators feel obligated to talk about their income in a way to "justify" their chosen career path, as if society will not accept an alternative reason other than a stigmatized one. I believe Cybersex will help to lift the voices of the content creators themselves who are often drowned out from the ongoing discussion of sex work."

Allia Georges: Production Designer 

Having studied sculpture in Paris before turning to film, Allia utilizes her art history and practical knowledge to influence her design work. She has gained experience designing a range of short films in her time at university, art directing two NFTS graduation films, as well as trainee-ing on commercials and hopes to continue designing worlds for stories she cares about to live and thrive in. She has been on both the documentary and design pathways throughout her film degree and is particularly interested in the intersection of fact and fiction in alternate storytelling techniques for film.

"Growing up, I was one of those people who believed that if I clicked 18+ to access age-restricted websites being a minor, a task force would swarm my house, arrest me, and tell my mother I’d been looking at censored content as I would shamefully have to explain why in front of a court of law (maybe the president would be there).  

When I was old enough to not be locked away for lying on the internet, those websites didn’t interest me anymore, and I found the concept of watching other people fornicating very strange; I was much more interested in doing it myself. 

What did interest me though were the actual people participating in that type of content – who they were, what brought them there, if they enjoyed it, was it easy? I’ve always wanted to be in different worlds to my own, understanding people living other realities, but more importantly, I want to hear and engage through them.  

This documentary is a doorway through which we can connect with the people who seem to exist only on screens, and I am involved in it to help build that passage as honestly and accurately as possible."

Elliott Stewart-Fleming: Editor

Having worked on and been in small docs whilst at uni, Elliott is excited to build upon the already established foundation of documentation, whilst simultaneously progressing his creativity within editing. 

"In terms of my interest within the Only Fans realm, I have followed its increase in presence amongst the celebrity circle, through the likings of Ruby Rose and Bella Thorne. In addition to this, what has invested me in the subject the most, has been the rapidity of the platform's growth since March, as well as its ability to provide monetary influx to a diverse abundance of people."
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We are going to be filming Cyber Sex early next year (2021) and all the crew are working hard to bring the vision to reality. This will be our final film project in our degree, putting the years of our learned experiences into practice to create this documentary.  

We will be filming in Bournemouth, in a studio space within the University. 

We plan to submit Cybersex to multiple film festivals, including the festivals such as Sheffield Doc Fest and Raindance. 

However, we need your help to make this documentary happen. With an ambitious focus on our installation set, we need to allocate enough budget to bring it to life without limitations. We also need to cover costs to look after our contributor properly, as well as keeping everyone safe and happy on set. 

The team have worked together to create rewards for donations that we hope you will love, keeping them as personal as we can to show you our thanks.