Local // Bay Area & State

Falcon Studios president gives us the dirt on dirty movies

The San Francisco adult film and Internet empire that services gay men known as Falcon Studios celebrates 30 frisky years in business this year.

Down, boy.

Its president, John Rutherford, 38, got into the business 12 years ago, shortly after graduating from San Francisco State University, where he saw Falcon founder Chuck Holmes speak to his sexual variations class.

He invited me to the massive SoMa compound where all things naughty, if nice occur. Shockingly, the three-level palace that annually produces more than 30 fantasy, studly, cleanly shaven, tanned, glossy, uh, flicks is bright, cavernous, museum-clean and well hung with fancy paintings. The environment, in which 35 full-time staffers work, might even be described as . . . wholesome.

But so could Britney Spears, at a glance.

However, more than a few cheap thrills do come out of a Falcon climax.

This year, the Charles M. Holmes Foundation donated $1 million dollars to the new San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center. In addition, after all the company's bills are paid, Falcon profits go to the foundation and get distributed to nonprofits such as the Positive Resource Center; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the U.S. Holocaust Museum, among others.

Just back from editing a big-budget, 90-minute feature called "Deep South: The Big and the Easy," Rutherford explained -- as we began our chat in his slick office -- that the film was shot in New Orleans and is a weave of voodoo,

thriller, detective, witchcraft and, certainly, lots and lots of "quality" sex. .

Q: Quality?

A: Falcon sex is the cream of the crop and it's done with morals. We don't do anything that would induce unsafe sex, drug use or even cigarette smoking.

Q: Your company received criticism from some members of the community who saw it (as being) immoral that porn money helped build The Center.

A: All the gay people who spent their hard-earned money on entertainment saw it go right back into The Center that's helping them be OK with themselves and their sexuality. Falcon is and has been an integral part of gay history.

And, face it, sex is a part of our lifestyle.

Q: It's a part of everybody's lifestyle. Do you ever get sick of . . .

A: No. There's always a new face, a new model. Each man is completely different. God didn't give it all to one person.

Q: Do you ever run out of ideas, themes, story lines?

A: Everyone's got sex in mind, fantasies, a dark side . . .

Q: Dark side? Is sex dark, necessarily?

A: Well, no, I don't think so. But since we don't openly live and experience our sexual fantasies, it's perceived as a dark side -- it's not something we see in daylight. It's private. That's why I call it that.

Q: How much does it cost to make a film?

A: Anywhere from $15,000 to $200,000. Most of our expenses are model fees.

Q: How much do models make?

A: Six hundred to $3,000 for a day. It's what that person looks like, attitude, their sexual charisma. It's a package . . .

Q: Uh-huh. (Bulging pause.) Do they make royalties on films?

A: No. We have over 300 titles, and we've worked with more than 2,500 models over the years. That would be an accounting nightmare. We pay them well and build them. But they also make money with appearances. They can make $500- $5,000 go-go dancing at a club on a Saturday night.

Q: Who are your top three stars?

A: Matthew Rush, Josh Weston and Tom Chase.

Q: What's it like on the set?

A: A lot of fun. We bond and create a family relationship. There can be drama. Anytime you get a lot of queens together in one room, it can be dramatic. But we work it out. We laugh. We cry -- get aroused, and go home. . .

. Our job, simply, is to make a safe environment for the two men -- or however many men are in the scene -- and let them enjoy having sex together.

Q: Has anyone ever refused someone they saw on the set?

A: No. We hire very attractive men. It's pretty easy to get through.

Q: Dispel a myth about your industry.

A: There's no fat man smoking a cigar in this office. And there's no casting couch. We treat our models with complete respect. They have to come to San Francisco, get naked, have sex in front of a camera, under lights and in front of a crew. Not easy.

Q: How do models maintain their stamina?

A: It is a long day. Models have to work four to five hours for one scene. We give them energy bars.

Q: What's a fluffer?

A: Someone who assists in getting a model an erection. . . . But it doesn't really exist in the gay industry. On a Falcon set, we have the models fluff each other. If there's no chemistry, we use movies or magazines, or the mind . . .

If you're gonna be choosing this business, you usually don't have a problem with that. You have to be able to perform in a cold room.

Q: Is therapy part of the model benefits package?

A: No. . . . There's no difference between the adult industry and mainstream Hollywood. Anyone who chooses to be in front of the camera as a model or an actor does it because it's giving them something, they can be someone else.

Q: Where do models come from? What's the audition process like?

A: We get over 1,000 e-mails a week, with pictures. If we like them, we fly them out. In the interview, we see if we like each other, take some naked pictures, maybe we'll shoot a quick video. Out of 1,000, one is lucky to have what it takes to be Falcon man. You have to have that it.

Q: It?

A: Can't explain it. The only thing I can say is that it's a clean man that's willing to do dirty things.

Where to go If you're old enough, take a peek at the Web site