“When pigs fly” takes on new meaning when the context is applied to the success of Erica McLean. The director’s controversial movie, “The Flying Pink Pig 1” — the first of a trilogy from Metro Media — caused quite a stir and vaulted the film into unexpected notoriety in L.A. when the owner of the film’s food truck claimed he was unaware of porn being shot.
But that’s only a small part of McLean’s impressive resume. The wife of the late Clive McLean, creator, photographer and director of the famed Hustler "Barely Legal” franchise, McLean herself has continued the legacy of the series and has carved out a new era of McLean erotica.
What the director is most proud of is her ability to put her own distinctive mark on a production.
“Clive directed and I produced. I hired the talent, crew, location and pretty much put all the production together. We worked together as a team. Then Larry Flynt gave me the great opportunity to take over and direct the line after Clive had passed away,” McLean says.
No simple task. Barely Legal’s unique niche and style is one of adult’s most popular series and demanded that the new products stay true to the winning formula. McLean stepped up in ideal fashion, making the young-girl line a continued success for 26 more volumes, including No. 75, which was a tribute edition to Clive. It was an exercise that not only satisfied her late husband’s dream, but also gave her the chops to make a name for herself.
Of course working closely with Clive helped. McLean said she had the best on-the-job training one could ask for. “I had no formal director/producer training other than being taught and watching Clive work his wizardry.”
McLean also studied at HB Studios in New York where she learned acting and dance — skills that she says later helped her become a better director. McLean explains, “Because I understood the workings of acting, movement and performing I was able to apply my talent on the set. Yes, this is porn we’re making, when you get down to it, but why not take it up a notch and make a the overall production better? Audiences are expanding and want to see better production values, not just behind the camera but on screen as well.”
And making quality porn was on the top of McLean’s list as an independent producer and director when the opportunity arose. Her first project — and one of her favorites to date — is Hustler’s “Hardcore Circus XXX” – an offbeat porn production that allowed McLean to flex her creative muscle.
In fact McLean says that two of the most intense scenes she’s ever directed were featured in “Hardcore Circus.” “Lee Stone and Madison Scott and Otto Bauer and Audrey Hollander were incredible. I just gave them direction on dialogue and a feel for the scene and let them do what they do best — fuck really hard and good!”
Letting the actors turn loose is the special ingredient that McLean says sets female directors apart. She believes that she and her colleagues often have the ability to come up with unique concepts that are on the fringe, colorful, a little surreal and wellthought-out.
It’s not just the fucking, sucking and cum shots, McLean points out, it’s the woman’s intuitive and often more cerebral approach to onscreen sex that men often miss because they’re too caught up in the “get-itdone” frenzy of a scene. “When I direct I think of what turns men and women on, kind of what my real life is all about,” McLean says.
What the director is most proud of is her ability to put her own distinctive mark on a production. She says she enjoys stories about “underdogs” who face incredible odds and muster up their power to defeat obstacles and then rise in victory. Combine those story arcs with sex and you have a powerful product. “I’m a storyteller of sorts, an erotic storyteller,” she says.
McLean also wants to be original. And the follow-up volumes 2 & 3 of the “Flying Pink Pig” series will do just that, the director says — all on what she describes as a “G-string budget.”
“We just shot the final scenes. Those will be funnier and sexier than the first installment, and who knows maybe even less controversial?” she quips. Nevertheless, without the controversy the film would never have gotten the exposure it did as it penetrated mainstream blogs and prominent media outlets such as TMZ.
And there’s more edgy material in store, albeit secretive. McLean says she’s currently working on her new film that has a story and concept she “absolutely loves.”
“I feel very attached to it, so I will be able to rock it. However, it’s an original idea, and that’s becoming a rarity,” she teases, adding, “It will be yummy!”
