Twenty Questions with Third Degree/Zero Tolerance Director Mike Quasar

AVN Hall of Fame director Mike Quasar is responsible for ton of porn that you have known and loved over the years.  He has directed for Metro and their various imprints and he currently calls Zero Tolerance and 3rd Degree Films home, along with being Burning Angel's cameraman when he is not directing his own productions.  That is a ton of work.  Really.  It is a wonder that he took the time to share this about himself and I am really grateful that he did.  Quasar is funny, smart, cool and he knows bullshit when it comes at him.  All of those things make his porn interesting and true.  Here are his answers to twenty questions.

1) What kind of guy were you back in high school? Did you love cameras or movies or both or neither?

I attended the 9th grade twice, once for almost the entire school year and then again for about 2 weeks. That’s the extent of my scholastic achievement. I’m only partially joking when I tell people I received most of my education from Rush lyrics and a happenstance fascination with George Orwell (which still continues) because in the year 1984 I read the book Nineteen Eighty Four. I was a metal drummer who never owned a camera.

2) Were you a porn fan before you got into the industry? Who were your favorite porn stars/favorite porn movies?

Canada was not a hotbed of pornography when I was growing up. I had actually never seen porn until I moved to LA. In 1989

3) What do you think shaped you into the director that you are today?

Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 hours theory”; if you do something long enough, you become good at it.

4) What are you proudest of making during your time with Zero Tolerance/Third Degree?

Back before porn was free, we spent a tremendous amount of time, effort and money on our interactive movies. We featured Jenna Haze, Sasha Grey, Lisa Ann, Alexis Texas, Bree Olsen, Courtney Cummz, and Tori Black. We won the AVN award for that category 2 years in a row.

5) How about during your time at Metro? Any memories of Houston you can share?

The Houston 620 is perhaps the single most traumatic event of my life. I’m sure it ranks in her top 5 as well. No, there weren’t 500 guys but there were 180 who went twice and holding a camera around that much naked, transient humanity was like being in a war zone.

6) Who is your favorite male performer/female performer to shoot and why?

Mark Wood. He has never gotten the recognition he deserves. He’s not sexy like Manuel [Ferrara] or as boyishly adorable as James Deen but I think he performs as good as the best of them. Also his wife Francesca Le’ is probably the hottest female to have ever done porn.

7) What have you seen change most within the industry in your ten plus years directing porn?

Actually this year it is 22 years since I directed my first movie (when I was 23). I honestly don’t think porn itself has changed all that much; it’s still about people fornicating for profit, but the business of porn is completely different. It used to be about hot sex and hot girls, now it’s about traffic and analytics and which animated GIF is going to convert the best on a tube site. I kinda hate it now to be honest.

8) Is there any kind of release that you don’t get to shoot as much as you’d like to?

The first all girl movie I ever shot was called “Dr Fingers House of Lesbians” in 1995 and it was the first time I was actually turned on while shooting. Since then, I’ve tried to shoot as much lesbian porn as I’m permitted to. Sadly it is not nearly as much as I’d like.

9} What is one thing that you think that a lot of porn directors get wrong about the way that they create a scene?

I do not possess the necessary ego to criticize other directors but I will say that I have no fucking idea when this idea of 2 or 3 or 4 cameras locked down on tripods became a thing. Sex is fluid or at least it should be. If you can’t allow the talent to be spontaneous because it interferes with 2 or 3 other angles, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pleasure themselves to what you’re doing.

10} What are the best things about being a porn director?

I suppose the best thing is working outside of conventional norms. My goal was to be a super-duper famous musician and obviously I failed at that but this job still prevents me from punching a time clock and being concerned about my wardrobe.

11} What do you think are “must-own” DVDs for fans of your work?

I literally shoot over 100 movies a year. If I actually have fans, the movies I’m most proud of lately are “Bad Romance” starring Daisy Haze and “Shades of Scarlet” starring Karlie Montana. Anything I shoot for Burning Angel is awesome because Joanna Angel is one of the most creative people in the business. In the all girl realm, I recently shot a movie dedicated entirely to my Latin muse Vanessa Veracruz .

12} How do you decide who gets cast in one of your productions?

Trial and error. I definitely have my favorites and I try to cast them as often as I can.

13} What do you like most about working for your bosses at Third Degree/Zero Tolerance?

They leave me alone. The pay isn’t like it was ten years ago but you can’t put a price on autonomy. I’ve been working with some of the people who are at ZT for almost 20 years. For better or worse, that will always be my home.

14} Who are your role models in porn and how/why do they inspire you?

The person who taught me every single thing I know very early on went by the name Jean-Pierre Ferrand. He was the first one who put a camera in my hand and taught me many valuable life lessons as well. I lost touch with him years ago and recently heard that he passed away. I’ve also always admired Andrew Blake and Michael Ninn because I respect anyone who pursues their own vision and succeeds. I’m incredibly inspired at the moment with what Greg Lansky is doing at Blacked.com. That stuff is the perfect combination of beautiful production values and awesome performances.

15} What can we look for in your upcoming releases?

Today I shot a big gangbang movie with Carter Cruise to inaugurate the launch of Diabolic.com. Diabolic was once one of the kings of Gonzo porn but kind of faded away. We’re hoping to resurrect something legendary with this release and continue on. Carter was the perfect girl for the job. She’s amazing.

16} What is the best mainstream movie you have seen recently?

I haven’t seen anything since “Gone Girl” which was fantastic. I’m counting down the days to the Entourage movie.

17} How about the best porno movie? Is there someone whose movies you like to watch who is working now who is not with Third Degree/Zero Tolerance?

For brass tacks hardcore gonzo porn, I think Chris Streams is the best there is. Mark Wood and Francesca Le also do great stuff. On the feature side, I admire B.Skow for always being different. Eddie Powell’s movies have a look all their own. I’m also happy to hear that David Stanley is returning to directing because I shot his first movies and he’s both brilliant and insane! My Production Manager Nate Liquor is also a fantastic Director . He doesn’t seek the spotlight but he deserves it more than a lot of people who currently have it.

18} What do you like to do for fun?

Fun for me at this point in my life is having a day off and taking my dogs to the park.

19} If you could cast any celebrities to do an epic sex scene for you, who would you cast?

That scene was already shot. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in Black Swan  There is no male choice. I would ask Mila and Natalie to do exactly what they did except I would ask them to open up to the camera.

20) Is there anything you want to say to your fans here at Fleshbot?

Again, if I actually have fans, I would ask them to support the industry that they love so much by paying for their vice. You can’t go to whiskytube.com to get drunk so tip your bartenders and your pornographers.

All of the images here appear courtesy of Zero Tolerance and 3rd Degree Films.  Be sure to follow Quasar on Twitter to keep up with hisporn-filled world and to buy his stuff like he would like you to!