Axel Braun Institutes New Safety Measures On His Films

Dominoes are beginning to fall across the adult industry, as one of the biggest directors in the industry has adopted two new policies for his films, ones which will impact the industry in major ways.

According to AVN (link below) Axel Braun has declared that all performers on films shot for his Axel Braun Productions studio will wear condoms and submit to full-panel HIV screenings weekly (the industry standard is 14 days).

"The recent series of HIV outbreaks is a clear indication that something needs to be done in order to protect our talent pool and prevent this from happening again," Braun said. "Maybe the last one hit too close to home, since patient zero was booked on my set the day he was diagnosed, or maybe my integrity is becoming more important than my bottom line, but I have finally come to believe that our system is broken, and I'm simply trying to do what I can to fix it on my end."

Braun has been directing condom-only films for Wicked, but he's decided to extend that to his in-house productions as well, taking any cost incursions on himself for these added expenses.

Braun's decision comes seven months after the director implemented a "21 and over" policy, raising the age limit for talent in his productions. "There is is still plenty more that needs to be done, and it can't be accomplished until the industry comes together to outline a new, comprehensive protocol. While I have been vocal against condoms in the past, I have come to realize that deep down my stance was motivated by financial gain, and that adult movies with condoms can be just as successful and arousing as the ones without them. We just have to make better movies."

As a four-time AVN Director of the Year winner, it wouldn't be surprising to see other studios follow his lead, though Braun himself is skeptical.

"Just like with the age limit, I certainly don't expect other companies to follow my example and start using condoms or paying for talent testing," Braun said, "but it wouldn't be fair for me to advocate performer safety and then ignore the most obviously effective STD/HIV barrier, or place the burden of additional costs on the very people I'm trying to protect.

Via AVN