'This was a really fun exercise for me, and hopefully people will enjoy the fine line between camp, creativity and romance.'
Every great motion picture, and every great photoshoot, has me wondering about process. This was never more true that when Tom Rubeck, (TR Pics) sent on his King Kong inspired visual masterpiece. What began as a photoshoot with a nude model and an hairy ape hand, became a epic story. Rooted as the original films were, in a love story, Tom put his own take on the tail, and his impressive artistic and creative skills into the process.
Tom not only captured the images, he also wrote the story. He then brought in Anthony, (Raymond Smith) and Ty, (Gor) to help bring his story visually to life. With a leather couch subbing for Kong's huge hands, and Tom's backyard and porch subbing as Kong's habitat and home, everything began falling into place. Now all we needed was some background, generously provided by the stories writer and creator, and models Anthony and Ty.
What did you think of the theme when you first heard it?
I've always been a HUGE fan of King Kong, ever since I was a kid watching the old black and white version on TV. He both scared and intrigued me. There was something about his being a common gorilla (as opposed to some weird alien lifeform) but also so large... I was happy to jump on board and see what I could come up with.
I thought it was an interesting concept & at first wasn't really sure what I'd agree to but I enjoy working with Tom and trusted his vision.
My first thought was how creative of an idea it was to do a King Kong photoshoot. I see a lot of people dressed up in Halloween costumes but this I think is taking it to the next level. I personally have never seen one done so I wanted in!
What were your thoughts behind creating Gor, especially given how the roles for black actors were depicted in the early movies?
Tom:
We tried to be really thoughtful, especially with the visuals, and refraining from using certain words in the narrative. Ty and I talked about the character and what he would wear. In all reality there are and were indigenous folk who wore similar dress. He was personally totally fine with it all.
Ty:
I did have initial reservations at first about playing the role of the Islander and didn't want to be perceived as a "savage." I appreciate that Tom was respectful of my concerns & was mindful with how he shot it in a way that respected my initial concerns & how it all played out.
Have you seen any of the King Kong movies, and if so, which was your favorite?
Ty:
I have, but the first one that I remember seeing was the one in 2005
Anthony:
The first and my favorite is King Kong 2005.
Tom:
Oh, tough question. I have such a love for the original B&W version.... but then seeing the 1976 version was meaningful because I loved that it felt so "modern", and I saw it with my Dad. But I totally loved Peter Jackson's 2005 version because, with CGI, it really felt like Kong was real, physically and emotionally.
How did you come up with the concept and story?
Tom:
Since this set was for the "Favorite Hunks Blog", naturally it had to involve men... so I thought, "What if we turned the idea of Kong being intrigued with a woman into him being intrigued with a man? And then I took it further, thinking the islander could also be a man, and let's see what happens.
What were your biggest challenges:
Ty:
I haven't done a shoot like this before and I think having to imagine Kong though I couldn't see him was the most difficult part of the shoot.
Anthony:
The biggest challenge was definitely trying to act the part in the photoshoot. This was definitely something out of my normal comfort zone. I haven’t done anything character related before.
Tom:
Props. I had wanted to find an actual large hand to shoot with.... but there are none easily available. Amazon had one, but it was "currently unavailable". So, switching gears, I decided to push my Photoshop skills which also made each shot very deliberate. I had to first find stock shots of a gorilla that I could use, and then try to figure how to position the model so it would look somewhat realistic.
Was it hard finding models up to the theme?
Tom:
Absolutely not. In fact, I had to cull through who I thought would work best. The models I used were the first two I asked, and they seemed very eager to step in. They both were very fond of nudity, so that was never an issue.
What was your favorite part of the shooting process?
Ty:
The partner scene was the favorite part of the shooting process and getting to dress up to play a character in Tom's vision was nice.
Anthony:
My favorite part was really just getting to try something so different and again out of my comfort zone. I definitely learned a lot. Also of course the photographer and the other model are both so nice and fun.
We did the shoot in one Saturday afternoon on my back porch, because there was a lot of nice, soft natural light. We brought out one of my leather sofas to stand in as "Kong's hand" because I figured the curves of the sofa's arms and the feel of the stuffing could resemble the size and feel of a gorilla's hand.
We hung up a grey drop behind the guys, to make it easier for me to cut them out in post. The only shot we did inside was the final shot of the two lying together on the jungle floor, because the sunlight was streaming through my front door at almost the exact same angle as the stock image I was using for the background.... and I think it turned out perfectly!
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