One night nearly a month ago, Cameron Chapleau and Jaboukie Young-White, college students and roommates, were hanging out in their sparsely furnished apartment in the South Loop doing what they usually do when they’re bored: coming up with names for porno movies.
Within an hour, they had three responses. Within a couple of days, they had ten. Some hopefuls sent head shots. Others sent dick shots. One sent dick shots from several angles, a photo of his body with his face blurred out, and a video of himself saying “Yeah, baby!” in an Austin Powers voice. (“He’ll look really good with ruffles,” says Chapleau.) Best of all—since none of the men, it turned out, were up for dude-on-dude action—the very first respondent was a woman.
He and Young-White are eating lunch together at a Panera a few blocks from their apartment: identical bread bowls. Their budget does not allow for drinks.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
It wasn’t until after it became apparent that Austin Plowers was really happening that they realized they were facing a major obstacle (aside from lack of money and experience): as 18-year-old boys, they understand that loving porn is almost like a duty, but they don’t really.
So why not make a documentary about the making of that other great work of cinema, Austin Plowers?
“He can name multiple porn stars,” says Chapleau. “I can’t even name one.” (He and Young-White have, however, come up with porn names for themselves: Dorian James and Jean de Bois.)
As they planned, the porno has become less an end in itself than a vehicle for producing the documentary. “Maybe we’ll only do one scene,” says Chapleau, “just the club scene with ‘American Woman’ and then cut to them having sex.”
