Nova Studios

Nova Studios

Company type	Independent film company
Industry	Gay adult film production
Founded	1976
Founder	Scott Masters
Defunct	1986
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Products	Gay adult films

Nova Studios was a gay adult film company operating independently, founded by Scott Masters in 1976 and remaining active until 1986.

Origins of the company

Starting in 1969, Masters produced hardcore gay male magazines under the alias "Robert Walters," eventually publishing as many as six issues per month and surpassing 500 titles by 1977, including In Touch for Men. His inaugural film project was the short loop Drilled Deep (1970), featuring Jim Cassidy. Masters created The Stephens Agency to handle direct mail distribution of his films but discontinued it in 1972 due to lack of profitability, although he continued directing loops alongside cinematographer Jim Randall. By 1976, despite facing legal obstacles, he had directed more than 100 loops.

In 1973, Masters directed his first full-length hardcore gay feature, Greek Lightning, produced for Jaguar Productions. That same year, he launched In Touch magazine, which he later transferred management of while maintaining ownership rights.

Nova Studios

Motivated by Falcon Studios' success with direct mail sales and premium pricing since 1972, Masters secured funding in 1976 to establish Nova Studios. The studio’s debut film, Tubtricks (1976), extended the typical loop duration to nearly 20 minutes and starred notable actors Lee Marlin and Ken Carter. This initial success paved the way for a series of popular extended loops such as Kept After School, Beached, Tricking, and Down on the Farm, solidifying Nova’s reputation through superior production quality and inventive marketing approaches.

The "West Coast Look"

Under Masters’ guidance, Nova Studios pioneered the "West Coast Look" in gay pornography—a carefully crafted and stylized filmmaking method. Films were constructed like theatrical productions with linear narratives and seamless transitions designed to enhance continuity, atmosphere, and thematic coherence. Scenes followed a consistent pattern moving from wide master shots to medium shots and close-ups, frequently returning to the master shot to provide viewers with an optimal perspective. Lighting was deliberately bright to minimize shadows and accentuate performers’ features, complemented by meticulous grooming and an emphasis on cleanliness.

Defining gay porn conventions

Nova Studios introduced numerous conventions that became standard within gay adult cinema:

• Strong focus on sexual fantasy – Films often depicted sexual encounters in unusual environments such as factories or locker rooms, emphasizing fantasies involving ostensibly "straight" men engaging in unexpected same-sex activities.
• Gay-for-pay performers – Characters often displayed ambiguous or heterosexual identities; the emphasis was on attractive men engaging in gay sex rather than exclusively gay individuals.
• Sex scenes with partial clothing – The studio popularized retaining a single clothing item during sex scenes—like athletic socks or uniforms—to reinforce the fantasy context.
• Youthful appeal – While models were generally in their late twenties to early thirties, narratives highlighted youthful personas, sometimes implying underage status through dialogue or setting.
• Incest motifs – Beginning with His Little Brother (1978), films suggested incestuous relationships by assigning shared surnames and cultivating brotherly dynamics among actors.
• "The natural look" – Nova favored lean, naturally built models over idealized muscular physiques, often featuring expressive eyes and warm smiles.
• Sexual chemistry – Performers frequently exhibited sexual ambivalence but demonstrated high arousal toward same-sex encounters, including thrill-seekers and escorts eager for on-camera experiences.
• Narrative structure – Most productions incorporated clear storylines with dramatic tension and typically concluded with humorous twists—a hallmark of Walters’ style.
• Planned sexual performances – Despite guerrilla-style filming conditions, scenes were meticulously choreographed to capture detailed shots without the jump cuts common in later gay adult films.

Marketing innovation

Nova Studios broke new ground in marketing by producing high-quality brochures to advertise films priced at nearly three times the usual cost of standard loops. These 16-page, full-color booklets contained approximately 70 small images highlighting scenes from the films, thereby boosting the products' attractiveness and enhancing sales opportunities.

Theft and embezzlement

Starting in 1980, Nova Studios began distributing Scott Masters' earlier loops created before Nova's establishment on video. Unfortunately, Masters' partner—who held roles as both production chief and financial manager—illegally sublicensed this same material multiple times to different clients. This practice flooded the market with poor-quality copies, significantly undermining the studio’s financial health.

To recover lost revenue, Masters reluctantly embraced synchronized sound films in 1983, several years after competitors had already adopted sound and video technologies. His first sound production, It's the Life (1981), was a commercial failure due to subpar performances and language issues, resulting in Nova Studios losing valuable market position.

As a countermeasure, the studio began adding music and narration to older silent loops to generate income from existing footage. Additionally, in 1983 Nova invested in fresh talent, recruiting performers such as Rick Donovan, Jim Bentley, Tim Kramer, and Danny Connors to enhance its film lineup.

By 1984, editor Chet Thomas joined the team at Nova Studios and worked on their last synchronized sound projects, including Heroes, which introduced Cole Taylor, and Something Wild, featuring well-known actors like Scott Avery and Bobby Madison.

That same year, financial difficulties worsened when Masters’ partner embezzled company funds and fled with the master print of Boys Town. Upon uncovering unpaid taxes and debts totaling $60,000, Nova Studios licensed its remaining film catalog to an outside party. Production of gay adult films ceased by late 1986.

Post-Nova Studios

In 1987, Masters became part of Catalina Video, which had been distributing Nova Studios’ productions since 1982. With Nova facing financial collapse, Catalina secured the rights to the unreleased Boys Town, while Masters maintained the ability to sell other Nova titles through different distributors. Catalina also appointed Masters as head of production, allowing him occasional opportunities to write and direct films.

Masters sold most of Nova Studios' film rights to L.A. Video; however, after that company filed for bankruptcy, those rights entered a state of legal uncertainty.

During this period of transition, Masters adopted the professional name Scott Masters. At Catalina Video, he brought on Chet Thomas—his former editor at Nova—who went on to become a prominent director within the gay adult film sector.