Pleasures & Perils of Producing Adult Video Entertainment
Charles Carreon
Odysseus was the ancient Greek sailor celebrated in the Odyssey for his cleverness. When faced with the task of getting past the dangerous Island of the Sirens, peopled only by beautiful, sensual women whose intoxicating voices were famous for luring hapless sailors to shipwreck and death on the rocks of their dangerous island. Odysseus came up with a clever plan. Desiring both to hear the siren's seductive songs and protect himself from shipwreck, he had his sailors plug their ears with wax. Then he ordered them to tie him to the mast, his hands bound but his ears naked. Thus, through organized planning, he became the only man ever to survive hearing the beautiful song of the sirens.
While shooting erotic adult content may seem like a great way to make a lot of money and get an eyeful of gorgeous models at the same time, there are weighty recordkeeping requirements imposed by federal criminal law. Additionally, you must be sure to secure all of the property rights available in your adult content by using appropriate contracts and registering the content with the U.S. Copyright Office. Finally, you should be aware that, depending on what kind of erotic you produce, you run a risk of legal prosecution.
PLAN FOR THE HUMAN FACTORS
Before you jump right into shooting sexual photos and videos, consider one important factor. You are going to have to be a specialist in human relations, working with some of the most difficult artistic subjects. Without generalizing too much, it's safe to say that many adult models lack higher education and suffer from self-image problems, mixed motives for wanting to work as an adult model, mistaken ideas about how far their career will take them, and inflated notions about how much money they will make in porn.
People who strip their clothes off in front of the camera are apt to get very sensitive, so it is important that shoots be conducted in a highly professional atmosphere, in which all contracts are signed in advance, no drugs or alcohol are used before or after the shoot, and there is no possibility of abuse. With regard to this last factor, this means that your photographer must behave professionally, must not engage in sexual harassment, and must not attempt to date or contact the models outside of the shoot. However they regard themselves, models are private individuals whose personal life should remain completely separate from their work.
Another thing you should think about is health and safety. It should be obvious that cleanliness and hygiene are essential to the safe operation of any adult shoot that involves the use of toys, or sexual activity that will generate body fluids. Books on how to be a porn star and create adult content are available in the marketplace, and I suggest you look to them for guidance on these important issues. As a producer of adult content, you will distinguish yourself by showing concern for the health and welfare of the models. If you do not, you will find it increasingly difficult to retain models, or to obtain the kind of winning performances that create good adult content. I strongly advise staffing the shoot with at least one person who is of the same sex as your model, for obvious reasons.
Odysseus was the ancient Greek sailor celebrated in the Odyssey for his cleverness. When faced with the task of getting past the dangerous Island of the Sirens, peopled only by beautiful, sensual women whose intoxicating voices were famous for luring hapless sailors to shipwreck and death on the rocks of their dangerous island. Odysseus came up with a clever plan. Desiring both to hear the siren's seductive songs and protect himself from shipwreck, he had his sailors plug their ears with wax. Then he ordered them to tie him to the mast, his hands bound but his ears naked. Thus, through organized planning, he became the only man ever to survive hearing the beautiful song of the sirens.
While shooting erotic adult content may seem like a great way to make a lot of money and get an eyeful of gorgeous models at the same time, there are weighty recordkeeping requirements imposed by federal criminal law. Additionally, you must be sure to secure all of the property rights available in your adult content by using appropriate contracts and registering the content with the U.S. Copyright Office. Finally, you should be aware that, depending on what kind of erotic you produce, you run a risk of legal prosecution.
PLAN FOR THE HUMAN FACTORS
Before you jump right into shooting sexual photos and videos, consider one important factor. You are going to have to be a specialist in human relations, working with some of the most difficult artistic subjects. Without generalizing too much, it's safe to say that many adult models lack higher education and suffer from self-image problems, mixed motives for wanting to work as an adult model, mistaken ideas about how far their career will take them, and inflated notions about how much money they will make in porn.
People who strip their clothes off in front of the camera are apt to get very sensitive, so it is important that shoots be conducted in a highly professional atmosphere, in which all contracts are signed in advance, no drugs or alcohol are used before or after the shoot, and there is no possibility of abuse. With regard to this last factor, this means that your photographer must behave professionally, must not engage in sexual harassment, and must not attempt to date or contact the models outside of the shoot. However they regard themselves, models are private individuals whose personal life should remain completely separate from their work.
Another thing you should think about is health and safety. It should be obvious that cleanliness and hygiene are essential to the safe operation of any adult shoot that involves the use of toys, or sexual activity that will generate body fluids. Books on how to be a porn star and create adult content are available in the marketplace, and I suggest you look to them for guidance on these important issues. As a producer of adult content, you will distinguish yourself by showing concern for the health and welfare of the models. If you do not, you will find it increasingly difficult to retain models, or to obtain the kind of winning performances that create good adult content. I strongly advise staffing the shoot with at least one person who is of the same sex as your model, for obvious reasons.