AMATEUR ANGLE

If you have an interest in making your own adult videos, or have made your own homemade videos but don’t know how to market them, then AMVC.com would like to offer some basic information and a few pearls of wisdom.

Please note that, as with any business endeavor, you should consult your own accountant and attorney about laws in your community.AMATEUR ANGLE

If you have an interest in making your own adult videos, or have made your own homemade videos but don’t know how to market them, then AMVC.com would like to offer some basic information and a few pearls of wisdom.

Please note that, as with any business endeavor, you should consult your own accountant and attorney about laws in your community. Although this is a very fun and rewarding job, never lose sight that this is a business and should be operated as such.

Is This Legal?

Before we get into the details of your getting started in the business, it’s best to address legal issues first.

What’s legal in our working environment may not be legal in yours. Therefore, you should consult an attorney before going any further with this endeavor. There are several legal aspects for your attorney to advise you on, some of which are: zoning ordinances, “unnatural acts”, sodomy, and community standards (obscenity). You shouldn’t even consider moving forward with this endeavor until you’ve determined the legal status of your situation. These laws and the zoning ordinances can be used to shut you down, and in worst-case scenarios, land you in jail. Be informed and be careful.

Both David* and I moved to Seattle from the east coast’s “Bible Belt”, in order to be in a more adult-friendly and legal-friendly environment. This isn’t to say that you should pack up and move from where you are, but rather to serve as an example of how serious we are about obeying the laws and that those laws may require you to change your current environment in order to follow the laws and/or standards of your community.

A very important legal facet, if not the most important, is obtaining proper identification from every single person appearing in the video, whether they’re having sex or not, in order to show proof of age that they are at least 18 or older. It’s our understanding that in some states, the mandatory age is 21 or older, but that’s an issue for which you should consult your attorney. In order to obtain proper identification, you must make legible copies of valid ID. Valid ID is defined as the following: A state-issued photo ID, a photo driver’s license, a photo military ID, or a passport. Anything else is not a valid ID and there should be no discussion of accepting anything different or promises from a model that they’ll produce one later. We do suggest, however, that you get a second form of ID from them, in addition to the above valid ID (like a copy of their Social Security Card or something else that can serve as additional documentation). Once a valid ID is obtained**, make at least two LEGIBLE copies for your records. We make an electronic scan as a digital back-up, as well as paper copies.

Another legal aspect that protects both you and your models is a signed and dated model release. An example of this and other legal resources is in the producer’s section at AMVC.com. [Editor’s Note: Please consult an attorney as to whether the model release you intend to use is one that will actually protect you from legal liability – it is dangerous to just plagiarize a model release from another webmaster, as there is no guarantee that the model release you acquire is up to current legal standards and covers all bases.]

My Attorney Says I’m Legal… Now What?

Let’s begin with the basics about starting your own filming, finding models, and getting a final video ready for sales and marketing. I tend to suggest higher-quality tools, only because many producers (including us) have made the mistake of skimping on quality and lighting and the mistake footage is now unusable or unretrievable and resulted in a loss of time and money.

Tools

1. Obtaining a quality camcorder with which to do your filming.

By quality, I mean a full VHS camcorder or, preferably, a digital camcorder. Although prices for digital camcorders are dropping every minute, they are slightly higher than a regular VHS camcorder, but the quality it produces and the “edit-friendliness” of digital media is, by far, the best way to go and the most adaptable with today’s digital age. Digital camcorders typically have an extremely low lux, which compensates for a bad lighting situation (but don’t rely on the low lux to light up your scene for you). Here’s your first pearl of wisdom: Do not shoot your videos on VHS-C, 8mm, or Hi-8 camcorders. The quality is horrible, the tapes break too easily, they’re horrible to edit, and they just plain suck ass, compared to a full-VHS or Mini-DV tape.

2. Buying blank tapes for recording your shoots.

Don’t be a cheapskate about this either…get high quality blank tapes (for example, Gold VHS tapes or name-brand digital Mini-DV tapes). Since you’re just beginning, get a few more blank tapes than you think you’ll need. You never know how long a shoot is going to last and if you don’t have plenty of blank tapes to record on, then you’re screwed.

3. Getting additional lighting for your filming.

It’s almost impossible to have too much light, but it’s very easy to have too little. Remember that what the camera sees and what you see, with regards to lighting, can be very different. Halogen work lamps or halogen floor lamps can be a good, inexpensive start. Because you’re just getting your toes wet, I wouldn’t invest in expensive lighting but do suggest that you have plenty of lighting on hand.

4. Obtaining space to do your filming.

Assuming that you’ve covered the zoning and other legal issues, this is usually very easy to come by. Because we deal only with the amateur and pro-amateur video productions, a home setting (bedroom, living room, bathroom, etc.) is the ideal location that our customers drool for and expect from an amateur video. A motel room can also be a hot film set, but you should be careful of legal issues and lighting (natural motel room lighting is the worst). You will also find that many friends and people you meet will offer you their space to do shoots at…sometimes for monetary compensation, but mostly so they can be there to watch a porn scene being made live.

5. Finding Models.

First and foremost, make absolutely certain that the model is of legal age and make copies of a valid ID**. There are absolutely no exceptions to this. Ever. That said… the number one question to us from new producers is, “Where do I find models?” Well…there is no magic recipe (and if you find one, please share it with us). Different producers have different methods of finding models that work best for them. Some cruise 24-hour “Mart” stores late at night looking for horny people up late looking for sex, some ask the people they have sex with, some place ads in local alternative papers, and the list goes on. Personally, I’ve been fortunate in finding models just by randomly meeting people in various places that range from standing in a fast-food line to nightclubs, but it’s ok if that doesn’t work for you since you’ll soon find your own niche that does work best for you. Because Seattle has several sexually-explicit publications freely available to the public, I find those forums to be the fastest and easiest scenario by which to find models, although there is some cost involved. Once you’ve found your model(s), remember to treat them with respect and professionalism, because word-of-mouth will either make you wealthy or destroy any future chances you may have of making it in the business, not to mention it’s the right way to treat others.

Am I A Porn Producer Now?

Now that you have all the necessary tools, you are ready to begin filming. So…what do you do now that you’ve got all of your equipment and lighting set up and your horny models are ready for action? The best advice I can give is to give the model(s) direction and start filming everything that’s said and done. Start off with “vanilla” scenes and have the models say and/or do what you would like to see in a porn video. You’ll find that there will be people who don’t like your filming style or content, but many others who will…and those are what we call “customers”. Film everything you can, because it’s easier to edit something out of the video than it is to insert something you never recorded! To be honest, this is the part that I can’t teach in text. It’s something that you’ll learn along the way. Unfortunately, some of the learning you do will be from the mistakes you make…but we’ve all been there, so just do the best you can and make sure you have the right tools that I’ve listed as your foundation on which to build.

What About Paying The Models?

This is a good question, and the answer varies from producer to producer. All model payment transactions should be clearly documented, so cutting a check is the best method. The amount of payment for a model’s work will vary on different conditions, some of which being: How much are you budgeted to spend? How well did the model perform? Will that model’s look and/or performance be a hot seller that you’ll make your money back quickly? Has the model worked with you before and requires less guidance and time from you (and can he/she show a new or inexperienced model the ropes)? Do you want to pay a flat fee or hourly? Will you be paying the model royalties on video sales? (Note: If you’re paying royalties to the model, remember that you need to have the terms of payment clearly spelled out in a written agreement. Personally, I think this method is more trouble than it’s worth, but you may find that it works out just fine for your business model.)

Whatever your payment schedule works out to, never screw a model out of a payment that is rightfully his or hers, including, but not limited to, writing a bad check.

What Do I Do With All Of This Video Footage I’ve Shot?

The first thing you need to do is edit the footage, if needed. Edit out any copyright infringements, people for whom you don’t have model releases, or anything that may be deemed obscene or questionable. AMVC used to offer editing services, but it became too time-consuming for us to do so we’re currently developing a list of editing companies who will edit your adult material for you. If you already have the knowledge (or the ability to learn…it’s not very difficult, just time-consuming), you can get a Macintosh computer with video editing software, which we’ve found to be the most user-friendly method of editing.

Next, you need to market your videos for sale. That’s where AMVC.com comes in! At this point, AMVC takes over the marketing, duplicating, and distribution tasks for amateur adult video producers, especially people who really enjoy making the videos but might not have access to thousands of online customers eager to purchase their product, or people who are good with a camera but can’t be bothered to do all of the bookwork and footwork needed to actually sell their videos. Currently, our gay catalog is the biggest and best seller, but we are working very hard to increase the catalog and sales of our straight, bi, and transsexual catalogs, and welcome videos of any genre. More specifics are on our site.

What’s The Synopsis Here?

Although this is a very fun, erotic, and sometimes lucrative business endeavor, it should be treated like any other business, because, in essence, it is. Ask a lawyer, get your tools, practice, and learn from yourself and from others. Then, after you get a catalog of videos that are making you decent money, you just may be able to quit your full-time job and become a full-time porn producer or model or, at minimum, have the coolest part-time job or hobby than anyone else you know!

[Stay tuned for part 2!]

*AMVC is owned by our parent company, On The Edge of Cyberspace, Inc., a Washington corporation located in Seattle and operated by W. David MacKenzie and Allen McNulty. David and I have a combined 16 years of experience in the online and offline adult entertainment industry and we take great pride in our quality customer service and business ethics, as well as our insatiable appetite for sales and growth. With over half a million dollars in sales last year, our next goal is a million!

Dealing only with the productions of amateur and pro-amateur videos, AMVC’s products and services are divided into several categories: Production, Marketing, Sales, and Distribution for ourselves, as well as for many other amateur producers who have entrusted us to handle the above categories for the videos they produce. (At the time this article was submitted for publication, AMVC has 88 producers for whom we market/distribute and 7 different video labels that we produce ourselves.)

**Editor’s Note: In the opinion of YNOTNews, a second valid ID is MANDATORY!