Greetings all!

As we leave a pretty dark chapter behind us, I mulled over what I saw, what I learned and what we, as a community can do as whole to better prevent things like this happening in the future.

For those who do not know me, I been on here for years but under a different name (Some might know and remember me as Poolofdeath). A lurker and consumer of sorts but I always considered this place home and the first place where I learned of this fascinating fetish of ours. Since I have joined, I fell in love with production. It started back in 2000 with music when my then band needed an engineer to produce our first demo and I was tagged in (What a big pain that was). I am a session drummer of 20 years and had the privilege to play with both regional and national artists in my area. After a chance encounter with another producer on here (Known as Soft Dangers) I found my other itch.video production and photography. I was fascinated by it because it was challenging and new to me. Nothing like running Ableton, Protools and Logic but a whole new world that enthralled me. I dove into it and never looked back and now have about 14 years of Photo, Video and stage production experience.

In that time, I learned a lot. One of those things was how to manage a set of a shoot and manage expectations. The other was how to effectively treat and communicate with models. This doesn't mean you need to be a robot, but quite the opposite. You need to empathize and humanize the people you work with and understand that models are in fact, people with real concerns, real experiences, real emotions and real limitations and it is my hope that sharing the guidelines that I use will help get a constructive and beneficial discussion going among my peers on how we can collectively do better.


Communication:

Firstly, how we communicate to those on and off set is a highly overlooked thing. I am on Model Mayhem under 2 accounts, one of which is this one and the other is my vanilla work and I still hear stories from models on both. I was also on Sexyjobs where I worked with a few models there. It bears understanding that how we first engage a model will set the tone of your work relationship out of the gate. I have 3 rules when it comes to contacting a model:

-I don't chase talent. What does this mean? It means I limit my engagement to 2 messages or less. First, a main inquiry and if I don't hear back, a follow up. If I don't hear back after those two messages, I assume;
1) The Model is too busy
2) The Model is not interested
3) The Model has poor communication and will be more trouble than it is worth.

In any event, it is best to move on from there because you are simply pestering them beyond 2 messages. If you are using a platform that allows you to see if the other party read your message, use it. Messages that are "read' and has no reply typically means they are not interested and are being too nice to say it because they wish to avoid a confrontation (and yes, they DO get into confrontations for saying "no" to a shoot. Ask me how I know).

-Introduce yourself "Greetings, my name is *insert name* and I am with *insert brand*. This is YOUR job interview just as much as it is theirs. Treat it as such.

-Be respectful and descriptive. Be upfront that this is a fetish shoot. Don't be scared to say it and certainly do not try to hide it. These ladies have probably heard things that will make your skin crawl. While this is NOT a green light to match that level of crudeness, you can be honest and say that you are with a fetish production providing that you are professional about it. Describe what they will be doing and what it involves. If there are physical requirements, tell them and why. Moreover, if there is (Real or implied) Nudity, Topless, or real or implied sex, be upfront about it. Do Not try to bushwhack them on set with a scene not discussed beforehand. It Will Not end well for you. Be direct about the rates, length of shoot, and where the shoot will take place. What we are trying to do is remove as many questions from the field of play so they have confidence of what they are walking into. Lastly put in a proper closing. Something along the lines of: "Let me know if you are interested and if not, thank you very much for your time. Thanks and look forward to hearing back! -*insert name*.

Yes, Thank them for their time. They took the effort to read your message. Give them that much.

Once coms have been established, I typically fall to emails. Use something like Google Calendar. It is handy for sending out broadcast emails to multiple models and crew members and works as an effective communications and administrative tool. It is also handy for scheduling shoots as you can layer production staff and models at different times and have a clean and organized work flow so you don't have late team members or early arriving models. When speaking to Models, whether email or text, understand your position. You are in a position of leadership. Act it. Things like "Hun", "Sweetheart", "Dear", "Love" and inappropriate talk like that will ensure that model will never feel comfortable with you ever, assuming they even want to shoot with you again. You are, by all accounts, the defacto Production Manager. Behave that way. You can crack jokes (if appropriate, of course) on set but understand that that line between model and producer still exists on set and when communicating a shoot.


Set Environment:

We are sometimes forced to shoot in a magnitude of environments. Indoors, Outdoors, Rain, Sun, Cold, Heat, etc. This makes us have to run around a bit to try to make sure the shoot is both successful and safe for everyone on set. The first thing the models I speak to know is where the shoot will take place. This is by design. I want them to google it. I want them to look it up and judge for themselves that it is a safe and sane environment for them to work. Your set environment and your set up is a direct reflection of you as a producer/content provider.

-Outdoor shoots: What is the weather like the day of the shoot? Will there be shelter from the heat/cold? Water? Food? Is there a private dress tent for the ladies to get changed in? DO NOT have the models get dressed in the back of a van or car or behind a tree and hope for the best. Take the mantle of leadership and prepare for the shoot. If you do not have a dress tent, buy one. Can't buy one? Rent one. If this isn't factored into your production costs, you need to start and before anyone says "have a few guys hold up blankets", look at the effectiveness of their time doing that. While the models are getting dressed, they can be helping you get set up for the next scene or lugging buckets of gunge or helping move lights around. A dress tent doesn't just provide privacy and security for the model but saves you time on set which also saves you money. The same can be said with a shower tent (if needed) for the models to wash up for the next scene.

-Indoor shoots: For indoor shoots, I look for 3 things: Private dressing area, Private shower, Security. Peerspace is an amazing venue finder for such places and almost all the owners of these units are creators themselves. Just check the host rules to make sure what you intend on doing there will be acceptable.

Where is the studio or location located? Is it a safe and secure studio in a good side of town or is it some seedy THOT motel that looks more like a crime scene. Is it your house or home studio? Is it presentable or a shit hole? The point here is if I am a model, and I have NEVER worked with you before, what impression are you sending? Make the studio warm and welcoming. You are already investing the money for the model to be there. Take the extra time to clean, make sure things look presentable and such. It doesn't take much effort.


Set Behavior:

Set behavior is among the most important things to bear in mind. It's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a shoot, especially if you are multitasking but this bears great importance in not just how well your shoot goes but whether or not your model is comfortable with working with you again.

For my shoots, paperwork is first and foremost every time for every model for every shoot. No exceptions. I have a loft office that is open view from the set so I can keep an eye on the ground and make sure my assistants are doing what they are supposed to be doing while I do the onboarding thing. Once paperwork is done, IDs are copied (front and back), I then give the models the tour of the set and introduce them to the rest of the team. I show them where the the bathroom is and their dressing room is located and allow them time to get settled in before running rehearsal. I typically try to have one female staff member on set to assist the ladies with anything that they may need in sensitive areas of the studio (Dressing room and Shower). These areas are marked off and no one is permitted in these areas unless cleared by her or me (I usually have to resort to knocking and yelling "Are we decent?"). Yes. These ladies know what it is like to be nude in front of men/strangers. That doesn't give me or anyone else a license to violate their privacy.

During shooting, a recording device ban is in full effect. No phones on set ever. Whatever it is has to wait unless special circumstances require it (Family emergency, etc). The models I work with are awesome, and they know this but I like positive reenforcement so I will say "Great job!" or "Amazing work!". I NEVER say "You were sexy" or "You're beautiful" or anything beyond a simple high five. Again, remember your position! When a team member sees you act a certain way, you are setting the example for them to follow. My team members are fully aware of the consequences if my policies are not followed. I have no reservations kicking someone off the set, and I have. I set my bar high and I have no issues of holding people accountable if they cannot meet the requirements.

I cannot emphasize this enough: A model's boundaries and hard limits are NOT suggestions. They are concrete. Full Stop. Read that again. If a model says she doesn't do topless, respect that as you would want someone to respect the boundaries of a family member. If she states that she doesn't do topless, she doesn't do topless. If she states that she doesn't do nudity, she doesn't do nudity. If she states that she doesn't do G/G or B/G then she doesn't do them. Do not ever agree to the limits of a model until the day of the shoot in the hopes that she changes her mind on set with the red light blinking. I would encourage any model in this position to not just walk off your set but run like hell and inform the authorities. Respect and honor the models boundaries always. If those boundaries will not work for your shoot, find another model who is willing to perform those acts. It is that simple.

Of course we crack jokes and we have laughs and we almost always swap war stories around a few slices of pizza during break. I'd like to think we always have fun but I always bear in mind the boundaries of the models I work with. Keep the inappropriate stuff to a zero. I get that some of the women we work with are in the industry, but that's no excuse. If you are uncertain where the boundaries are, ask or let them make the jokes and laugh along. In any case, don't assume and try to remain professional. Our last shoot with Sondra, she had a wardrobe malfunction during her strip scene. She laughed it off of course and so did I but it was back in and back to shooting the scene again. No need to dwell on it or make her feel uncomfortable for it. These things happen.

After the first shoot:

After the shoot is complete, I let the ladies go wash up as I assist the guys with break down. Once break down is complete or if the models are already washed up, it's back to the office to take care of payment. At about this point, I ask if the ladies had fun and if it is a yes (I have yet to have a "no"), I ask if they would feel happy if we worked together again (Again, never got a "No" yet). I have a knack of being really good at fostering and cultivating good healthy relationships. I like bringing people together. The women who have worked with me are on a friendly basis with each other and celebrate each other's victories now. That is to be expected if you are running a straight ship. I typically don't text or message them much after a shoot except to check in periodically to see how they are doing. These women have lives outside this world. Sondra has two other professions and is married with 4 kids. Mandii is engaged and is a pro model. Diana is a model, working athletics instructor, and married with a move into a home on the calendar. They are NOT here for my companionship. They are here to be employed if a shoot comes up and I am in need of their services. Remember that.

Now is this to say relationships can't grow out of what we do? No. One of my close friends is a model who I worked with years ago and she is awesome, happily married with her first child on the way. We dated briefly for a bit up until she ended up landing her dream job in Colorado and we remained close friends to this day. The difference is I didn't assume anything simply because she was one of my models. What happened, happened organically through a mutual respect and trust built from what we created together. Violating that trust however comes with severe penalties (As we have all witnessed)

Conclusion:

That is it. A strong foundation of guidelines I typically follow. Now this doesn't mean this is the end all, be all. Let's get a positive discussion going on how all my fellow peers do what they do and see if we can not make something positive come from all this!

Much love to ya all!
-Bruce

Great post!! I really like this. I hope we can all learn and ever evolve the community as a good place to be.

Pretty much agree with all of the OP's post.

These days, whenever I approach anyone, I always start with something like "Please feel free to say no to this, I'm aware of the horror stories of pushy photographers and guys who won't take no for an answer, if you don't fancy it that's fine and I won't pester you, feel free to say no in safety."

I started doing that after approaching someone I already knew socially, some years ago, who replied saying she didn't think she was attractive or funny enough to do this kind of thing - when I already knew she was drop dead gorgeous and a wonderful warm and happy personality. Of course I accepted her decline with a "no worries and thanks for taking the time to reply", and didin't pursue it, but later I realised the reason she'd said that wasn't that she didn't believe in herself, but that she was used to having to make up excuses to fend off "won't take no for an answer" men.

A model shoot is not a date. It's a professional business event, and should be approached and treated as such.

A thoroughly professional "how to" guide to being a producer. I will take all of this on board and read many times to learn more in the event i am ever on set of one of my own productions.

I work with some amazing people overseas. And with the exception of an occasional hired cameraman, everyone else involved with pre / during and post production are females and do not speak english, adding a extra level of complication, with google translating scripts, instructions and feedback for me.

The models do not speak english either, but over a year or more i have built up a very strong relationship, professional with "on site" producers and the models i work with.

Should i ever get the chance to be on set at any time in the future, i will be sure to put these guidelines into practice.

Every model knows my name and what i look like, i have even done some instructions in their language to help ease nerves.

And i am asked frequently when i will be making new videos by the models (which is dependent on money )

I'm honored, sir because I always considered you an astute professional and gracious producer and I dig that phrasing you use as it's genuine and it sets the tone right out of the gate. You're acknowledging to the model what they potentially contend with and I love that!

Even more so, when one said "no", you took it gracefully and people should take good example from your story. We're gonna get "no's". I think out of 10 models asked, at least 50% won't even reply. At least half of those who do reply will say "no" and the remaining few we have to filter through and see if they will be a good match for our production (attitudes and capacity to learn matter to me).

The "no's" don't stop there. Diana for instance doesn't do nudity or Topless (this was a HARD limit) so it was off to the store to find a bit of a more modest outfit for her to wrestle in because we didn't want anything accidentally being exposed on camera while wrestling and wanted her to be comfortable for the shoot.

This is kinda what we signed up for and not as glamorous as Hollywood makes shooting erotic material looks like. I'm pretty much a glorified human resources/inventory associate who just so happens to know how to run video and edit.

Great guideline. Not much else to add to that. I'm just going to reiterate my point from an earlier thread that DungeonMasterOne also stated here. If you want to date a model, then pursue dating them when you're offset only, and if you want to hire a model, pursue work only while you're hiring them. You must be very, very honest with your intentions and with what to expect on every shoot involving adult content. What's difficult is that there's no regulations, no unions and no protections for worker's rights and it's easy to get taken advantage of. And I think what gets misunderstood about adult models is that they're always horny and very loose with their bodies. There's a professional modality to working in adult content and that should be a requirement for how all productions are run. It guarantees that standards and expectations are fair and upheld for everyone's benefit.

And anyone out there who wants to perform, there's a standard industry rate of pay that you're entitled to when putting your body at risk. All producers are required to test you for STDs for any penetration scenes. If you're not getting tested, then that is a physical risk with physical consequences. If you don't know if your scene partner is infected, and you get infected, then you're not only at risk but you could be spreading that infection to others if you're not testing regularly. That also becomes a violation of your consent. Would you have performed with them if you knew you would get infected? And it is the responsibility of the producer to pay for testing if they're contacting you and asking you to make the scene.

1) All penetration scenes should start at $800/scene/performer. No arguments on this one, I won't agree with devaluing anyone's health. That rate goes higher the more popular you are. You can in fact set your own rate, but you're giving yourself less security if someone ends up testing positive for an STD after you've performed with them, or if you're injured during a scene, which does happen. Also, if you get injured and bruised, especially around the face, that can cost you work as a model and you'll need the correct pay to help you during that time.

2) All oral sex should start at $400/scene/performer I've seen people charge more for bj's and facials if there's going to be aggressive choking and face fucking during bj's.

3) All hj's, masturbation, and any nudity should start at $350/scene/performer.

4) Non nude, clothed, fetish scenes should start at $200/scene/model.

These are standard rates for the protection of the model/performer. Putting your image out there is permanent, and sexual content makes you a target for predators. No laws or regulations in the industry makes you vulnerable to abuse. You deserve to be respected and protected for the amount of risk you're taking for other's entertainment. You are more than welcome to set your own rates and accept whatever pay you feel is fair for you. But if you're going to be doing this as a way to support yourself financially, then I recommend these rates for you if you're unsure about how much you should be making. Any other models please feel free to let me know what your thoughts are on this.

To the producers, I understand if that seems too expensive to afford. But you shouldn't be making sex scenes if you can't afford to pay for the health risks you're putting someone at. And you own the content with them in it, you're going to be continually profiting off the sales for as long as you put it up for sale. The model only gets paid once.

Yeah I'm glad many of us where able to communicate and express pain loss grief and despair yet stay to hold space though so much of it.