Producers

[HeroineFanboy]

A few questions for producers:

(1) Is it your full-time job to create heroine peril videos?

(2) How did you first get involved in making these videos? I'm sure you all must have had a fascination with comics (and maybe still do) at one point or another, so that's an obvious catalyst. I'm more curious about how it struck you to one day start producing videos.

(3) When approaching talent, especially girls who have never performed in a heroine peril video, how do you explain what exactly it is you're trying to produce and what you expect out of their performance?

(4) Have you ever approached some of the more recognized cosplay girls who frequent conventions? What were their reactions? I'm sure that most of them would not do porn-related heroine peril, but I'm willing to bet that a few of them would be willing to perform in something equivalent to the Skyfire videos for the right price.

[Mr. X]

1) I work a job

2) I hated my job and wanted to do something silly and irresponsible.

3) "Hi! We make super heroine erotica. Here's our business card with our url and a list of models for references. Have you done XYZ and would this work interest you?"

4) I would never touch those girls with a 1000 foot pole, at least the amateurs. Some girls are fetish models who go to get more exposure. Leslie Culton has been Vampirella and Wonder Woman a few times. We had Stacy Burke and Jewel at out booths. But I would never touch the amateurs. Some of them are under age. A lot just go to suck up attention. Go to a convention with a 50:1 ratio of guys to girls and dress like Lara Croft and you are going to get A LOT of attention.

You have to protect yourself too. Professionality works BOTH ways. You do not want some amateur who at the last minute says NO and walks out or after the fact asks you not to post a video or promises to do topless then backs out. And further you do NOT want them screaming rape and wigging out. If its a new girl you have never seen before and cannot get references, get one of those small tube cameras that run for like 3 hours and just leave it running during a shoot. But I would seriously avoid amateurs. Its about your protection too. You don't want some boyfriend beating you up and robbing you.

And think about it from their point of view. They are amateurs, they don't know you, you're going to tie them up in a hotel room somewhere... yeah not a whole lotta trust there. That's why reputation is so important. A Kobe Lee or Christina Carter is going to be professional. Barbi the comicon girl who is a part time waitress isn't.

[Rye]

1. Yes this is my full time job and my only source of income.

2. For me it was really quite simple... Do something you are obsessed with, get paid, and have ridiculous amounts of free time.

3. Carly takes care of all that stuff for the most part but movies without adult content are far easier to cast obviously.

4. Nope... But this year I got a booth at the Emerald City Con so if I see anyone interesting I might just ask them. Speaking of Skyfire... she will be at my booth in costume March 2nd

[Mr. X]

Hey Rye. Is that convention in Seattle? If it is I should stop by and say hello. When are you there?

[Camvoy]

1- No.

2- Inspired and partially goaded by Hypno. He probably got tired of me bothering him.

3- I tell them what the content involves and if they're interested, great. If not, so be it.

4- I don't do conventions.

[Rye]

Mr X-

Indeed it is and ill be there the entire weekend. Friday I will probably have the most time to hang out though.

[HeroineFanboy]

I don't mean to veer too far off-topic since I'm genuinely interested in the answers to all four of my questions, but I feel compelled to respond to Mr. X. On the contrary, there are many girls who cosplay at conventions who are in their 20s and 30s and who are also accustomed to modeling. I don't think it would be a stretch for them to perform in PG-13 superheroine peril. Again, I'm thinking something along the lines of what Rye has accomplished with Supergirl 1984 and Skyfire. Here are a few notable cosplayer girls, purely for illustrative purposes. (I'm not suggesting that they would agree -- just pointing out that these women are well past the age of majority and are professionals who might be interested in earning an extra buck in a peril video. There are certainly many others.)

Yaya Han (Psylocke)
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/ ... 58jgum.jpg

Belle Chere (Ms. Marvel)
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5310/5569 ... cd0d_z.jpg

Ardella (Powergirl)
http://media.comicbookmovie.com/images/ ... 4wl3n9.jpg

Alisa Chan (Supergirl)
http://www.gamersbin.com/attachments/f1 ... ad-105.jpg

[it2007]

It's best to keep the two lines separate, leave peril modeling to adult models, and actual geek girls to cosplaying. The kind of peril that you probably think is tame is probably NOT to most of these cosplayers. Paula Peril is a rare exception, but even then the peril is second fiddle to the storyline, which takes focus and doesn't dawdle on the peril bits. Doing peril in costume and cosplaying are NOT the same thing. As for PG-13 peril, that's what the hundreds of fan films out there are for, but they're almost always FREE. Cosplayers agree to be in fan films, most often uncompensated, because they are made by themselves or they have deep interest in the characters and trust the filmmakers who are usually just as big of nerds as they are. But you can't exactly ask producers here to ask them to model for them when the producers here are trying to make money.

Alisa Chan already veered into fetish modeling.

Yaya Han doesn't have to do any fetish modeling since she's already way more popular, famous, and profitable without it.

Not sure about Belle Chere, but Ardella is already fed up by creepy guys at comic conventions and went out of her way to make a video deriding them, so no need to make the situation even more awkward. Think some of the comments about her Power Girl pics also creeped her out.

[HeroineFanboy]

Right . . . that's why I explained that these models are merely illustrative . . .

Alisa Chan already veered into fetish modeling.

That proves my point. If Alisa Chan, a typical cosplay girl, would veer into fetish modeling (I had no idea), then surely some of the other hundreds of cosplay girls would be interested in being paid to act in something along the lines of what Heroine Legends or Next Global Crises produces.

[Shakeshift]

Yeah.... good luck with that.

[swampy170]

Having worked with 1 or 2, and got to know a fair few cosplay girls (notice I don't use models). I can safely say there's not many who'd want to do a PG-13 peril movie.

Most are really not doing cosplay to be models/actresses, they just enjoy dressing up as their favourite characters and the attention.

There's a huge step between woman who dresses up at conventions and model.

Also who says a cosplayer would be any good as a model/actress?! - it's actually alot more difficult than just thowing on some clothes and standing infront of a camera, in the same way photography and videography can't be picked up in a day - neither can modelling/acting.

[Mr. X]

HeroineFanboy - The examples you gave MAY have started as cosplay girls but then they BECAME models (apparently) and so became professional. Again I personally would NOT recommend even approaching an amateur about fetish material. And a lot of these convention girls are simply there for attention and to dress up. Just wait till you get that call "could you please not sell that video... I really wasn't thinking about what I was doing".

Stick to the pros. Its for your protection as a producer as well as the girl's protection as models.

My impression from you was that you were wanting to make a movie, saw some hot cosplay girl and was thinking about trying to hire her for a shoot. I'm saying UNLESS that girl is a pro model/fetish person do NOT work with her or at least do something very tame that you may have to throw away at some point. Its for YOUR protection. And if you are so convinced you can work with these amateur girls then by all means go ahead and do so.

Shakeshift's got it right and he's done a lot of videos. Good luck.

Here's another thing to think about. If these girls are so willing to cosplay and go to conventions and they would do fetish videos how come you're NOT seeing them in fetish videos? And I mean the stuff Christina Carter or Kobe Lee or Akira Lane do not some PG13 material. I don't see ANY of the girls you listed in any fetish material. Sure an occasional simple tied up shot but what about real work?

[Shakeshift]

The other point that you have to watch out for is that if you go to a comic book convention and ask girls dressed as superheroes even under the nicest and most creepy-free of terms, there is a VERY high possibility that the cosplayer in question is going to politely answer all of your questions and then immediately notify security who is then going to either immediately escort you out of the building OR a police officer is going to give you a $400.00 citation for harassment and/or solicitation.

Women's ideas of 'socially-acceptable conversation" are much different than a man's. While men may think it's okay to talk about some subjects like fetishes and dominant/slave behavior freely and openly with women, women don't always find those same subjects all that interesting when it comes to being chained up against a wall, chloroformed, clubbed in the head, or having her clothes stripped off and then being raped by a supervillain. It IS creepy and it IS fucked up. There's really no way to sugar-coat any of that up to someone who has no experience within the adult entertainment paradigm. It's blatantly misogynistic strictly speaking from an outsider's perspective.

[HeroineFanboy]

Your points are well taken. However, I believe the reason we haven't seen many cosplay girls in superheroine peril videos is precisely because producers are overly cautious about approaching them for the very reasons you've articulated. (Although, apparently Alisa Chan, a regular convention cosplayer, has made fetish videos with Sleeperkid's World -- I looked it up.)

Naturally one of these girls is less likely to agree to star in a video like those produced by Christina Carter or Alex Bettinger, or Rye's Punished Heroines label. But to be clear, what I'm suggesting is to approach them to star in something along the lines of what Next Global Crisis or Heroine Legends produces. Those are practically TV-quality videos with legitimate story lines that tend to depict the heroine in a positive light. In fact, even when the heroine occasionally loses in a NGC or HL video, it doesn't involve nudity, groping, or anything that a typical cosplayer might find objectionable. (Heck, most of these cosplay girls show more T&A in public at a convention than the stars of a NGC video anyway.)

So why should a producer bother hiring a cosplay girl over a fetish model? I think what makes a cosplayer appealing (to me, at least) is that she already has a passion and respect for the genre or otherwise she wouldn't cosplay in the first place, despite dismissive generalities that she does it "for attention." She also understands the character and so might be able to depict the superheroine better than a random fetish model. I also think there's something appealing about the "girl next door" quality of a cosplayer that naturally lends itself to portraying the virtuous heroine.

I'm not in the market to produce videos myself. I'm just championing the idea of using some of these girls. Again, I reiterate, I think if a producer represented himself professionally then he shouldn't be afraid of how these girls might react. The worst they could say is "no." I do believe that starring in a NGC or HL type video would be a natural extension for some of these girls who have already made the leap to booth babe and occasional model. In the end, money talks.

That's my .02 cents. Opinions to the contrary are WRONG -- just kidding. Opinions to the contrary are appreciated. Despite my best argument, I can see how hiring these girls might not sit well with a strict fetish producer.

[HeroineFanboy]

The other point that you have to watch out for is that if you go to a comic book convention and ask girls dressed as superheroes even under the nicest and most creepy-free of terms, there is a VERY high possibility that the cosplayer in question is going to politely answer all of your questions and then immediately notify security who is then going to either immediately escort you out of the building OR a police officer is going to give you a $400.00 citation for harassment and/or solicitation.

Women's ideas of 'socially-acceptable conversation" are much different than a man's. While men may think it's okay to talk about some subjects like fetishes and dominant/slave behavior freely and openly with women, women don't always find those same subjects all that interesting when it comes to being chained up against a wall, chloroformed, clubbed in the head, or having her clothes stripped off and then being raped by a supervillain. It IS creepy and it IS fucked up. There's really no way to sugar-coat any of that up to someone who has no experience within the adult entertainment paradigm. It's blatantly misogynistic strictly speaking from an outsider's perspective.

Sorry to flood the board. I just think there must be some misunderstanding about what I'm suggesting.

I am NOT suggesting that a producer should approach these girls in public at a convention without even knowing their age. I am NOT suggesting that a producer should ask these girls to star in a kinky superheroine fetish video.

What I am suggesting is to pay these girls to star in a video very much like what is produced by NGC and Heroine Legends or Rye's most recent efforts with Skyfire. I think those videos can be extremely tasteful and tell a legitimate action-driven story line that happens to feature attractive women dressed as superheroines.

Obviously a producer would be met with scorn if he approached one of these girls with the line, "I produce superheroine fetish videos that feature bondage and nudity." A more tactful approach would be to mail her a professionally written letter along the lines of "I'm casting roles for an independent film about a superheroine and I thought you might be interested in the part. The job pays $____, but I'm open to negotiation. If you would like some references, I can provide you with the contact information for other models whom I've worked with." You get the idea.

[swampy170]

I agree it seems like a natural extension - but I know alot of the girls wouldn't be interested.
Modelling is not for everyone - it takes a certain type of person to be comfortable in their own skin infront of the camera.

There's the odd one or two cosplay girls I know who would be interested - but they're already models, it's just an expansion of their work

[Mr. X]

The other point that you have to watch out for is that if you go to a comic book convention and ask girls dressed as superheroes even under the nicest and most creepy-free of terms, there is a VERY high possibility that the cosplayer in question is going to politely answer all of your questions and then immediately notify security who is then going to either immediately escort you out of the building OR a police officer is going to give you a $400.00 citation for harassment and/or solicitation.

Women's ideas of 'socially-acceptable conversation" are much different than a man's. While men may think it's okay to talk about some subjects like fetishes and dominant/slave behavior freely and openly with women, women don't always find those same subjects all that interesting when it comes to being chained up against a wall, chloroformed, clubbed in the head, or having her clothes stripped off and then being raped by a supervillain. It IS creepy and it IS fucked up. There's really no way to sugar-coat any of that up to someone who has no experience within the adult entertainment paradigm. It's blatantly misogynistic strictly speaking from an outsider's perspective.

EXACTLY! Very good point. And I DON'T pass the "creepy free" gauge by any means. Solicitation would probably wind you up on the curb and thrown out of the convention. Elevator Gate at Atheism Plus Plus is a good example.

Also my experience with cosplayers and fans is they think I am a disgusting pervert (which I am but that's another debate). Someone told me my work is used as an example of "what is wrong" with the industry. So some hot chic dressed as Harley Quinn might think erotica would be sexist for the character. Valerie Parez who apparently does a lot of comicon conventions as Wonder Woman, Lara Croft, etc won't do fetish material and she's an actress. I know she did Paula Peril but my impression was this was an attempt to be a mainstream offering vs a fetish video.


As for girls like Alisa Chan. If I saw her on Sleeper kids site then I would think she's a legit fetish model. Another indicator is if the girl has a One Model Place account.

But soliciting girls outside the fetish community will probably land you ejected or fined.

Another aspect is the reverse. How come we don't see a lot of porn stars at Comicon doing cosplay? Darla Crane posted once saying that they can't get those gigs cause the convention won't let them in, at least not using their stage names. So these conventions DON'T want what they consider adult industry girls at a family friendly event. So if you're a cosplay girl and do fetish movies you could possibly be asked NOT to dress up for conventions.

One thing to add is I believe in Paragon's early days they used "amateurs" for videos and one girl demanded all her videos be pulled cause a coworker recognized her in a video.

[CaliLogan]

If you would like an opinion from someone who is both a model and producer, here is my take on the situation.

Most of these girls would probably feel offended if you asked them to do something with nudity, bondage, etc. They're into the characters, yes...but its more fun for them.

Now, I know there are some companies that are able to make profits off of the lighter peril based stuff. In my experience however, a boob being exposed or the heroine being backed into crossing her moral line in some way tends to sell a lot better. Most people dont realise how expensive production can get. Especially if youre hiring brand-name girls to play huge roles in long stories.

As a fetish model who has been approached to do things that are beyond my limits, it all depends on how someone asks. If they are polite and reasonable, I graciously decline the offer and refer girls who would be more fit for the role. If someone comes at me demanding that I shove donkey dildos up my ass because they its their custom and I should do what they want... I not-so kindly tell them to f#@* off.

To answer your 4 questions:

1. I have another part time job, but this is my main income

2. I started producing because clients would contact me about customs, and I figured "why not"

3. Usually, Ill do a little bit of research on a girls previous work if I dont know much about her. Then I will simply tell her what Im looking for and see if she is okay with it. If you dont ask, you will never know.

4. Sadly, Ive only been to a non-work convention

[dajinx1]

I'd like to add my two cents.

1) I have a full time job, I produce for fun and it also provides some supplemental income.

2) I started as a fan, mostly following sooperhero.com and Hypnotic's site. I got a real first taste for the business when I ordered and wrote some scripts for customs from DT wrestling years ago. "ultiwoman unleashed" and "queenpinned" were my customs. Then 3 years ago, I decided I wanted to do a small business for myself and my wife told me to do something that I would like and I figured why not this and she has been very supportive since. I then picked the brain of a few producers, Mighty Hypnotic included and they gave me a lot of great advice on how to get started.

3) As far as finding talent, i started with craigslist and i was lucky to find my first actresses but since then craiglist has been unreliable. a lot of no shows for auditions and not serious people. Now, I mostly use backstage.com. When recruiting, I am honest in the content and what we are looking for from the start. I also provide a link for potential candidates to see a sample of our work, like youtube trailers for the vids. It's best to be upfront in detail and expectations so you won't waste their time or yours.

4) I've done a convention with UltraHeroix last year in NY and it was fun but i wouldn't suggest recruiting cosplayers. First, you don't know what you're getting, a lot are underage and most are doing it just for fun. Also, it's not very professional. I think that's the most important thing in this business, even if you are doing it mostly for fun it important to act and run it as professionals, you would be treated with more respect when approaching talent.

The conventions though are a great place to network, you can meet other website and media people that can help you with your productions. You could also meet costume designers, that can do custom work for you. Also, there are models that has their own booths or promoting similar sites that you might be able to network with.

Hope that helps, I'm still learning as i go.

[Shakeshift]

Well-spoken, DaJinx1. *Thumbs Up*

[Mr. X]

I never had much success with conventions. Comicon in Sandiego was expensive and we didn't yield much plus we would have loved an adult section but they would stick us out with everyone else so kids could see our stuff which was embarrassing. One good note was Stan Lee was across the aisle from us one year so I got to chat with him and he was sure hitting up our model.

[Christina Carter]

(1) This is my full time job, and boy is it ever a full time job. I have had a few friends comment on how much I work. It's a 24hr job.

(2) Since beginning my modeling career in this industry (2001), I was told I looked like Linda Carter. Many producers would put me in the WW costume. I fought this for a bit, not wanting to be stuck in one role. Then I gave in...accepting it and loving it. As the years went by I thought..."Hmmm.. I can do this, I can produce just as well as they can. Why not? Screw all that traveling..I want to stay home and be the boss." LOL...It's definitely a trying job, it's not as easy as one might think. I respect all my fellow producers. Especially my boy Hypnonlinemedia , Mr. Weathers, and Paragon. They had a huge hand in my progress in this business and I love and respect them for it. Thank you boys!!

(3) Unless I'm at Fetish Con, I will only otherwise approach a model through email. This give them a comfortable distance if they think I am out of my mind...lol. I've never actually had a model get offended, usually it's a matter of their limits, I respect them and will not push a girl to do what she does not want to. I find most of my models through fans suggestions..or when I am twitter stalking hot chicks. I always explain who I am, list all my sites and give lots of references.

(4)No Way...I agree with Swampy-

Most are really not doing cosplay to be models/actresses, they just enjoy dressing up as their favorite characters and the attention.

There's a huge step between woman who dresses up at conventions and model.

Also who says a cos-player would be any good as a model/actress?! - it's actually a lot more difficult than just throwing on some clothes and standing in front of a camera, in the same way photography and videography can't be picked up in a day - neither can modelling/acting.

So there you have it!!

Christina

[Valik10]

This is only a part time job for me as I have a regular job but its great supplemental incone.
I actually got started on the now defunct site Metro City Heroines back in 2006 and after working in some of Alex Bettingers Slayer Paris videos I decided to open a clips4sale store and finlaly branched out to my current site www.heroineperil.com
I usually get models from referrals or sites like model mayhem but ive used a solid core group of models for a long time which really helps with shooting etc. Ive never done a convention and I'm not sure they are the best places to find talent

[CustomSuperheroines]

1) Filming is my full-time job, however, Heroine-peril videos are not…

2) …this is something I stumbled upon a few years ago acting for another producer and grew into the genre. We are now taking this genre further in our current main projects

3) The videos we film are PG-13 live action comic book movies that align with many other Hollywood productions, so our content isn't something we need to explain in too much detail, however I do require specific things at auditions and describe the content and genre in full detail, tending to work with those who have a background in video games, comics, etc

4) We only employ working Hollywood actors, however, we will be meeting these folks at Wonder-con and Comic-con this year!

Logan
HeroineLegends.com

[daphne]

A few questions for producers:

(1) It is my full time job - custom fetish production, not just Superheroine stuff

(2) Online ad looking for fetish models, then the custom production took off from there.

(3) We look for girls next door, and cultivate their talent. I'm sure you know that it can be hard to find good actors, and when we do, we are very excited!

(4) As of now, we have not visited a convention, always been too busy when they are going on.

[Smilie18]

Just to see what interest or the process might be I m heading to Europe and USA in 6 weeks time in mid-April with dates locked in for a 12 week working holiday initially......

Would love the chance to audition or give this gig a go......if anyone who might be interested in n Aussie happy to discus content and so on....

Looking forward to hearing from anyone.

Thanks

Smilie....