How to Shoot Great Video: Part 1

I’ve been wanting to write this little article for a long time. There is so much bad video being produced out there, it’s unbelievable. But what’s more unbelievable is that people are buying it. Content buyers, I want you to demand more. Demand that the videos you buy be of good quality.

VIEWING SIZE
For any internet video content producer, the FIRST thing to remember is: This is video for a TINY screen, not a big television. It has to be lit and shot in a very particular way or it simply won’t work. With videos for commercial distribution for TV’s, you can light creatively, waste more time with non-sex moments, and shoot in a variety of ways and angles because you are still gonna see the action. But the internet is different. You’ve got such a relatively tiny space to work with. Get right to the action, stay on it, light it SOFT and evenly, and keep the soundtrack free of everything but your subject’s voices and moans.

QUALITY
The quicker you get a guy to blow his load, the more he will come back to your site. Simple. If a guy is sitting there jerking and jerking and jerking because your content takes to long to get him off, he’s gonna run through all the stuff on your site too quick and move on. No recurring subscriber. Bad news.

LIGHTING
Lighting is so damn important, but nobody really understands it because most content producers don’t come from a photographic background. Balanced, SOFT, EVEN lighting is the key, especially when you are moving around your subjects or changing angles. SOFT: If the lighting is harsh or direct, you get to many angles where your subject falls into deep shadow, which will blow your shot. Direct lighting is also too HOT, which looks shitty when compressed into any format (mpeg, asf, etc.) BOUNCE the light off of a WHITE wall, ceiling, whatever, or shoot it through an umbrella or soft-box and you will notice a dramatic difference. It’s so simple, yet I never see it done correctly.

MEN
99% of porn subscribers are male. So cater to them! Your stud is just a cock, so why are you photographing his sweaty, ugly face?? What’s worse then beating off to that? What’s the point? Are you kidding me? That goes for every other part of his body too, including his hairy ass. Set up shots that fill the frame with ONLY the GIRL and the guy’s dick. Simple. Remember, you only have that small space on the screen to fill with your subject. MOVE in, FILL the frame. What are these shots of couples fucking on the bed when you can see the whole bed? It’s ridiculous. Your subscriber is not gonna see shit on his screen if you shoot like that.

CLOSE-UPS
There are really only a very few positions where a close-up is warranted. Too many times have I seen close-ups that don’t work. For instance, doggy close-ups. They just don’t work. All you see is a guy’s hairy leg slamming into a girl’s leg, or his stomach and her back at a different camera angle. If you can’t see the cock penetrating her pussy clearly and closely, DON’T shoot it. Move them into a position where you CAN. Her on top with both subjects facing forward is the classic example of a perfect close-up penetration shot. Another is missionary with the guy leaning way back from her, but it’s very hard to fuck like that and have him last without getting tired. Experiment, try new things, but PLEASE, no close-ups unless they're clear.

And not too long either. A cock plunging into a hole is hot, but we need to see her body, her face, and her expressions to make the reality complete. A long, drawn-out shot of a penetration closeup gets boring. BUT, if you are smart, you will find some angles where you can see nice close-up penetration AND her boobs and face at the same time. And THESE shots can’t be beat for pure stroking excitement. If you try this, you’re gonna need a wide angle lens or attachment, preferably a .5 wide angle conversion lens. Good luck.

There’s much more to come, so stay tuned for Part 2!