When I was new to creating independent porn, I treated set design as an afterthought. While I understood it was good to keep the background low key and keep the focus of the viewer on you, it felt overwhelming to set up backgrounds for my scenes. When it came to designing sets, I didn't even know where to start! Here are some tips that I wish I would have known at the time.
One quick way to add a lot to your set is a backdrop. If you're just looking to try things out, I don't advise throwing down a huge chunk of cash for all the best equipment. You can get by with simple techniques and a budget as low as $25. If you have curtains anywhere in your house, then you already have a backdrop stand. Cheap blackout curtains are easy to come by in stores; in fact, you may already have some hanging up. With basic sewing skills, you can turn anything at the fabric store or even your old sheets into a curtain.
Backdrop stands are a bit more expensive than curtain rods, but they give you more space to work with and usually hold more weight.
If you're working on content for a holiday, you can try some cheap fairy lights to drape over the curtains. Another way to level this up involves mixing curtain color and translucency, using large clips to secure layers of curtains on top of one another. Most curtain rods are meant to hold a bit of weight so you can even get away with layering decorations in there, too. Overlapping the lighting behind transparent curtains is a fun trick to add a soft glow to your backdrops. I've even seen fake flowers, leaves, vines, etc. pinned over the curtains to add an element of nature.
Curtain rods are useful, but they can be a bit limiting when it comes to space. It's hard to make sure only you and the backdrop are in the shot without showing off the walls behind you. And if your curtain is too short, it can take away from the experience when the viewer sees immersion-breaking baseboards poking out underneath.
Backdrop stands are a bit more expensive than curtain rods, but they give you more space to work with and usually hold more weight, so you can layer even more. And for those who don't have dedicated space set aside for work, they’re often quite mobile. Done with it? Take it apart and back into a bag it goes! Another thing you can do with backdrop stands is pair alternating color curtains side by side: with all the space on a backdrop stand it's not a struggle to make it fit.
To get that ultra-professional look, you’ll either need a backdrop that is long enough to extend beneath your feet or something on the ground to cover up the contrast between the edge of your backdrop and your floor. A good workaround if you don't have a long enough backdrop is to put an additional backdrop on the floor and tape it into place. You could also use a rug to help hide gaps from a backdrop that might not fit well against the floor. Currently, I’m using a lot of paper backdrops. They come in large rolls and are easy to discard once you're done. Mine pulls down from a mounted roller system. They are long enough to pull them out and tape them to the floor underneath your scene. There are some downsides: I’ll eventually run out and each replacement roll is $80. However, I’ll never need to break out the iron for wrinkles in my curtains again.
Heavy vinyl backdrops and mounts for your walls are always my go-to if you're in a place to invest more into your creations. Unlike paper, vinyl backdrops allow you to get messy because you can wipe them up without any damage to the material. If you take care of them, you simply won't need to replace them. Wall mounts for backdrops also provide you more space, making it less likely that tripods will be crowding your shot. And you can really determine the length because they have an easy to use roller. It has a larger upfront cost ($100+), and recurring costs over time, but paper backdrops give you a more professional feel than something like a curtain might.
While there are other decorations you can put on the backdrop to create more dimension to your shoots, I found that lighting can make a huge difference. Mainstream porn tends toward bright, clear sets, but the enjoyment people get out of independent content is that it's manufactured by the model. And it's important to be recognizable without being repetitive. So, when you take the time to experiment with lighting you can move away from what is considered "typical porn" and introduce a personal touch to make people instantly recognize your handiwork. Explore colorful hair lights to enhance the edges of your photos/videos. Replace your fill light with a hue bulb. Experimenting with the lighting of your sets is a cheap and fun way to set yourself apart from the rest.
Whether your content is geared more towards cosplay fans or more vanilla viewers, investing in props for shoots really ties the scene together. A great way to get inspiration is to look at crafting tutorials. There are loads of great vids on YouTube to teach you how to turn a lantern into a cloud, make a wall of fake flowers or ivy, turn a box into a giant paper mache rock, and more. Even if you don't have experience with making things, every attempt improves your skill. So don't be afraid to try things. And don't feel like you have to have what everyone else does. It's incredible what you can do in a small apartment with a curtain rod, sheets, lights and some clips.
Exploring new elements to introduce into your sets will not only impress your audience, but it's a great way to fall in love with your craft all over again. So get out there and try things out.
Princessberpl is an award-winning clip creator who won 2018 MV Fetish Star and 2019 MV Cosplayer of the Year, as well as 2019 XBIZ Best Cosplay Clip Artist. She can be followed @princessberpl on Twitter and as well as princessber.pl for her ManyVids content.
