Originally Posted By pussywhippedboy
I still don't understand what is the huge difference between POV and non-POV videos as far as shoot expenses are concerned, or hair and make up. The only thing missing in a POV clip is the free slave.


I agree with that in general but the point is that most POV clips are not some shoot they have to coordinate with multiple people, it is just the Domme and a camera. One of my Dommes actually would shoot POV clips while just going about her normal day... having a cigarette... driving down the road... using the toilet... etc... However, the more people involved, the more headaches and things that can go wrong so non-POV tends to be something that a Domme wishes to look more professional than POV just because it is more work to do that kind of shooting.

Originally Posted By pussywhippedboy
Doing it with a $400 digital camera might be amateur, but it's good enough for a large audience.


I agree with that as well and what I have shot has sold well in relation to other videos by the same Domme(s). But as you say, "everyone has their own standards" and that is exactly why this type of shooting isn't good enough for either Mistress Ayn or Domina M. The same kind of argument can be made for photos, there are plenty of "selfies" that are put out by Dommes all the time on Twitter and Instagram, but that is not the same output or production value as having a professional photographer do a shoot for you with professional hair and makeup.

Any media that is released by a Domme has an effect on their reputation and needs to be thought of as part of their overall marketing strategy. If all they care about is maximizing the profit they make from selling clips, then what I participate in (and what you are proposing) is probably better because the costs are significantly lower. However, Mistress Ayn specifically stated that the point of her videos is to reflect the quality of her sessions in order to increase her Pro Domme business, not to maximize the profit from C4S or other clip stores. Therefore, the production value is incredibly important to her. Domina M, although not specifically stating the same thing in this thread, obviously feels the same way.

The thing is that this is THEIR business and THEIR livelihood not ours, so it really shouldn't be our place as camera person or video slave to question what the production values needs to be or what they feel they need from us when we are basically begging to be involved. I don't mean that from a Female Supremacy thing or even a Domme vs. sub thing, I mean it from the perspective of who is in charge of that particular activity. As stated earlier in the thread, if you were the production company who put together the shoot and paid the Dommes to be the on-camera talent, then the production values would totally be up to you (I have been with Dommes who were paid by the hour for shooting with a production company and were required to show up at the shoot with their hair/makeup already done and ready to shoot rather than having it done on the set by a professional). However, the Domme is acting in that role in these cases and therefore it is not our place to state what the production values should be.

Originally Posted By pussywhippedboy
I also highly suggest that the sub willing to expose his face without masks in a video (which IS preferred without a doubt!) carries great value.


I agree that it is preferred, but I don't think it carries great value from a business perspective. Masked vs. Unmasked has almost no effect on clip sales. In fact, the sub is barely even more relevant than a prop in regards to turning a profit. Clips sell because of the Domme(s) and the subject, not because of the sub involved or whether they are masked/unmasked. I am sure you are going to dispute this because of the personal value you place on unmasked subs but my statement is based on seeing actual sales numbers, not personal preferences.

Originally Posted By pussywhippedboy
Dommes worry about losing some money if the sub turns out to be a dud? But the no-mask sub is risking being exposed indefinitely all over the internet, being exposed in family and occupation... and there is no appreciation of that?


Nope... absolutely none. For us, it is fantasy and kink and fun to be a part of a shoot and hang out with the Domme(s). But for the production company or for the Domme, shooting clips/video is a business. Most Pro Dommes do sessions because they can make money doing something they love to do, but shooting is work pure and simple for every Domme I know. The sub screwing up the shoot costs the Domme time and money (plus drives their level of stress/frustration through the roof). The sub being a dud means the Domme doesn't get the feedback she needs to give the level of performance her fans are accustomed to, which means a dud of a clip that can effect future sales (which again, drives their level of stress/frustration through the roof... and in case you haven't ever noticed, Dommes do not exactly deal well with being frustrated by a sub).

Further, if a "no-mask sub" is risking anything by shooting without a mask because they are still "in the closet" in regards to D/s, then they are both a complete dumbass who is thinking with the wrong body part and actively making that dumbass choice for themselves. As much as I have talked about shooting and being on sets, have you noticed I have never talked about being in front of a camera (masked or not)? That is because I do have those concerns and therefore will not be a video slave (and believe me, I have missed out on some amazingly kinky opportunities because of it). So, obviously, I think the risks you mention are very real... but that is a personal choice the sub makes for themselves and is irrelevant to the point of the shoot or whether there should be some special consideration given to them in regards to the hoops they have to jump through to get to be a video slave to begin with.

Originally Posted By pussywhippedboy
I do also suggest that an audition be a 1-hour tribute worth as a security deposit, instead of insisting on a session. If he's a dud, keep the money. Isn't this fair enough given the value of the no-mask sub exposed on in cyberspace for life?


...and I suggest that Dommes that I wish to book a first session with allow me to send them a short two-paragraph email of introduction instead of filling out another ridiculous half-assed webform on their contact page that doesn't work half the time and never is as efficient as my way of doing things. BUT, that isn't the way things work and we as applicants have to do it the way that the person we are applying to wishes it to be done regardless of what we think is fair or efficient.

I am not saying your suggestion is wrong or unfair. I am saying that when you apply to do anything, whether it is for a job or to be a camera slave, making alternative suggestions to the process that is put before you is never appreciated and hardly ever acceptable. You know as well as I do that there are no set rules for any of this and each Domme has their own way of doing things. If you want to serve or work with them, you have to submit to whatever rules/process they lay out regardless of what "others" do. Its just the way of the world in general, but as I am sure you know it is especially the way of our Pro/client D/s world.