Basic Filming Kit and Tips

There’s loads of guides and videos out there, so I’ll keep this short :-

Camera : Small HD camcorder that you can hold comfortably. Flip out display.

Lights : Couple of LED lights and stands.

Mics : People seem to just use on camera mic these days when they start.

Then PRACTICE shooting.

Easiest way is to volunteer to film some scenes on collab days. So long as people know it’s your early days, they’re normally cool. Everyone starts somewhere. Or get a couple friends to act like porn stars, fully clothed. (This one, be warned, you are all going to piss yourself laughing so much!)

Golden Rules of Filming Porn

While you are filming, ALWAYS be asking yourself :-

• Can I see one or more faces?
• Can I see pussy/dick?

Yes and Yes : It’s a good shot. In BG, most of the time you want HER face, or BOTH. Just his face, not what the audience is looking for, so not too much of that 🙂

Yes and No : Could be just what you need, but is it? The classic shot of this type is the doggy filmed from the front, which is all about her expression, or where she’s riding him and again, getting into it and you want to capture that.

No and Yes : Plenty of great shots are like this, but BE CLOSE. You generally want to be right in there so the action fills the screen. The single most common mistake is to film the fucking, but actually to be filming the fucking, the torsos and even up to the neck. If you find yourself doing this – MOVE CLOSER for fucking, or PULL BACK and get a face in the frame.

No and No : Almost certainly a crap shot. Is it? If so, MOVE and frame a better one.

Give Direction

If your performers are doing something and you want them to do something else, TELL THEM!

This is more of an issue with newer people, who are not camera aware, (esp new guys, who often forget to make the dick visible to the camera) but all performers will take direction.

The one to watch with everyone is shadows. Performers are going for it thinking they are giving you a great long shot, but you want to get in close and when you do, you cast shadow on the action. So tell them to move.

Move the camera, don’t zoom it

Generally you set the camera as wide as possible and then just move to get the right shot.

Zooming changes the perspective of the scene, but, more importantly, you’ll get a shaky image when hand holding.

Keep the camera level

Frame shots this way if you can. If you can’t, or it makes more sense to tilt the camera to get the view you want, fine, but starting level keeps you aware of what you are doing and whether or not your “dutch angle” will make sense to the viewer.

It’s less important for close shots. When all it can see is a BJ, the audience is very forgiving about camera angles. What it hates is when it looks like they are fucking in a storm at sea because the bed is slanted left, then right, then left again 🙂

Tips

ALWAYS when you have some good framing, watch or count at least a minute of that action, while you hold the camera still.

When you want to change the view, just move. Don’t try any clever slowly moving the camera stuff yet, (it usually hits the editing floor anyway unless you have been REALLY SLOW and REALLY SMOOTH), leave that for later. Just make your move, and you’ll cut the crap bits in editing.

If you get 30 mins as the go from fully clothed to naked to cum, and it’s all as per this guide, you’ll have useful content from which you can get a full scene, a short scene, clips and Twitter bites.

CLOSE – BJ – frame the shot you want, usually you want her eyes in shot. Move around for the best view. Disregard the level camera rule.

CLOSE – COWGIRL – have her lean forward for well lit full length strokes.

Watch out for her hair falling and obscuring things.

DO tell people when you them to change position, keep doing something, or you need them to reorient on the bed etc

WARNING : Almost everyone when they their shoot their first porn scene, is so excited to be shooting porn that they don’t watch their framing properly and it’s ARRGGGHHH. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s normal. If you want a volunteer, we can collab and I’ll give you a crash course – to make sure you film me well enough for my content:-)