The Real Cost of Custom Videos 2

Ordering a custom video is exciting. You sit in the director’s chair and bring your ultimate fantasy to life with a custom video. Maybe you’ve inquired with your favorite model about getting a custom fetish video and the price was more than you anticipated. You probably wonder “How can a custom video cost so much when videos on their clip store only cost a few dollars?!” There are several reasons! It is important to understand that a custom video is a costly endeavor for models:

1. Equipment.  Yes, we probably already have the equipment to make your video, but technology is rapidly changing, cameras, computers, software all require continually updating to bring you the best quality product that the consumer (you) demand. We’ve all bought a computer or a phone, only to have a newer, bigger, better one come out just a few months later. Many models & producers upgrade their equipment annually, making it an expensive part of running a business.
2. Gym Memberships, Makeup, Wardrobe.  Maybe you think of these things as “unimportant” aspects of being a model or a producer but the fact of the matter is that if someone slacks on appearance or if wardrobe isn’t ever changing & expanding…we get complaints. Customers may say “You wore that same outfit the last time you filmed X genre of video!” when someone doesn’t have a budget to constantly replenish their lingerie closet with new pieces, or “I love your all natural look!” when we’re actually spending a LOT of money on makeup to look “all natural.” Top makeup brands, such as Makeup Forever HD foundation costs around $40. Makeup has to be replenished each time the bottle goes empty…for some that’s once a month, for other’s its once every other month. Either way, it adds up!
3. Location.  While many models & producers shoot out of their own home, some of us are unable to do so, which means renting a studio or getting a hotel room. And even if we do shoot out of our own home we still have either a rental or a mortgage to pay, just like you.
4. Time.  From the moment we open your email, the clock starts ticking. Every email that you send a model or producer takes up more of our time. So maybe $10 per minute sounds like a lot, but all the minutes we spend responding to emails, filming the clip, editing the clip, and then uploading all takes away from our regular work flow.
   1. Emailing back & forth: approx. 1 hour.
   2. Hair & Makeup: 2+ hours
   3. Filming the clip: Anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours, depending on the length of your custom video. A 10 minute video often ends up taking 30+ minutes, and if your video requires more than 1 model or use of specific lines or camera angles, it’s going to take even longer.
   4. Editing/Rendering: 1-3 hours.
   5. Uploading & sending final file: 1-2 hours
5. Talent.  If you want a custom video with more than 1 model, you’re looking at schedule coordination between multiple people who are already extremely busy. Every model expects to get paid for their time, so not only do we have to coordinate our schedules to find time to shoot, but a model’s time isn’t free. A non-nude model fee is generally around $50-100/hour depending on experience, location, etc. Nude and hardcore content is obviously more. And with hardcore custom videos, talent testing is also required at a not so measly $200 per person every THIRTY days (In Florida) which is $2,400.00 annually!!
6. Resale Value.  If a custom video cannot be resold, the price is often much more expensive. We, as models & producers count on resale value. Not all fetishes sell well for us and not all customers want their fantasy put out online for sale. It’s a personal fantasy that others may not always share. For me, my custom video rate starts at $10 per minute, but use of names takes away from resale value so I charge an extra fee for use of names. If a customer does not want the video resold, then additional costs are incurred to the overall price because I’m foreseeing a loss of residual income by not being able to resell the video.
7. Payment Processor Fees.  Depending on how payment is accepted, some credit card processors take out fees, so if you want to pay via a C4S tribute for instance, many models or producers will add on the percentage that C4S takes out of our cut. Their cut is substantially larger than other payment processors.
8. Your Idea Vs. Our Idea.  As models & producers, we know what works for us and what our customers buy. If you bring us an idea that isn’t something that we sell on our store, we’re taking a risk that may or may not pay off (this goes back to the resale value). You may think “Oh, my fetish is shared by others! It’s guaranteed to make more money!” but that’s not always the case, unfortunately. There is no guarantee that others that share your fetish will like seeing a particular model in that role.

This 11 minute custom video took over an hour to shoot, plus driving time (TerraMizu lives 2 hours away from me), model prep time, and special effects editing time.

While all of this is considered regular operating cost for doing business, these costs add up for us and depending on our individual situations mean that the prices of custom videos go up.

More Info on Ordering Custom Videos

It is considered rude & disrespectful to try and haggle or “negotiate” on pricing in most situations. If, after getting a quote from a model or producer for a custom video, you cannot afford the custom rate remember this list of expenses that go into the cost. Thank us for our time and apologize that at this time you cannot afford the rate, or let us know that you’ll be saving up.

Remember that we get a lot of inquires for custom videos, when you’ve able to afford your video, you’ll probably need to give us a refresher. It is important for you to do this before submitting payment, as somethings may have changed (i.e., I had a customer who wanted my hair a certain length for a video and he paid for the video 6 months AFTER his original inquiry and my hair was no longer to his liking. I wasn’t going to change my appearance for a $100 video).

Keep in mind that models and producers go out of their way to provide you a quality product, if you’re unsure of what to expect from a custom order purchase a clip from their store. This will give you an idea of what you can expect and you can use it as a frame of reference when planning your custom video (maybe you like the wardrobe, the way it was lit, or the background).

When ordering a custom video, or even just inquiring so you know how much to plan for, remember to be friendly and keep emails to a minimum. The more emails you send, the longer it’s going to take to get a response. And if you’re rude, demanding, or try to negotiate price, we may turn down your custom video, raise the price, or just flat out never respond.

If you are ordering a custom video with multiple models, please do not try to act as the go between! It is much easier for all parties involved (yourself included!) to only speak directly to one individual. This helps you with fewer emails and only one point of contact. It’s OK to email the other model and let her know you’re excited for the custom video, but let your original point of contact be the one you do the actual business with. Unfortunately, I’ve had a few occasions where people tried to act as the go between with myself and other models. In one case, the other model perceived it as the customer was trying to screw us over and backed out of wanting to do the custom video entirely.

I hope this helps you understand the reason why custom videos are more expensive than the videos you’ll find for sale on clip stores. Making custom videos are one of my favorite aspects of what I do and I look forward to hearing from you to help bring your fantasy to life. If you’d like to get a price for to make your fantasy into a video, please send me an email with your request!