How Much Does It Cost To Make High Quality Dominatrix Porn...

Hello all,

Today I want to write you all a blog about what exactly goes into creating FemDom Porn... and why you should be paying for it.

PornHub and its Legacy

Quite a few of you have probably noticed PornHub hitting the headlines again recently, after an expose into abusive and non-consensual content in The New York Times. This article quickly lead to Visa/Mastercard pulling their payment processing. In response, Pornhub did a sweeping reform of their website. Now, only verified accounts are allowed to upload content (really good!), but as yet Visa and Mastercard have yet to reinstate payment processing (really bad, especially for performers who rely on this income, during a winter pandemic, 2 weeks before Christmas...)

FemDom Porn on YouTube and Pornhub

Pornhub has a long and torrid history when it comes to sex workers. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend Jon Ronsons Audible series 'The Butterfly Effect'. But, a quick rundown was the spark of an idea to create 'YouTube for Porn', way back in 2007. They allowed anyone to upload content, with no verification of who the uploaders were or where that content came from. Soon enough, they were quickly averaging 1 million hits a month, and the content was being uploaded far faster than DMCA notices from the owners of that content could take it down. Copycat websites popped up all over, and porn became readily and freely available for everyone with an internet connection. These days, PornHub is estimated to be the 10th most visited website in the world (shooting up to 9th during lockdown). It has trillions of monthly visits, with more hits than Amazon, Netflix or Reddit.

Tube sites like PornHub fundamentally changed the way our industry works. Many porn studios closed, as a pleathora of free content made it much more difficult for performers and producers to earn a living (especially true for 'vanilla' porn as opposed to more niche 'FemDom Porn'). But, these sites changed the way most people even think about porn. The vast majority of porn consumers will never pay for it, crying... 'Why should I pay when I can get it for free?'

Of course, therein lies the problem... most porn ISNT free. Most porn, unless a verified model uploaded it, is stolen. And this Tube site model directly takes money out of the hands of sex workers... an already disempowered, marginalised and criminalised group of people.

In today's blog I am hoping I can convince you to pay for your content, by allowing you a peek behind what goes into it's production. This is especially pertinent right now during a pandemic. Porn use has skyrocketed during lockdowns, whilst sex workers have been left scrambling for new income revenues. If ever there was a time to start paying for your porn, it is now.

The Cost of 'Free' FemDom, The Equipment Required to Record Dominatrix Porn

Whilst you can easily find porn that is free to watch, porn is far from free to actually create. Even more than that, I suspect that most people vastly underestimate just how much money it takes to create quality content.

Take the following screengrab of a recent clip as an example. Looking at this clip, it isn't all that fancy. It's just a simple POV with a simple, skimpy outfit and a single prop. This clip is around 10 minutes long, and I would sell it for $10.99. Take a moment to really just look at this image before reading ahead. Take a wild guess at how much money you think it cost for all the equipment to produce this.

Cost Calculation of Superior Quality Dominatrix Porn Audio and Visual Equipment

I posed this same question on twitter, and guesses ranged from £200 to £3000. Most people seemed to settle around £1000-£2000 range. But, not a single person actually managed to guess the correct amount. So, let me break it down into cold, hard figures...

1. Video: My DSLR Camera, with a specialist lens, a good tripod, stills remote and SD card : £1250
2. Lighting: A 4 point lighting set up, with assorted stands and light modifiers : £1500
3. Audio: My microphone, boomstand and extension lead to record off camera : £400
4. Setting: A plain background, backdrop stands, chasie and props : £350
5. Model: My outfit/hair/makeup (including the Louboutin shoes you can't actually see in this shot) : £800
6. Editing: A specialist creators laptop, which I use ONLY for editing, and software : £2200

Total Cost of Recording Equipment and Time Creating FemDom Porn = £6500

How close was your guess? If you guessed less (which I am almost certain you did), by how much did you underestimate it? Does knowing the true cost make you question the idea of 'free' pornography?

Bear in mind, this is only for the equipment I used for this specific clip. I actually have lots more equipment I swap out for different clips. More backdrops, more lighting and modifiers, different lenses, MUCH more expensive outfits/BDSM toys/props and so on. The total above doesn't include any of that extra equipment I also use regularly. Of course, I use all this equipment over and over again. It's not a one off cost, but an investment into a wider business of content creation. It certainly doesn't cost me this much money every time I make a clip (I would be out of business FAST if that were the case!). But, the point I want to make is, when £6500 worth of equipment goes into making a clip... surely the purchase price of $10.99 seems more than reasonable, right?

FemDom Porn not only takes extensive equipment, but also time and expertise

Making FemDom pornography is not only an expensive business, but a time consuming one. And of course, that £6500 figure above doesn't include my time or my expertise. Creating content is a full time job, which many of us do on top of other forms of sex work. Most of us also do real time, phone and webcam sessions, as well as create content. Not only is it a full time job, but we actually do the job of what many different people would do on a 'traditional' film set. So, let me also break down my time...

You're not just paying for my time, you're paying for a decade of experience too

For this clip, I only spent 10 minutes in front of the camera. But before I filmed this clip, I spent time really planning it out. Coming up with the idea/concept, and writing out a rough (or detailed) script. Deciding how I want to set it up, light it, and shoot it. Picking and polishing my outfit and props. And of course, a couple of hours to perfect my make up and hair (sorry to burst your bubble, I did not wake up like this!)

Once I've finished actually filming, then I'll move onto editing. This can sometimes be fairly quick and straightforward. Occasionally, it might include long tangents on Google and/or YouTube, learning new editing techniques to hone the vision I have for it. I may also spend some time searching through stock footage/music to include (which I will also pay a fee to use). Then, more hours spent writing descriptions, creating previews and video GIFs, and uploading them all to the various clip websites in the correct categories and keywords to make sure you can find them.

I couldn't estimate the sheer amount of time (or actual money) I have spent on different editing, lighting and photography courses learning exactly how to do all of this. Add to that, I have close to a decade of personal and professional play experience. All of which get's distilled into that little 10 minute monologue in my clip. Suffice to say, I have sunk hours upon hours upon hours finetuning my craft. I pour my heart into creating content which I love, and that I sincerely hope you will love too.

And once all that knowledge, money, expertise and creativity is crafted into a clip, uploaded and sold online? Well, then I will also spend hours upon hours trawling Tube sites and shitty forums, finding the pirated copies of it (if I find them at all), and then writing and submitting DMCA takedown notices to those websites, which they may or may not ever take notice of, and which even IF it gets taken down, will likely get uploaded again a few days later...

...Are you tearing your hair out on my behalf yet?

The takeaway from this is... Porn is a luxury, to produce AND to buy. But if you ask me, you are getting a shit-hot deal even when you do buy it, considering all that we pour into making it. The only reason you think you don't is because you have bought into a culture of 'porn is, and should, be free'. Which again... is not and has never been true.

'Most FemDom Porn Performers Are Loaded, They Dont Need Me To Pay!'

Here, I want to let you into a real secret... MOST sex workers are not FemDoms answer to Jeff Bezos. Of course, some make great money, but some make very little. Most of us fall somewhere on the spectrum in between. However... pretty much ALL of us market ourselves in an expensive, polished and glamourous way. This is especially true of Dominatrices, and FinDoms in particular.

Sex work is Class Drag. Most of us brand ourselves just as carefully as we produce our content. We present a honed aesthetic which is not a reflection of our true selves, but a creation we have made specifically to titillate you. We are walking fantasies, and we project our most polished versions. Those screenshots you see of us dripping in jewellery surrounded by mounds of cash? They are a reflection of our branding and marketing, and whilst they can contain some truth, they are also creations we have made for the sole purpose of your viewing pleasure.

In the same way most of my twitter followers guessed that above clip cost a lot less to produce than it actually did, I'd be willing to bet most of them would also guess my yearly wage is considerably higher than it is. So, when you make the assumption we are all loaded, that is based on carefully curated images we create of us looking polished as fuck, you are confusing reality with the 'fantasy' of our branding.

Make no mistake, that many sex workers, especially during this pandemic, are struggling to get by. But of course, not many of us are going to reveal personal struggles publicly.

I'd like to share one of my own experiences to illustrate this point. Years ago, I took a break from work in order to look after my mental health after a difficult couple of years. As I couldn't accept sessions or film, I took out a credit card to support myself. At this same time this happened, I found a bunch of my pirated content. The combined views totalled close to $500,000 worth of revenue. I truly cannot describe how sad I felt, to run into debt just to survive as SO MANY people enjoyed my content, but refused to actually compensate me for that labour. Just think if 1% of those people had bought that clip instead. I could have comfortably looked after myself in my time of need.

(Side note: Those of you who bought my content during that time? THANK YOU. You have no idea how much I appreciated it)

Many sex workers are in that same, barely surviving position right now. That is a direct result of the culture of free porn, which simultaneously consumes their content, and yet refuses to support them.

The Rise of the FanClubs

Finally, I want to say that with the rise of fanclubs such as OnlyFans and AVNStars, I don't believe there is any excuse not to pay for porn anymore (if there ever was one). You can get a monthly subscription to your favourite models even more easily and cheaply than before. The amount of content available on most FanClubs is incredible. Plus, you know that you are directly supporting that model you love. It's a win-win situation!

Just as lots of us are becoming more conscious about all of our purchases, I'm going to encourage you to apply those same ethics to the pornography you consume. Recognise that lots of time, money and expertise went into creating that for you. Behind every clip you watch, that there are people relying on your purchase of it to survive.

Just like we pay our monthly subscriptions to Spotify, Netflix, Amazon Prime... why should our pornography be any different? Especially when it's arguable that sex workers need our collective support more than massive corporations. Right now, creating content is the only safe way for sex workers to keep a roof over our heads until we are the other side of COVID. Our careers are deeply stigmatised during the best of times, and the pandemic has only made our lives harder. Actually buying our content is not only fair, but the moral and ethical thing to do.

In a world that routinely fucks us over, you can actively choose instead to support us. Buy our clips, sign up to our fanclubs. Tweet your praise, and encourage others to do the same. Request your own Custom Clip (seriously, custom clips are so special, and are a great way to support your favourite producers). And, if you see any of our pirated content, let us know so we can have it removed.

Now... let's say you've made it all the way to the end of my blog. And... you still don't want to pay for your porn. If thats the case, I'd like to invite you to reflect on the following questions...
Why do you feel entitled to the free sexual labour of strangers? Why do you expect a marginalised group of people, who have been some of the hardest hit by 2020, to not be compensated for the work they lovingly created that you enjoyed? And, is a person who values their momentary physical pleasure over the ability of a criminalised group of people to survive, really the kind of person you want to be?

Seriously, pay for your fucking porn.
I promise you, ethical orgasms feel even better 😉

Until next time,

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