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Good evening, Mr. or Ms. Producer:
I am considering joining your ranks as a producer of superheroine videos. I've had an interest in this genre since I was three years old, and have only recently concluded that I should finally chase my dreams and start adapting my ideas for others to enjoy. But before I jump headfirst into making such videos, I'm curious as to your thoughts on the matter. I welcome open replies to this topic, but also welcome PMs if you'd rather share information with me confidentially. Either way, thank you for considering helping a novice producer.
My first question is: Is there much room for another producer in this industry? It seems that interest in the genre has increased over recent years, although the quality from some of the new producers (I'm not signaling anyone out) is not as good as it has been from obvious fans of this industry. As a producer yourself, does the thought of another fan-turned-producer make you think, "Good. Perhaps this kid will have something enjoyable to share with us," or are you more inclined to think, "We don't need any more producers in this field; there's too many in this genre already"?
Secondly, if you look at your experiences as a novice producer, what are the things you wish you knew in advance? Are there newbie-level mistakes/mishaps that you now know to avoid? Any pointers you're willing to share?
Lastly, have you found special effects to provide a significant return on investment? If I do move forward with this, I'm considering making the necessary investments to make high-quality videos (e.g. expensive cameras, purchasing After Effects, etc.). Do you find that customers will buy your videos regardless of the quality, or is there a spike in sales for content that is more expensive to produce? Also, have you found a difference in sales figures for original concept heroines vs. parodies of mainstream heroines?
Again, many thanks for sharing whatever you're willing to share, be it in public or private.
Yours,
Supes
An Open (or Closed) Inquiry to Producers
There is always room. The producers may have grown in numbers (back in 2004 there was maybe 3-4?) but I am sure the amount of consumers aware of the content has grown too. Super hero/heroine movies popularity is on the rise, which I can only imagine sends a small percentage this way. New blood seeking more than what hollywood gave them.
I believe that saturation in this genre has led more so to another question: what makes you different? The quality expected to deem the material "worth" it has changed. People want something they haven't seen, or more of EXACTLY what they want. With more options the consumers in this genre (speaking both as a consumer and producer) are being more selective in what they will buy, sometimes we have several new releases in a week. It is monetarily hard/impossible to keep up with everything going on.
"the quality from some of the new producers is not as good as it has been from obvious fans of this industry" I don't know what point you want to make with that statement. Everyone has different levels of taste and interest. Some like it serious, some like it comical. Quality is based in perception, so its a moot point to make.
I don't think you should concern yourself with what other producers think of you. Other producers come with a bias; this is their business and their pleasure. I think you will find by producing content you will make a lot of friends and some enemies. Who cares? If you want to do it then do it. There are more customers waiting for you to provide another option than there are producers wishing you hadn't.
Hindsight. There are certain elements that are becoming harder to sell due to pressure from credit vendors. A lot of my back catalog might not be sellable in the near future. It helps to know what you can and cannot get away with.
It also helps to start with being as transparent as possible to the people you work with. You need TRUST to get the engine running. Talent seek references to be comfortable working with you, when I first started it was hard to get people to work with me. The more controversial the content, the more need for trust. It also helps to be "likable", if in your personal life people don't like you/trust you/ enjoy your company it might be harder to get started.
Special effects are conditional to the content you produce. If you are making a super girl video being able to pull off realistic effects would be helpful, more so if you are trying to tell a story and not make a "fetish" video. Some folk just want to see a girl in a costume get tormented, others would like to see their hero rise and fall. You need to know who your customers are and what they want. There is no formula that solves every problem.
I personally enjoy vigilante heroines, so special effects to a customer such as myself mean little to nothing. It all depends on the specific video and what you are going for.
Investment is a problematic issue. Nice equipment doesn't work well without an awareness to how the technology works. An expensive camera filming a set with poor lighting is going to look bad regardless of how much the camera cost. I would recommend looking into techniques used in low budget filmmaking, the book "The DV Rebel's Guide" comes to mind as a good place to start.
Learning how to use special effect software and video editing software can be a nightmare if you have never done it before. I would recommend filming a lot of test and trying out ideas before you pay models to be in front of your camera. If you don't have a team to work with you need to make sure you are competent at every level. It is good to know what you are good at and focus the strength of your production to that. Smaller details can get covered in the broader strokes.
Just cause you put more money into a video doesn't mean it will get a bigger return. If you are going for story, you need a good story, you need a talented cast, you need to be able to direct them within time constraints if you are on a budget. Buying a GREAT costume in the end can make a night a day difference in your video not spending tons of money into after effects software for 20 seconds of footage. We are here cause we like hot people in hot costumes in hot situations, not because we just saw a Michael Bay movie.
Yet, if your heroine can fly then there needs to be a good reason she is or isn't flying in your film. A nice costume can be distracting but it only goes so far.
I think mainstream heroines will always be more popular for the community at large.
BUT - this is a huge but too btw.
Mainstream heroines have a history. The fan-base will be more critical of every detail, from the panty line to color of the models hair. These heroines are their childhood fantasies, they don't want them done a disfavor. Expectations can become unrealistic, criticism will be harsh, but in the end it all can feel more rewarding if done right.
But don't make a Wonder Woman video if you don't like her just cause it sells more. My personal advice is you should make the content you want to see, not the content others ask of you. If you don't understand the content you are producing it will show. There should always be a personal touch in your film that defines you. This can alienate some from your content but it is better than them paying you for something that will completely miss the point.
It doesn't hurt to read over any forum you can find and try to absorb what the community is saying. Often I read ideas that I personally find very stimulating and adopt into my personal war chest. This allows me to speak to a bigger audience with my films genuinely.
Hope some of that helps.
I believe that saturation in this genre has led more so to another question: what makes you different? The quality expected to deem the material "worth" it has changed. People want something they haven't seen, or more of EXACTLY what they want. With more options the consumers in this genre (speaking both as a consumer and producer) are being more selective in what they will buy, sometimes we have several new releases in a week. It is monetarily hard/impossible to keep up with everything going on.
"the quality from some of the new producers is not as good as it has been from obvious fans of this industry" I don't know what point you want to make with that statement. Everyone has different levels of taste and interest. Some like it serious, some like it comical. Quality is based in perception, so its a moot point to make.
I don't think you should concern yourself with what other producers think of you. Other producers come with a bias; this is their business and their pleasure. I think you will find by producing content you will make a lot of friends and some enemies. Who cares? If you want to do it then do it. There are more customers waiting for you to provide another option than there are producers wishing you hadn't.
Hindsight. There are certain elements that are becoming harder to sell due to pressure from credit vendors. A lot of my back catalog might not be sellable in the near future. It helps to know what you can and cannot get away with.
It also helps to start with being as transparent as possible to the people you work with. You need TRUST to get the engine running. Talent seek references to be comfortable working with you, when I first started it was hard to get people to work with me. The more controversial the content, the more need for trust. It also helps to be "likable", if in your personal life people don't like you/trust you/ enjoy your company it might be harder to get started.
Special effects are conditional to the content you produce. If you are making a super girl video being able to pull off realistic effects would be helpful, more so if you are trying to tell a story and not make a "fetish" video. Some folk just want to see a girl in a costume get tormented, others would like to see their hero rise and fall. You need to know who your customers are and what they want. There is no formula that solves every problem.
I personally enjoy vigilante heroines, so special effects to a customer such as myself mean little to nothing. It all depends on the specific video and what you are going for.
Investment is a problematic issue. Nice equipment doesn't work well without an awareness to how the technology works. An expensive camera filming a set with poor lighting is going to look bad regardless of how much the camera cost. I would recommend looking into techniques used in low budget filmmaking, the book "The DV Rebel's Guide" comes to mind as a good place to start.
Learning how to use special effect software and video editing software can be a nightmare if you have never done it before. I would recommend filming a lot of test and trying out ideas before you pay models to be in front of your camera. If you don't have a team to work with you need to make sure you are competent at every level. It is good to know what you are good at and focus the strength of your production to that. Smaller details can get covered in the broader strokes.
Just cause you put more money into a video doesn't mean it will get a bigger return. If you are going for story, you need a good story, you need a talented cast, you need to be able to direct them within time constraints if you are on a budget. Buying a GREAT costume in the end can make a night a day difference in your video not spending tons of money into after effects software for 20 seconds of footage. We are here cause we like hot people in hot costumes in hot situations, not because we just saw a Michael Bay movie.
Yet, if your heroine can fly then there needs to be a good reason she is or isn't flying in your film. A nice costume can be distracting but it only goes so far.
I think mainstream heroines will always be more popular for the community at large.
BUT - this is a huge but too btw.
Mainstream heroines have a history. The fan-base will be more critical of every detail, from the panty line to color of the models hair. These heroines are their childhood fantasies, they don't want them done a disfavor. Expectations can become unrealistic, criticism will be harsh, but in the end it all can feel more rewarding if done right.
But don't make a Wonder Woman video if you don't like her just cause it sells more. My personal advice is you should make the content you want to see, not the content others ask of you. If you don't understand the content you are producing it will show. There should always be a personal touch in your film that defines you. This can alienate some from your content but it is better than them paying you for something that will completely miss the point.
It doesn't hurt to read over any forum you can find and try to absorb what the community is saying. Often I read ideas that I personally find very stimulating and adopt into my personal war chest. This allows me to speak to a bigger audience with my films genuinely.
Hope some of that helps.
Website: http://www.superheroinelimited.com
Twitter: @shl_dw
Email: [email protected]
Webstore: http://heroinemovies.com/store/super-heroine-limited/
Twitter: @shl_dw
Email: [email protected]
Webstore: http://heroinemovies.com/store/super-heroine-limited/
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Superman246o1
- Henchman
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 13 years ago
All excellent points, thank you! Yes, I definitely need to do some more planning and evaluation of whether I have a business model that could work. I already know what I'd like to do, and think it could work, but will first have to find the right talent, equipment and expertise. Hmmm...possibly more to come in the future.
Thanks again!
Supes
Thanks again!
Supes
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MightyHypnotic
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3119
- Joined: 20 years ago
- Contact:
Here is my take on it.
Your vision is the most important thing. Offer content that isn't being currently produced.
Don't go about it like a business where if you do X and Y you should make money. You'll probably make some money but you're also competing against a lot of other producers who offer the same thing. Your content is what sets you apart. Even if it's been done, if you have an idea of how to do it better, then that makes your content unique as well.
DON'T get involved with a lot of spendy equipment. Start off slow. A good HD camera can be had for under $1K. A GREAT HD camera can cost you between 2k - 5k but you can always work up to that if you find that you are making enough money to warrant it.
I started out not doing storylines because there were already 2 good producers doing that and if that was what I was looking for, I could just buy their videos. But I wanted to do scenes. This was before Clips4sale. So thats what I did and apparently there was a big enough group that wanted to see that was well.
In regards to finding talent, just make sure you state exactly what you want to do. Don't make it an overly long email, but models/actresses want to know what they are doing, for how much and how long. Are you providing wardrobe/hair/makeup? It's ok if you're not, but that should be included as well. (Given this is the superheroine genre, you should at least provide the wardrobe but I think you know that already
)
If they decline, don't get upset, insulted, etc, just thank them for their time and drop it.
I could probably write a book about this business so I'll leave it at this for now. If you have any questions that I can answer, I'll be more than happy to do that.
It can be a lot of fun so if you choose to do it, good luck to you!
Your vision is the most important thing. Offer content that isn't being currently produced.
Don't go about it like a business where if you do X and Y you should make money. You'll probably make some money but you're also competing against a lot of other producers who offer the same thing. Your content is what sets you apart. Even if it's been done, if you have an idea of how to do it better, then that makes your content unique as well.
DON'T get involved with a lot of spendy equipment. Start off slow. A good HD camera can be had for under $1K. A GREAT HD camera can cost you between 2k - 5k but you can always work up to that if you find that you are making enough money to warrant it.
I started out not doing storylines because there were already 2 good producers doing that and if that was what I was looking for, I could just buy their videos. But I wanted to do scenes. This was before Clips4sale. So thats what I did and apparently there was a big enough group that wanted to see that was well.
In regards to finding talent, just make sure you state exactly what you want to do. Don't make it an overly long email, but models/actresses want to know what they are doing, for how much and how long. Are you providing wardrobe/hair/makeup? It's ok if you're not, but that should be included as well. (Given this is the superheroine genre, you should at least provide the wardrobe but I think you know that already
) If they decline, don't get upset, insulted, etc, just thank them for their time and drop it.
I could probably write a book about this business so I'll leave it at this for now. If you have any questions that I can answer, I'll be more than happy to do that.
It can be a lot of fun so if you choose to do it, good luck to you!
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Superman246o1
- Henchman
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 13 years ago
Thanks, MH! I'm still on the fence as to how to proceed, but I appreciate your feedback (and all your contributions to this genre) a great deal! Much obliged!