My (unsolicited) advice for those interested in creating doll content Part 1
Behind the Scenes Making Doll Content
I hate unsolicited advice. I'm especially irritated by it because I've both received it, but most frustratingly, I've also given it. That really makes me hate it. I had good intentions each time I tried to give someone advice about improving their attempt at doll content, but my track record so far is ignored twice, blocked and un-followed once and a handful of "gee thanks" replies, with the distinct tone of "I didn't ask" about them.
Okay... it's not for nothing that I tried, and I'll just make a few qualifying comments - I'm actually a professional. I don't mean a doll porn professional, but a content professional. It's what I do in my non-porn life, and I've worked on national brands as well as for other porn producers as a shooter and editor. I also have my own real-live-human-partners porn site. So, my advice is actually based on real experience.
But... I hate unsolicited advice. And, I hate when good advice is ignored. It's a paradox, sure, but here I am.
So... I thought I'd drop some of the common advice I tried to give, here, where anyone actually interested can find it and maybe benefit from my many errors and learnings whilst making doll porn.
Next qualifier... it doesn't matter if you don't think my content is good. The advice is still sound. How I manifest these best practices doesn't have to be how you do it. Learn from my progress and make your doll porn, your way.
Last qualifier... when I say "I", "my" or "me" related to the experience of making DollBanger content, I actually mean "us", "our" and "we". The plurals being my late friend and DollBanger cameraman and co-founder Anthony, my friend, partner and co-founder Rick (and his team) at Sex Doll America / Sex Doll Canada and many bits of advice from Mizuwali of Piper Dolls, without who's help and support there would be no such content.
Alright... with all that aside, here's my unsolicited, but very useful, advice for all you doll content creators, or those thinking about trying.
Don't be awkward
The first thing that always bothers me about doll content, including mine, is the realization that I'm watching another guy (or myself) masturbate. That IS what's happening, and there's no escaping the fact. That said, it's also NOT true and THIS is the PARADOX of doll content. It's not just you, it's also the doll. She's real. She's there. She's not human, or alive (yet). But, she's there and real all the same. She's a real doll (not to be confused with RealDollTM). Because she's not "present", it's up to you to make her SEEM present. For that, you need to NOT be awkward. I constantly see content where the doll is just "placed" somewhere, and the dude is crouching or squating bow-legged in a weird way to line up to fuck her properly. Seeing some dude with his back slightly arched, his butt slightly sticking out and his arms dangling at his side while he just goes in and out until he finishes is pretty off-putting. This is why we spent months working out what furniture to prop the doll on, poses (more on this below) and angles (more on this as well) worked the best to make the content look natural and the doll seem more involved, or "real". This is pretty important.
Lights and background
Simple...
1) Buy some video lights. Shooting with just a room light on looks ghetto.
2) Don't shoot in the dark with your dirty laundry piled in the background.
3) Google "how to white balance video". You're welcome.
Pose your doll to look good, not like something out of the Exorcist
There's nothing worse in doll content than a poorly posed doll. Try googling "cute girl poses" and pay attention to the details. Then, imagine posing your doll the same way. This isn't something you'll get good at over night. At first you'll miss every nuance, and your poses will look odd, but with practice they'll get better. Also google images of girls in porn videos and notice how they pose for sex. They are posing - it's not like private bedroom sex. Porn performers practice posing for sex so the action is more clear, their bodies look good and its sexy. Trying posing your doll this way. Never mind whether she's easier to fuck, but rather, does she look good on camera. After that, you can work out how to fuck her. I've used a massage table with adjusting height, boxes for me to stand on and other furniture strategies to allow both me and the doll to appear natural while we're fucking.
Your doll should be looking at you, not the camera
I've learned over time, the doll looks best when she's not looking into the camera lens for videos. She should be looking at you - her partner. This creates a connection between the doll and reality. She just has to be looking in your direction. That said, sometimes if the doll is on her hands and knees for doggy style, she can look at the camera - that's natural, because a real person's head could NOT turn all the way around to look at her sex partner. So, looking at the camera, or straight ahead, work in this case.
Get the eyes right
Unless you want your doll to look like she's had head trauma, learn to pose her eyes. If you skip that because it's extra work and you think "Ah, no one cares about that." you're wrong. It looks bad and makes your content look bad. Take the time. It's worth it.
Show her affection when you fuck her
Using a sex doll to masturbate is what a sex doll is for (at least for now). However, if you want to create doll content that people can connect with, make her look like a sexy girl getting her brains fucked out, and loving every minute of it. Touch her in a way that "she" would like. One hand on her waist and the other hand gently gripping her breast and massaging her nipple is a very sexy pose for a doll. Or when she's in doggy style, grab her ass with one hand and her hair with the other. Together with a sexy, feminine pose, these subtle moves can transform your video scene from a dude with a sex toy into you showing a hot teen college girl the night of her young life. That's where the content really clicks for me.
Position your camera to make her look sexy
This is one of those things that sounds easy, but isn't. Since the passing of my friend and camera man, I use 2 cameras when shooting by myself to create the variety needed. Either way, the position of your camera(s) makes a big different to the quality of your scene. Make sure you can see the penetration in your main camera. Make sure she is in the center of the frame (not you), and she should be 90% of what the camera sees. This together with the right posing and fucking your doll like she loves it, will really take your content forward.
This is the first of more posts to come, over time. I hope you find it useful and feel free to comment below or reach me on Twitter for more.