Page 22 - AVN October 2015

DROPPING KNOWLEDGE | | By Casey Calvert
WHO’S WHO
WHO’S WHO
Ready, On Set, Go
What to expect on a BDSM/fetish shoot
So, you’re a brand-new porn performer, and your
agent booked you for a fetish shoot. Or perhaps
you’re a veteran, but work has been a little slow
so you agreed to do a fetish job to expand your
niche. In either case, here are some tips, tricks,
and things to expect on a BDSM or fetish shoot:
• Before you show up, you need to know the
fetish. Do a little research. Look at the website.
There’s a big difference between working for Sex
and Submission (hardcore fucking and bondage)
and working for A Splash of Glamour (girls
going swimming in their clothes). Is it video,
stills, or both? Are you expected to get naked?
Masturbate? Have sex? What kind of sex?
Some things that are commonplace on a
porn set are the very opposite on a fetish set.
Everyone, including yourself, will be more
comfortable if you know what you are getting
into. There’s no shame in asking if you aren’t
sure.
• It’s also important that you know your role.
Many BDSM shoots have someone playing the
top/Dominant and someone playing the bottom/
Submissive. For our purposes (i.e., a professional
environment), these words are different ways to
say the same thing. The top will be doing things,
and the bottom will be receiving those things.
A lot of times, those “things” are a pain- or
humiliation-related activity. This can catch you
by surprise if you aren’t mentally prepared for
it beforehand. Don’t worry, being mentally
prepared isn’t some sort of ten-day meditation
challenge. For me, it’s just knowing what part
I’m playing when I go to work that day.) Again,
just ask if no one tells you.
• In the same vein, you need to know yourself
and what you are comfortable with. Shooting
fetish and BDSM can be more mentally and physically
challenging than a regular porn shoot, and if you aren’t
comfortable with what you are doing, it’s really going to
suck. Nobody wants you to have a bad time, especially the
company you’re working for.
Sometimes, yes, speaking up is going to mean a job
getting cancelled. If electricity really freaks you out, you
shouldn’t be on an Electrosluts set (lesbian sex with
bondage and electricity), topping or bottoming. But most of
the time, there’s an easy solution.
If you are shooting for Assume the Position Studios
(spanking), and you have no problem with paddles or
canes, but wooden spoons remind you of your childhood,
all you have to do is say, “no wooden spoons please.” And
the problem is solved. Don’t be worried about your concern
seeming benign. I won’t shoot smoking fetish, even if
faking it would be okay. It’s something many models would
gladly do, but it makes me uncomfortable. So I don’t do it. I
haven’t lost a job over it yet.
• Just like a regular porn set, you should expect
professionalism from the people you are working with. If
you are having sex, you should only be asked to have sex
with the tested talent you were booked to work with. If
there’s no sex, you shouldn’t be asked to have sex. They
should ask before touching you if it’s not part of the shoot.
They should offer snacks and water, not hard drugs. They
should check in with you often, especially if you are in
bondage or some other compromising position, and they
should be concerned about your comfort paramount to
everything else.
• Even if you are working with the best, most
professional crew of all time, it’s still your job to take
care of yourself, even, and especially, if you are playing
the bottom. Your job is not to be submissive for the day;
your job is to be submissive while the camera is rolling. If
something is hurting you beyond the scope of the scene, if
you are thirsty, if you’ve got a hair trapped in your mouth
behind the ball gag, speak up. (Speaking of ball gags, make
sure a way to communicate while you are wearing one is
established before it goes in your mouth.)
All of this isn’t to say that you have to bite your tongue if
you are the top, or if there are no specific roles. Maybe your
strap-on is pinching, or your abs are tired from holding
up your feet for the camera. A fetish set is no different
than a regular set, really. If you’re falling off the sofa in
missionary, you stop to fix it. This is the very same thing.
There’s a theme here: communication. That’s the key to
all of this. Ask questions if you aren’t sure what you are
supposed to be doing, or if you aren’t sure what something
means. There’s a lot of vernacular in the fetish world so
don’t agree to something without knowing what is it.
(Heard of bastinado? No? Well, it’s hitting the soles of
your feet with a cane. It fucking hurts. Aren’t you glad you
asked?) Be concerned for your own well-being. Speak up if
you feel uncertain, if anything makes you uncomfortable, or
if there’s something you just straight up don’t want to do.
Don’t worry about being a pussy. Ask for what you need.
If the people you are working with don’t communicate
22 | AVN.com | 10.15
working with don’t
communicate back, if they
”If the people you are
require something of you
that feels “wrong,” leave.
No paycheck is worth
sacrificing your sanity, and
they obviously don’t
deserve your awesome
modeling skills anyway.
back, if they require something of you that feels
“wrong,” leave. No paycheck is worth sacrificing your
sanity, and they obviously don’t deserve your awesome
modeling skills anyway.
P.S. Hey, I know I just made shooting BDSM and
fetish sound terrifying. It’s certainly not for everyone.
But if you are interested in giving it a try and keeping
an open mind, there are some amazing people out there
shooting it. And who knows, you might find something
new that you love.
P.P.S. Yes, there’s a difference between fetish and
BDSM. That’s an entirely different article.
Calvert is the BDSM and fetish expert for Gamelink, and has
been featured in many fetish titles, including Jessica Drake’s
Guide to Wicked Sex: BDSM for Beginners.
Photos courtesy CaseyCalvert.com.