Being an Independent Porn Producer isn’t hard and I truly believe it’s one of the best industries for young entrepreneur’s(especially for females.) I have been making money producing and distributing my own adult content for the past 2 years and people always email or DM me on twitter asking me how to make money producing porn. Since there isn’t really much reference available online that can answer these questions, I’ve decided to write this article to help all of you inspiring producers out.
Years ago, getting into the adult industry was much harder than it is now, You would have to be in either LA or Miami, Have pictures taken and go around contacting Adult Talent agents hoping to get work. But now that photography equipment and video editing software is more affordable and available for consumers, anybody that can use a computer and use a camera can become and Independent Adult Film Producer and make money selling porn online right from their own home.
When I started out, I did not have any kids(and still don’t), I had already been running another business but I did not have any big financial obligations. Being an Independent Porn Producer means You ARE the boss of your company, and you will be investing your own time and money into your work. You will not earn money for the time you put in, you’ll earn residual revenue for the value you create. If you are a female and plan to be the model/performer of you production, lucky you. Your start-up cost is going to be much lower than mine was. If you plan on having another performers in your videos, you will need to pay them. This is also a great opportunity for kinky couples. If you have children or other financial responsibilities to take care of, starting your production company won’t be impossible, but it will be far more challenging.
Producing Adult content will cost money and time. Most people do not make a profit in the first year, some do not make a profit at all. Chances are, you will not make good money if you only have a few videos that you’ve made. Porn consumers want to see a catalog that includes a decent sized body of work. If investing $500-$1000 today and not recuperating that money back for some time would cause stress, producing porn may not be the correct choice for you.
If you are a guy and it is your dream to become a male pornstar, producing your own content is the best route to take. Everyday Major companies get hundreds of emails from guys like you that want to get into porn. The chances of you getting hired by anyone without having any experience or without knowing anybody in the industry is very slim. Producing your own content will be like building a resume work. More importantly, you can do some effective networking once you build your reputation as a solid male performer. Plus you can earn money at the same time.
Most importantly, If the only reason you want to produce Adult content is to make money, this is not the right career choice for you. Producing Porn is for people who are very sexual and want to creatively make their fantasies or the fantasies of other come to life. If you don’t consider yourself an open minded sexual person, Porn is not the right career choice for you. If you are somewhat tech-savy, don’t have any huge financial burdens, and genuinely enjoy sex, let’s get started!
So if you are going to start producing your own videos to sell online, the first thing you will need is your equipment. Starting off, you well need a Camera and a computer with Video editing software. There are a lot of different affordable options to choose from, and I will have another article reviewing a couple different cameras soon, but for now just starting out, you do not need a very expensive camera. I would recommend getting either a DSLR camera or a Camcorder. A DSLR camera is great for both videos and pictures and you will be able to change you lens to get different looks later down the line. A DSLR is ok for beginners, but you will need to have some practice and do research in order to unlock your DSLR’s full potential. A Camcorder is designed more for capturing video and might be the better choice if you want simplicity and don’t want to worry about camera setting and getting things into focus too much.
Some Cell phones (especially the iphone), have good enough cameras for you to get started. An iphone might even work better if you are a couple or aspiring amateur performer because some people like raw, authentic footage. If you want to be professional and hire other performers to work with you, I do not recommend shooting on a phone.
Having a plan of what type of videos you want to shoot can help with your camera buying decision. If you aren’t planning to have someone hold the camera for you, you definitely want a camera that has a flip out screen, along with a tripod. You also may want to consider getting lights. Lighting is everything.
While performing and producing adult content, there is always a risk of contracting STD’s or HIV. We can’t eliminate that. What we can do to prevent performers from contracting diseases is Get tested, and only perform with people who are tested and have been tested within the previous 14days. If you plan on becoming an adult performer, you will see many changes in your lifestyle. One of those changes will be your sexual partners. Now that you are a performer, you need to use protection every single time you have sex outside of work. STD’s mean no performing and losing money.
The Adult Industry uses a system for testing and verifying performers status. Register with Talent Testing Services today, so when you are ready to shoot your first video, you be able to schedule a test at your local draw facility. Testing is expensive but is absolutely necessary to keep all performers safe. This is an expense that cannot be overlooked.
If you are just starting and do not have a video shoot set up yet, I recommend you at least get tested at a free clinic or your local health department before you decide to enter the porn industry so you know where you stand. However, tests from health departments should not be used for performing for a number of reasons, and established models and production companies do not accept these tests.
This is where the fun starts. If you plan on performing with others, or having others in your films, you need to find other models. It is hard to reach out to professional porn stars or agencies with out a website made. Check out Sexyjobs.com to find models and performers that are in your area. On the SexyJobs website you can narrow your search down to find models with a certain look or you can post an ad so that performers can contact you. Be careful for scammers and fake accounts, and always be sure the performer is tested within the previous 14days.
Always be sure to actually have a conversation with the performer on the phone and be as detailed as you can with describing the kind of performance you will want for your video. You may want the performer to be able to perform a very sloppy blowjob with a lot of spit, perhaps you want to do a foot fetish video. What ever it is, make sure you explain the best way you can what is expected of the performance and that the model is comfortable doing the things you need. If you hire a model to do a blowjob video, an the model isn’t a enthusiastic about oral sex, you will have a lousy video.
Now you need to negotiate the pay rate for the model. If the model isn’t too far from you, and both of you are new to the business, a fair rate to start at is around $300-$500. Maybe the model will be ok with doing a full sex scene(also known as boy/girl) for this amount, perhaps you will only need a Blowjob or handjob. It’s up to you to decided what kind of content you want to produce and to be able to pay a reasonable rate. Established Pornstars will cost you much more to work with so start off locally and LEARN. Eventually you will be ready and capable to book a big star!
A few tips that I have are: DON’T BE CHEAP. Reputation is EVERYTHING in this industry. Don’t low ball or take advantage of someone who is low on cash and desperate. Also, don’t work with anyone who seems very desperate or unstable mentally or financially. These kind of people may be risky to work with. If you find a model that is reliable and performs well, work with them frequently. This will help you both learn and increase your on screen chemistry together.
Ok you have your new camera, you’re tested (and so is your co-star) and you’ve got a location to shoot. Lets work!
Wait, not so fast. We need to have the proper paperwork to insure that all participants are over the age of 18 and can legally work in the USA, and that they give you their consent to have this performance recorded and distributed.
The first Document you will need is a 2257 form of compliance. This form assures the government that you are not making videos with someone underage or someone that can’t legally work in the united states. Every Performer needs to fill one of these out, including you if you are in the video. Two forms of Valid ID are required to be complaint to produce an adult film and this is very important if you want your video to make money. The second document you will need is a model release form, which give you (the producer) the consent and permission to film your model and distribute the video. Without this, you do not have your models permission and consent to put them on film. Consent is very important.
Your first shoot probably isn’t going to come out perfect, mine sure didn’t. But this is a learning process. Make sure your batteries are charged and you have quiet, clean location with good lighting to shoot. You should look at some videos that you like online so you can get a good idea of which angles you want. Angles and composition is very important when making a good video. You don’t want the camera so far away that the subject (performers) look tiny on screen and you don’t want to be so close that you miss any of the action as well. you want to fill the frame up with whatever action you are showcasing. I always tell my camera man this “Don’t record me getting my dick sucked, record her sucking my dick.” This means that if my whole body can be seen in the video, he’s probably not close enough to us. If you are shooting “gonzo” like bangbros does, Have your camera down on the same level as the the action so that the viewer is getting a straight look. If you are shooting POV style(point-of-view) make sure you are able to see penetration. Good angles and shots will make or break your video. You will get better over time. The main purpose of your first shoot is to LEARN.
Take good pictures of your model. Pictures will help sell your scene.
Hopefully your first shoot went well and you have some hot photos and video made. First you’re going to want to edit the footage and watermark everything. You’ll need to come up with some sort of brand name or website name when you make your watermark. If you do not know what you want to call you brand, DON’T POST YOUR CONTENT ONLINE YET. You should even watermark a teaser clip before you post it on twitter, if you don’t, how will people know where to look for more of this? When I started, I saved videos for almost a year before I even thought of calling my work FreakMob. Don’t just put your videos online, Market them.
You will need video editing software in order to edit the footage you have. I started with a basic program called Wondershare Filmora, it’s available on windows and mac, its cheap, and it gets the job done. Now I have an editor I hired and he uses Final Cut. I also recommend getting Adobe Photoshop to edit your pictures and add your watermark. If you don’t know how to use these programs, watch tutorials on youtube. It may take you weeks of watching videos until you learn and that is completely OK.
Chances are you don’t have a website, that ok, starting out you don’t really need one. Here are some great sites you can use to start making money with your content:
MANYVIDS: Manyvids is a growing adult content community with over 2 million members and over 20k content creators. Manyvids is a great place to start selling your content online and the site has many built in features that will help you market your content. Most customers shop on manyvids because they would rather pay one time than have a reoccurring subscription and because they like models that are on this site, but aren’t on many mainstream porn sites.. You will also be featured as a “Newcummer” when you start which will help you out a lot. Set your minimum payout and you will get paid twice a month when it is reached. Get started on MANYVIDS now!
Onlyfans: Onlyfans is a very easy and simple subscription based platform that will allow people to pay a monthly fee to watch all of the content you post. I highly recommend Onlyfans to beginners because of the ease of use, and because the users on onlyfans will be satisfied with very raw and amateur content. I always suggest editing your work to take out any unneeded shots, but you don’t really have to on onlyfans. Your onlyfans subscribers just want to see you post frequently! And the best part is you can request any payout of any amount as soon as the funds are available.
Sign up for onlyfans now!
Xvideos: Did you know that you can earn money from people watching your content for free on Xvideos?? When you post on Xvideos, your video generates ad revenue from the advertisements placed on the side of the screen. Xvideos will also help drive traffic to your website when you have one. You’ll be surprised how much money Xvideos can make you. I will write an article just about making money on Xvideos soon! Sign up!!
A major part of distributing your content and making money is marketing. You now have a product to sell, you need to get it in front of the people that want to buy it. Make a twitter and instagram page for your brand. Post clips of your scenes on twitter with links to your onlyfans and manyvids pages. Be sure the clips are watermarked as well. Post them often, but don’t be a complete spammer.Go all out with X-rated clips on your twitter account so true porn fans can see what you’re working with. Start off with short clips, only about 10-30 seconds each. Make sure you show the best action you have in these clips. Interact with your followers by posting polls or asking them questions. Always take a couple non-xrated photos each shoot for instagram. Instagram is a very powerful marketing tool. Get creative and try to post photos that will make people interested in your brand. Also, search for forums that are related to you niche. If you shoot Interracial porn, find the interracial porn forums and tell people about your clip-stores.
Marketing your product(your porn videos are now a product you’ve created) the right way can lead to consistent sales and revenue being earned. I recommend you follow major porn companies an other producers on social media so you can see marketing tactics that are already working. You can also consider making a tumblr or youtube channel, just be sure to follow each platforms guidelines.
And there you have it folks, get a camera, get tested, book a model, shoot your video, upload and market it and repeat! Once you have built up a solid catalog, you can make $2000-$5000/month selling your content. It’s not hard work to do, but you will have to work hard. Get ready to be on your computer for hours everyday. Youtube is a great place to learn about using editing software or photography. The best part about selling your content is you will make money while you are sleeping.
If you have anymore questions or would like me to write another article about anything else, feel free to comment this article or DM me on twitter @FreakMobMedia. I will also post an article for guys that are looking to be hired as male pornstars. Join FreakMobMedia.com for the hottest Interracial Amateur Porn. Good Luck!
-Freakmob