custom

[gazdadude]

out of interest how much do customs usually go for

[dlodoski]

out of interest how much do customs usually go for

Customs can vary quite a lot in cost, with several important variables in play.

I suggest that you directly contact whichever producers you feel can do your scene correctly. The only way you can get an accurate idea is from the individual producers themselves.

But in general terms, you can save a lot of money by providing necessary wardrobe and/or props, and not be too specific about which models you prefer. The overall marketability of the finished video is also a factor.

[gazdadude]

do you do customs i love your work

[Fred588]

out of interest how much do customs usually go for

I will second every point made by Dave. The more specific you are with respect to wardrobe, dialogue, and actresses the more the price increases. For example, I once was asked to do a scene in which the actress was to repeatedly use the customer's name, as if talking to him. That sort of thing makes the price high because it makes the scene a full custom rather than a partial. "Full" refers to the entire cost - the model's fee, transportation, everything.

[MichaelL_Photo]

I agree with everything Dave and Fred said:

- the scene you are asking for: some are general and easy, others more difficult;
- how much "specialized" language you use; are you providing a detailed script, or asking the model to say a few key phrases, and improv the rest;
- wardrobe and props (if you, say, asked for a model to wear a latex dress, well, that would increase your cost much more than a "short skirt and tank top" look);
- in my previous work, the location could cost more (since I do/did outdoor, real mud/quicksand - some required traveling six hours or more)
[p.s. I still do the occasional custom order, for long time supporters...]
- how many models you want, and how specific the model (some cost much more than others).

All the options above are why we call it a "custom" - you, the buyer, gets to choose everything. Some of my previous custom work has been loved by many others (e.g. Mae Jones as the school girl in "Sneaking Away for a Smoke"); some customs I've never released because they are not marketable/sell-able to others.

So, chat with your favorite producer and/or model and see what she/he says.

Good luck.

Michael
Former owner of DIDVP

[Fred588]

One more point to add, about apples and oranges. A fairly common price point for what are called "customs" is $10.00 per edited minute. That comes to 100.00 for a 10 minute clip. HOWEVER, that is, or seems to be, the going rate for EXTREMELY simple things. For example, for that you might get 10 minutes of someone's bare feet slogging through some shallow mud, or perhaps someone's boots doing the same. When there are more specialized locations, plots, travel, wardrobe that has to be purchased (and cleaned up), wigs to be obtained and cleaned up, not to mention more complicatd editing, a price of $500.00 could be encountered. If you want a specific actress you can expect the price to go up a LOT or the producer might decline the job altogether. For example, suppose you give a producer $400.00 for a scene but you want to approve the actress or you insist on a specific actress. Then that actress is unable to come at the last minute or simply bails. That does happen on occasion. The producer is now out an airline ticket but you will still expect a refund. A producer has to consider these possibilities when they calculate a bid.

[gazdadude]

basicly looking for a stunning brunette with long hair who has just been swimming in a one piece swimsuit shes walking back to her camp site and falls into a clay pit

[Fred588]

basicly looking for a stunning brunette with long hair who has just been swimming in a one piece swimsuit shes walking back to her camp site and falls into a clay pit

Your scenario is easy enough. The problem is the definition of stunning brunette.

[gazdadude]

well a model in her early 20s with long brown hair

[Fred588]

An element that is very difficult, I think, for most custom customers to see, but very easy for the custom producer to see, is the element of risk. Perhaps it might be more accurate to say that a successful transaction is likely when both parties are able to agree on a plan with acceptable risk for both. Suppose, for example, that the customer wants a scene with a 21 to 25 year-old, slender actress with long, blond hair. This detail involves little or no risk to a producer who is, say, 23 years old, a slender actress, who has long, blond hair, but it is much greater risk to a producer who must find and hire such an actress. [This means, of course, that first producer might be able to quote a much better price than the second.] The producer who must find and hire that model must charge a good deal more fo the same scene due to the risk. Suppose he/she hires such a model and she turns out to be very wooden as an actress. She still gets paid but the customer is disappointed and no one is happy.

The only way I know of to obtain exactly the scene one wants is to become a producer and keep trying until you get it right. There is, in fact, a "scene" that I have always wanted. It is one in which the principal character exhibits, simultaneously, both intense ddesire to go under AND visible anxiety. Note that I am saying simultaneous, not one and then the other alternately. I have attempted to direct such a scene a number of times. Several of those have come close; very close, but not quite to my satisfaction with respect to this point. Incidentally, within the written form I know of only one scene that has this feature - the final sinking scene in "Arena," written by a former member. [Maybe he is still here but I doubt it.] Anyway, I have spent thousands of dollars on the attempts.