Pitfalls, pleasures and pains
Skelyrata summed it up nicely.
You can find a number of posts on this forum from other producers, as well. I'll share some of my experiences as a new producer.
1) Models are flaky! Sometimes. I had four of my first six model appointments back out, or just quietly no-show. You can have a long, detailed email discussion with her (or him--I'm told male models are even worse), even talk on the phone, and she'll just never show up and never respond to you again. It's just the way it is. Try not to spend money (on a hotel room, or dungeon rental, etc.) in anticipation of a model shoot. No-shows are a part of the business.
2) As skelyrata said, don't expect to get rich. If you have visions of early retirement tickling the 'lees of your dreams...it's good to dream
Camera, lighting, editing software, furniture, bondage toys... It's a steep up-front investment. And that's before you even pay your models. I overpay my models (see below), so this is my own fault, but having been in business for four months, I'm close to covering the model fees for only three of my models. All the rest have generated far less revenue than their fees. That might fix itself over enough time, but my hopes for instant profit were quickly dashed... I'm upside-down a thousand or so, and going further into the red as I make new content... I'm sure it's possible to turn a profit right out of the gate, but I didn't figure out how.
3) Model fees can vary wildly. I overpay my models. I assumed from the start that more money would attract hotter girls. That's been true, but I've also been assured I could pay less. Try to pay around $100 for each clip you think you'll produce, and you might make money faster. Of course, it's up to you to decide if you can get the quality of models you want for the pay you're willing to give. Some geographical areas are better for models than others...
4) You can't trust models to know how ticklish they are. It's almost not their fault, really. No one has ever tied her up and tickled her like crazy before, so how can she know what it means to be "very ticklish?" Being tickled feels intense to her, so she must qualify as "very ticklish" right? Be prepared every now and then to have a model show up and just not be all that ticklish. When that happens, pay her for her time and look for a new one.
5) Consider who will do the tickling. F/F is very popular, so if you have--or can find--a hot tickler, hang on to her. If you will do the tickling, consider how much you are willing to be "out." Will you show your face in your videos? If not, will you stay out of the shot, or cover up your face (like TIB/TIW, Rook Media and others)? It will pay to spend some quality time with your camera to figure out furniture and angles.
6) What market are you trying to reach? Nude, fully-clothed, girl next door? Cute and teasing, playful, intense, sadistic? Lots of movement, exotic positions, tight and immobile?
7) All that said, it can be fun to know you get to tickle a hottie or two every now and then. On the other hand, be prepared to go through a whole shoot and realize you didn't even enjoy the experience. There is so much involved in getting it all set up: lights, camera, furniture, bondage, toys, pacing, angles, her reaction... You might be surprised at how much those things will occupy your attention if you're trying to make the best video you can.
8) Expect to take at least a few days learning how to edit your video. There are a few applications out there. Each will take some time to master.
9)You've seen clips4sale. Standard pricing is about $1 per minute. Longer videos let you price less. Clips4sale keeps 40%. You'll want to create a sample image for each clip unless you want to take your chances with their auto-generation. Don't forget to post sample clips here at TMF.
It's certainly been a learning experience for me, and a lot of both fun and frustration. Good luck and welcome to the club
http://www.tickletouch.com