bella said:
Don't sell yourself short! This "I'm not handsome/beautiful enough" mentality has ruined more than one video by inhibiting the players.
Hello Bella,
Thank you very much for your encouraging words!
I realize that it's not the healthiest mentality to have. But whether I like it or not, if I want to please as many customers as possible, I have to be realistic and accept that many people simply won't like seeing my face in my videos. A preference for M/F is far from rare, but F/F seems to be a favorite among the community. Heck, it's my own preference. And I feel that if one is to enjoy M/F scenes, the male tickler should ideally look ok enough, even if the viewer is a hetero male.
I'm not saying that I'm an eyesore, but I really don't fit the description of what I consider an acceptable tickler from a physical point of view. To be honest, I wouldn't buy a video in which the main visible tickler was a guy who looked like me, so I must assume it's the same for a number of potential customers. It's not a question of putting myself down. It's a question of being realistic, and trying to find a compromise that satisfies most people. If I don't appear much in my videos, people likely to be offended by my appearance won't be offended much.
That's an excellent point you brought up, about inhibition. However, I don't think it applies that much to myself. As the producer and guy in charge of the entire project, I don't feel handicapped by this somewhat self-negative attitude beyond the physical annoyance of trying to avoid appearing in a video too much (it's a little harder to tickle well when avoiding the camera). The problem is not of a psychological nature in my case. It would be a problem if one of the models felt that way, as I imagine she mght indeed hold back somewhat. But overall I'm happy to say it's usually not the case. The simple fact that I select them seems to be enough reassurance for the models. Otherwise they would drop out, and it would become a moot point.
We hetero female video consumers rarely get to see the face of the male tickler anymore, with all of it's fun expressions that 'get' to us and enhance the viewing experience. And as far as that dominant glint, I'm talking about that delicious and devilish look that *all* good ticklers get, nothing scary or sadistic.
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Many companies these days put all emphasis on the 'lee if the 'ler is a male. As a fellow producer I realize that's what many customers want, but many are still left unsatisfied. Try a little of both!
That's an interesting point of view, and I can see how it can be frustrating. However, besides the fact that I'm a hetero male, there's also the fact that, even though I'm not especially active as a ticklephile, when I do engage in such activities I'm 100% a tickler, not at all a ticklee. This makes it hard for me to come up with a video from a ticklee's point of view. I know that people really enjoy that perspective, as you do, and that's fine by me, but I don't really understand it myself. To me it's almost like it's a different fetish. So my videos, like most other tickling videos I guess, are made with the "tickler-oriented" customer in mind, someone who enjoys seeing a ticklee get tickled because s/he likes tickling other people, not because s/he'd like to be in her place. It's hard to make a good video about something one doesn't understand. It would be like asking the average joe to produce a commercial tickling video. For all I know the result could very well end up being interesting, but on average an actual ticklephile is more likely to know what other ticklephiles enjoy and how the video should be done (though I admit that even in such a case the producer can still totally blow it).
Another issue is that my models are just regular girls, and to most people this project is pretty damn weird, and the adult/fetish nature of the market can be intimidating to them. I consider myself lucky enough to get a few willing models with decent potential. I prefer not to push my luck by playing the part of the playful yet slightly sadistic tickler too much. Keeping a stone face wouldn't be a good idea either, but I have to remain moderate. Otherwise some models might get the wrong idea. I imagine some are already borderline about posing as it is. That's part of why I tend to let other models take care of most of the tickling. Since they're usually friends, they tend to be more comfortable tickling each other. If one of the girls really gets into her role as a tickler and gets an hilariously devilish look in her eyes as she tickles her friend/sister, then great. But I prefer to be careful with my own behavior.
I guess that's not quite what you had in mind. I'm afraid my videos will remain mostly F/F, and whatever M/F they'll feature will remain fairly discreet. I'm really sorry if I might not be able to produce videos that fit your preference. It's just that I prefer not to risk failing at producing a video about something I don't understand very well.
Note that I can understand the frustration of people who are disappointed with not seeing more videos that suit their personal tastes and thus feel neglected by the industry. I mean, I, like many others, was disappointed (and somewhat mystified) with the small selection of non-nude, down to earth tickling videos. That why I started my own little company.
Anyway, I truly hope you still manage to find a number of videos out there that suit your preference.
TickledToDeath said:
For "effect" a mask could be a good idea for the tickler but the 'lees' face should be seen in its' hysterical glory!
Unless it is a lee who is appearing in a video and wishes to "mask" her/his identity.
I don't have any plans to use a mask for its own sake. I might use special outfits and/or contexts from time to time, but nothing like masks used purely for aesthetic reasons. I agree that seeing the facial expressions of the ticklee is the best, or at least that's my personal preference.
If I ever do use a half-mask (which reveals the eyes and the lower face, which includes the mouth area of course), it will be to hide the identity of a model with good potential who would otherwise be too shy to pose or would feel it would represent a threat (no matter how insignificant) to her reputation. After all, many people work closely with the public and have positions that involve a certain level of authority, or respect from the people they work with, and some feel that such a video would damage such a relationship. A teacher is a good example of this. I don't think it's much of a risk, but I have to respect people's decisions when it comes to posing or not, no matter what the reasons.
execmail77 said:
I've seen very well-done videos where the ticklee and tickler were "masked" well enough to hide their identities.
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The "mask" only covered the upper part of her face, but completely kept her from being recognizable. It in no way negetively impacted my impression of that video. Why? Because the ticklees were VERY ticklish and the tickling was INTENSE! That's all we really need. The rest is "window dressing!"
I'm pleased that this thread is getting a number of replies that support the use of a half-mask in some situations. I prefer when the face of a ticklee is completely visible, but it's possible that I'll eventually deal with a candidate that has excellent potential but is somewhat reluctant to pose because she's worried of being recognized by someone she knows (like that's likely to happen). It's possible that a half-mask compromise might convince her to participate. If that's all it takes, and if I know that a reasonable percentage of people would be ok with it (without necessarily preferring it), then I'd be happy to accomodate such a model.
Actually, I do have such a girl in mind. I mean, I haven't actually offered her the mask option yet, but I know that if it weren't for her job which involves dealing with children (swimming teacher) she would be happy to pose. Since she's the sister of the guy who used to be my best friend as a teen and she also happens to be the girl I've tickled the most often, I already know she'd make an excellent model. I'd like to ask her again, this time mentioning the mask. I'm far from sure it would be enough, but it's worth a try. But if most people don't like the idea, it might not be worth it after all. Although a fair number of people seem to think it's an acceptable solution. I personally think it's better to use a half-mask than not do a session at all, assuming the model is very ticklish. But I'm not 100% sure it would be worthwhile from a commercial viewpoint.
Note that I still have a hard time accepting the fact that wearing a half-mask makes it impossible, or at least very hard, for someone to recognize an acquaintance. Is it really that effective? Is the entire face required to have a good chance of recognizing someone? What about the voice? Isn't that somewhat of a givaway? Just curious.
By the way-- you about due to come out with a new video yet? Your first one was really good, but it's been awhile...
Thank you for the compliment about LLA. As for a new video, I realize it's been a very long time, and I apologize for it. I'm not especially happy about the delay myself. However, as it happens, I did a commercially oriented session (as opposed to a simple audition session that can't be used for sale) just yesterday. I'll need some time to process the footage, make some samples, update my web site, etc., but I'm confident I'll be able to release the final product in the near future. I'll make sure everyone on the TMF hears about it. I've also accumulated a number of potentially interesting candidates, so I might be able to offer videos on a more regular basis in the future. At least I hope.
. I'm sure I speak for other women out there as well. A female 'ler can wear a partial mask if it's sexy and goes with her outfit.
