Today's Tickling Clips vs. Classic Video

[Dave2112]

There was something brought up in one of the Reviews threads that caught my attention. I started to post a reply, but started feeling that this was such a good topic for open discussion that I decided to start a thread here.

Basically, it was argued that we all know the downside to the old Cal-Star, Vid-Tech and Harmony VHS tickling videos; Usually crappy bondage, a lot of less-than-ticklish girls, stupid dialog...etc. However, there were supporters of the old films and I tend to agree to a point.

In today's current market of on-demand, priced-to-own downloadable video clips, are we losing some of the inherant charm of the earlier films? Yes, the storylines were often dopey, but at least there were storylines. And cute/creative costumes, verbal interplay, teasing, anticipation...stuff like that. As one user pointed out, many of the clips today focus solely on the ticklishness of the girl herself. Many of them are extremely similar, with only a difference in actual model.

I tend to agree that many producers are bypassing one of the most important parts of the tickling fetish, second only to the tickling itself...the verbal interplay.

Also, remember that not all of the old Cal-Star et al films were bad. When they did get it right, they usually hit gold. I remember Ariel Cole in particular...anything she was in was good.

Now, before anyone gets me wrong, let me make clear that I'm not criticizing the current producers in any way. There is a wealth of fantastic tickling material out there thanks to them. And also, understand that producers that are making thier money on clips don't have a 30 or 60 minute film to work with. They have an average of about six minutes. Yes, there are longer flicks broken into smaller parts, but producers have to deal with the fact that a lot of people won't take the time to download massively large files. So, in those six minutes, you need to have a large amount of action with little time for anything else. Also, sadly, the shorter attention span of the tickling audience that was raised on clips rather than videos prevents many of the good models from achieving a recurring fan base. We all remember the actresses like Ariel, Ashley Renee, Tori Sinclair, Star Chandler...I think the last legitimate tickling-video "star" was Priscilla James.

So, again, I'm not saying the new stuff isn't good. I'm just saying that, for all of thier faults, the classic stuff was entertaining. Perhaps we could find a mix of the verbal/storyline approach and the superior bondage techniques our current producers are capable of.

This isn't a "one-or-the-other" debate, just a topic for conversation among those of us who remember the early stuff. And to ALL producers of tickling material, past and present, thanks guys!

 

[Wildtime]

Better or just different?

The first video clip I managed to get a hold of was Cue-1 (Harmony/Close up Prod.), parts of which can be seen in Drew's Gallery 700251-700255. Although the camera work had a lot to be desired, as a whole it still remains one of my favorite clips. Whether or not that's because of nostalgia, or because of its overall quality, is subjective. What I do know is that compared to the other videos I have from that era, it is a virtual masterpiece. One of the videos that I'm referring to is Tickled Pink . Although it did have a plot (albeit a very weak one), the acting, dialogue, and plot were all sub-porn; only one of the 'lees was ticklish--and she had a voice like minnie mouse on helium; none of the 'lers knew what they were doing, they just swept over the 'lees like they were dusting or somethin'; and the damn thing only lasted 30 mins.

I do agree with you, that most of today's producer's focus on the reaction of the 'lee rather than the tormenter/victim interplay, but you can still find plot-based videos (i.e. Tickle Television's Tickle Night). And yes, vid clips are a lot shorter, but have you tried getting a VHS through Customs Canada--basically it's a crap shoot because those buttheads keep on changing their puritan ways (the Taliban was more open than these guys).

 

[libtick]

In my opinion, today's videos are too much geared toward the "let's strap a girl down and tickle her". No plot, no uniquness, just like all the cars we drive. Now, some people don't like plots, but I think one of the best video I've seen is the one where Crystal plays the ticklish mayor's daughter and gets tickled by Priscilla James and Kristen Lea. It's all there: a plot, lots of teasing, great ticklers and ticklee.

My two cents...

 

[daryl]

I have to weigh in on this one. I seriously miss the old videos, for the very reason mentioned: there was much more interplay. The teasing and anticipation and REASON for some tickling is often missing now.

A lot of videos now are nothing but screaming/laughing, which is of course part of the reaction we're looking for. But why not just have audio or video recordings of someone ALONE screaming/laughing if not for the interaction of tickling?

I know when I look thru the clips now, that is what I am looking for. something that has some promise of some teasing interactions and begging and plot, etc.

 

[Larry Neal]

They are still available

There is still plenty of material around such as you discribe,but you have to get it on DVD or VHS. Try Ticklefest or Pure Tickling for example. There are several companys that have clips and DVD,s. Actually I don,t know anything about clips because I can not play them with my equipment, but I assume they must show only the tickling part of their stories. Paradise Vision is a good example of a company that has clips and DVD,s. The DVD,s and VHS videos all have plots and storylines etc. Some of them are pretty good.

 

[kis123]

In my opinion, today's videos are too much geared toward the "let's strap a girl down and tickle her". No plot, no uniquness, just like all the cars we drive. Now, some people don't like plots, but I think one of the best video I've seen is the one where Crystal plays the ticklish mayor's daughter and gets tickled by Priscilla James and Kristen Lea. It's all there: a plot, lots of teasing, great ticklers and ticklee.

My two cents...

I thought the mayor's daughter series was the absolute bomb!! Love it!! Love it!!

I'm a newbie at this so I don't have much to judge. When I was at the Dallas gathering in Sept, I got to see a lot of the videos of old. They were different, but most were pretty good. It's a change from having to watch them from your computer.

Each media (clips vs vids) provide entertainment in different ways. I say "bring it all on!!" 😎

 

[babinsky]

...Yes..Mayor's daughter series was one of the best, especially the foot close-ups...Back to the topic ;
You have to consider the jaded effect. After awhile the thrill is gone as well as the novelty of seeing a tickling video, even one of your favorites. There's always that desire for more and the search continues.Always looking for that perfect session, with the right ticklee, with the right laugh, and my favorite,
total bondage. Being the foot guy that I am, I don't even bother with upperbody anymore. So the clips are prefered, so you can choose exactly want you want (or close to it) over alot of fast forwarding video....Oh I still have my video collection, and favorite scenes that never fail.

 

[isabeau]

i havent had the pleasure to view many clips, past or present. however a plot would be nice. and why are clips so expensive? its like a dollar a minute. so that keeps me from wanting to buy any, even if i could. i know i prefer a clip where the bondage is effective, meaning not much movement allowed on the part of the ticklee, as long as it doesnt become painful to her or him , of course

isabeau

 

[Dave2112]

Isa, the pricing of most clips is actually about right. You have to look at the flip side of "a dollar a minute" and understand what a producer puts out for that six minute clip. Paying a model/actress/sub, the hardware to shoot it, the software to encode and refrmat it, the server to host it plus the incidental costs (hotel room rental? travel expenses? any number of other things?)

Of course, that does depend on the worth of the clip, you're right about that.

I agree with Babinsky about something...the jaded effect. Especially for those of us feeding our fetish for more than, say, 6-7 years. You do lose the "newness" of availability after awhile. Human nature. I also find myself being more picky and only downloading clips with my personal sub-fetishes involved. After the first 50 clips or so, you've covered most of the bases. I often find myself looking strictly for tickling clips with the 'lee gagged, as that's my thing. I've got enough of the other stuff, so now I can afford to be picky. I completely understand where you're coming from.

By having the longer films of old, you could at least revisit the same particulars and make them look or feel different.

BUT...that won't keep me from grabbing a clip of some girl getting strapped to a table and tickled if she catches my eye or has some "X" quality. You never completely lose the desire to see something for the sake of it's newness.

And like I said before, it's not really a matter of one being "better" than the other...just a change in times. As does everything else, the commerce of tickling evolves.

Also of note: Today's technology has led to the influx of rapidly-changing new blood in the industry. Back in the day of Harmony and Cal-Star, only larger financed companies were even operating. On top of of the usual costs, you had to produce, copyright, licence and distribute an actual hard product. The availability of tickling video as a soft file has opened the doors for the "bedroom producer", for lack of a better term. Back then, Cal-Star was getting 80 bucks a pop due to these costs, not to mention paying much more for models. Many early tickling video bondagettes were cross-over porn stars or quickly made themselves known in a relatively limited fishbowl of a fetish. That means high-priced talent. And again, producing the hard copy.

Ask Morandilas about that topic.

Anyway, like I said, the business evolves and we change it as consumers little by little. Want to see something different? Let the producers you like know. They want to make money for thier efforts, and while direct requests are often pricey, they are always on top of what's becoming popular in the community. The plus side to today's internet-available environment is that there are so many producers able to work. There's such a wealth of material that something's bound to reach you on a personal level.