What laws must be followed when starting a tickle company?

[mabus]

This is a question for all producers: what laws must be followed when starting a tickle company, fantasy situations company, or independent film featuring risque material? And I'm not talking about the obvious stuff, like no minors, no real harm to models, etc.

I assume there are permission slips, etc., but where do you get those? Do you need a business license, another special license, what complications have you had with the legal system, if any? Do they even care?
Does it depend on the area of the country, etc?
What about taxes?
I can't imagine running a tickle video company, or any other sexual related enterprise, and not running into problems, since so many people want to shut the adult entertainment industry down. You can have violence in movies, like "Hostel," but the cops come looking if you have a girl with no shirt on...but that's a debate for another thread.
In the area I'm in, two adult video stores were raided by the cops way back when, they are still operating, but I'm sure under occasional harassment from the police. Yet, one lady runs an adult costume store, and she has advertisements in the local papers, and the occasional positive write up's in the "women of business" sections.

I ask because I've been wanting to do an independent film for some time, maybe horror, maybe comedy, that will involve perhaps tickling, maybe nudity, certainly sex jokes and silly sex talk. I'm not at all concerned for any of the violence, yet the sex matter is what I need to be careful about. I've spoken to several no-budget horror distribution companies, some said I don't really need the required nude model and bloodshed and gore standard to most horror films, it just has to be good. But one guy who runs a company said in an interview he really prefers movies with nudity and gore....
And the critics of these movies, the ones who actually watch these movies, rate them by how good the nudity and gore is, and the story second - if the model's hot, the movie's good.

And I also wonder about the models, do they ever face repercussions in life after they do these videos, has anyone heard anything? I am the bastion of tolerence, except when it comes to minors or hurting people. I prefer pantyhose tickling, as an example, but I don't bitch when the companies make just bare foot ones, I simply ask them to produce pantyhose videos for the rest of us. Well, most people aren't like me and most of us here. They judge.

I'd hate for a girl to give me the much valued help in one of my movies (and that is hard to find, people willing to help you achieve a dream, make a movie, etc.) and work hard for me (and she will get paid also) and then have bad things happen to her later on - she becomes a teacher, and is fired because she starred in a silly movie that featured tickling, or a nurse, or whatever.
There's always some hateful busy body who wants to "crack down" on people's lives and fun, the "Pleasure Police" as the General from the SmokeThis radio program calls them.

What do your friends and families think about your business/art? Do you hold reqular jobs, and what is/was the reaction at work? I have a full time job, and movies will have to remain a hobby, because I can't risk being in massive debt because I shot 5 movies, for example, and they made a profit of $70 or something!

I've read the obscenity laws, and most people know what they say, no torture scenes (how did "Hostel" survive that?) No private parts, no nudity unless it is in a work holding artistic merit, etc. Has this law ever been enforced, and if so, has any of you had to deal with it?

I'm sure others here who may want to start their own tickle video company may be looking for the answers to these questions to alleviate (or not!) their fears. I mean, my God, clips4sale has some companies that were shot in their wife's bedroom, who is not attractive, the productions quality is zero, and yet they're still operating! I have heard many people here say they have some friend who may be willing to do a tickle video, etc. and I wonder if these questions stop them...

I appreciate any input you guys can give!

 

[The Director]

Mabus,
As to this and the e-mail you sent me I can only say in the situation surrounding FETISH DOLLS (which, by the way, is slowly being edited finally after almost two years), the actresses knew they were going to be tied up and tickled in some pretty wild situations and since it was basically a no-budget movie all they did was sign a release.
As for nudity, there was none in any of the scenes that I was involved with as an actor. I do think the producers and director snuck one in because they feel that a horror movie must have a nude scene in order to find a distributor.
In the movie I directed this past summer, I had one brief foot tickling and one foot fetish scene. Again, the actresses were fine with it, one actress who read the script during the audition phase said that she would do the role only if I took the foot scenes out. Well, no unknown actress is going to dictate my work for me, so she didn't get cast.
Alot of people I work with in theater and film know of my fondness for the female foot so it's no surprise to them when it shows up in a script. Some are amused by it, others don't care one was or another as long as the story is strong and the characters compelling.
I'm not big on the current trend in horror of torture for torture's sake (i.e. HOSTEL). In DOLLS as low rent and low budget and shoddily shot as it is I tried to infuse the script with a unique story and interesting characters.
The film I did this past summer was on a higher scale and is a horror film more character driven that gore driven. I hope to see that one, which is now in post-production, ready to go in the summer of 2007 (maybe by then the producers of DOLLS will have more than three scenes edited!)

 

[laughinggaszone]

This is a question for all producers: what laws must be followed when starting a tickle company, fantasy situations company, or independent film featuring risque material? And I'm not talking about the obvious stuff, like no minors, no real harm to models, etc.

Well, obscenity is a tricky thing. You get a lot of overzealous types that will try to persue a variety of things that might be considered quasi obscene, but
prosecuters are running into a lot of dead ends with the courts.

I assume there are permission slips, etc., but where do you get those? Do you need a business license, another special license, what complications have you had with the legal system, if any? Do they even care?

As a producer, you ABSOLUTELY MUST get a written contract with anyone attatched to the production. This contract spells out who owns what, who consented to what and who gers paid for what. You also need photo copies of legitimate ID's (driver's licenses) of every model you use. This is for age verification. There is some argument over whether a model needs to give this if they do not appear nude, but I require it from every model. I have had one or two models refuse, and have promptly cancelled the video. If government man shows up asking to look at your paperwork on models and you say, I don't have any paperwork or ID's because the girls said they were all legal age. Well, you are going to be in a mess of trouble. You actually stand a greater chance of running into this kind of problem than obscenity.

Does it depend on the area of the country, etc?

You need all the above in any state.

What about taxes?

You pay taxes on it just like any other kind of income.

I can't imagine running a tickle video company, or any other sexual related enterprise, and not running into problems, since so many people want to shut the adult entertainment industry down. You can have violence in movies, like "Hostel," but the cops come looking if you have a girl with no shirt on...but that's a debate for another thread.
In the area I'm in, two adult video stores were raided by the cops way back when, they are still operating, but I'm sure under occasional harassment from the police. Yet, one lady runs an adult costume store, and she has advertisements in the local papers, and the occasional positive write up's in the "women of business" sections.

Most softcore fetish sites have little to worry about. The harder sites (bondage, S&M, scat ect) are the ones that law enforcement are told to
aggresively persue.

I ask because I've been wanting to do an independent film for some time, maybe horror, maybe comedy, that will involve perhaps tickling, maybe nudity, certainly sex jokes and silly sex talk. I'm not at all concerned for any of the violence, yet the sex matter is what I need to be careful about. I've spoken to several no-budget horror distribution companies, some said I don't really need the required nude model and bloodshed and gore standard to most horror films, it just has to be good. But one guy who runs a company said in an interview he really prefers movies with nudity and gore....
And the critics of these movies, the ones who actually watch these movies, rate them by how good the nudity and gore is, and the story second - if the model's hot, the movie's good.

As long as you're using legal models and you're paperwork is in order, I wouldn't be too concerned. The harder you get the greater the chance that you will be visited. This does not mean you will be closed down, simply that your paperwork will be checked.

And I also wonder about the models, do they ever face repercussions in life after they do these videos, has anyone heard anything? I am the bastion of tolerence, except when it comes to minors or hurting people. I prefer pantyhose tickling, as an example, but I don't bitch when the companies make just bare foot ones, I simply ask them to produce pantyhose videos for the rest of us. Well, most people aren't like me and most of us here. They judge.

I'm sure that some do, but that is their problem. If they choose to get into the adult business, they need to understand that they will be captured on film for life. Most models enjoy doing this kind of work and do it for many years.

I'd hate for a girl to give me the much valued help in one of my movies (and that is hard to find, people willing to help you achieve a dream, make a movie, etc.) and work hard for me (and she will get paid also) and then have bad things happen to her later on - she becomes a teacher, and is fired because she starred in a silly movie that featured tickling, or a nurse, or whatever.
There's always some hateful busy body who wants to "crack down" on people's lives and fun, the "Pleasure Police" as the General from the SmokeThis radio program calls them.

Again, that's her problem. If she thinks she can do this stuff and it won't come back on her, then she's kidding herself. You're better off dealing with models who have some experience anyway. Dealing with complete amatuers for complicated roles can produce a very poor quality product.

What do your friends and families think about your business/art? Do you hold reqular jobs, and what is/was the reaction at work? I have a full time job, and movies will have to remain a hobby, because I can't risk being in massive debt because I shot 5 movies, for example, and they made a profit of $70 or something!

They call me the "porn king." They think it's cool. Rather silly, really. As far as paying, you have to come up with a budget and not deviate from it. Well known models can ask $300-1000 (some ask more) while unknown models that look just like them can ask $100-$300. Depends on the complexity, requirments and time required. I don't generally hire well known models because they are too expensive. I have actually had several approach me, interested in the fetish, but their asking price was out of my budget. I can get a model that looks a lot like them for a lot less. In the end, you're paying for their name, which doesn't always guarantee a draw.

I've read the obscenity laws, and most people know what they say, no torture scenes (how did "Hostel" survive that?) No private parts, no nudity unless it is in a work holding artistic merit, etc. Has this law ever been enforced, and if so, has any of you had to deal with it?

It's constantly tested and more often than not, the government loses.
They have tried to use a communities standards to do this, but as standards can vary from place to place, this is a poor way to establish obcenity.

I'm sure others here who may want to start their own tickle video company may be looking for the answers to these questions to alleviate (or not!) their fears. I mean, my God, clips4sale has some companies that were shot in their wife's bedroom, who is not attractive, the productions quality is zero, and yet they're still operating! I have heard many people here say they have some friend who may be willing to do a tickle video, etc. and I wonder if these questions stop them...

I appreciate any input you guys can give!

Tickling isn't a big target for obscenity cases, which is one reason why you see so many of them.
webmaster joe