Hello Mabus,
I really appreciate your comments and what you're trying to do, offering technical and story help and all. I can see you're really interested in helping me do a good job. However...
...Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'd really prefer to do my videos my own, simple way. This is just a simple sideline for me, a hobby, and I wouldn't be comfortable following a strict storyboard written by someone else. As an amateur videographer, doing a more structured session following the instructions of someone who's put a lot of work into a script would be too much pressure. I guess I'm saying that for me it wouldn't be fun anymore.
Now, I agree that some planning is necessary to do a decent video. Otherwise it's just too chaotic. Even the audition that led to Last Laugh Alpha had some structure to it. But I feel that a good dose of improvisation is essential for preserving the spontaneity of the action. Having the models play roles would only get in the way of the kind of tickling action I want to present in my videos.
In the future, when I've gained more experience, I may try to do some more complex videos. Still simple, but but something more. I'm also interested in hearing more ideas. Some may turn out to be very useful. But I can't promise to use those that don't suit my tastes.
As for nylons, well, I can certainly appreciate the difference between ugly baggy nylons and more flattering ones. I agree that it can be a very important issue. But to me it's still pantyhose. Prettier, more classy, but still something that covers the feet, which for me (only talking for myself, here) deprives me of part of what I like about tickling. I totally respect your preferences, and I'm sure some pro-bare people would indeed like the type of pantyhose you're talking about. But, speaking for myself, it's simply not my thing.
I know these aren't the replies you were hoping for, and I'm very sorry about that. Especially since you're trying to help. It's just not for me. Not for a while, anyway.
It occurs to me that what you're asking--plots, camcorder angles, pantyhose, etc.--is better suited for a custom video order. I really don't think I'm quite ready for that kind of thing. Need more experience.
Now, it may sound strange of me to say this, but maybe you'd have a better chance of getting exactly what you want by asking one of the other companies, who have more experience with this kind of thing than I do. I don't see why they wouldn't agree to use pantyhose and keep the models clothed if you asked them. Of course, I realize that custom videos cost money. But you would get pretty much what you want, and probably with more professional results than I could manage. Just a thought.
Heheh, I'm not surprised to hear that you've some experience with directing and handling video. It shows. To tell the truth, I could certainly use some advice in that department, especially lighting setups and such. In fact, I wish someone with experience could come over for a few hours and show me the basics in person. That might help take a few bugs out of my technique. Not likely to happen, though.
As you point out, the room where I do the session is indeed somewhat dark. It's so-so lit to begin with, the walls are dark, the black background I used doesn't do much to help (though it does block the window that's unfortunately directly in my face). And while I use lighting kits they're not the hottest things on the market. They do their job, though. Also, while the pics do look a little dark, the actual VHS product is a little brighter than that, and it actually looks fairly nice. It's mostly a question of weird gamma when capturing to the computer and creating the stills. I did correct them a bit, but it's not the same.
For my next video I'l probably cover the walls with light-colored sheets. They look pretty nce, and I think they improve the performance of the camcorder. I must say, however, that while it might not be ideal for lighting conditions, I rather like the look of the darker room like in Last Laugh Alpha. It's more cozy.
Anyway, I hope I didn't disappoint you too much with this latest message. I really appreciate your help, but there are things I'd prefer to learn by myself, even if it means making a few mistakes along the way.
Thank you for your support.
Francois
THE LAST LAUGH (non-nude, girl-next-door tickling)
www.thelastlaughinc.com
P.S. By the way, I really appreciate that you mentioned my company on the Tickling Discussion forum. You're right, that thread is indeed very pertinent to my case. And don't worry, I fully intend to post some messages to that forum. I just had to finish composing my official announcement post first.
