Custom Clarifications

Long legs!

I want to say up front that I love customs and shooting them. They often divulge from my normal material and provide and interesting break from that material as well as an interesting challenge. They also allow me to contact and work with models that I would normally not work with or not work with as often as the customs allow me to.

I do find though that anything not clear in the minds of people is far too open to interpretation and miscommunication. As such I find it helpful to publish more meaningful guidelines for custom videos to allow better communication and faster delivery of requested custom videos. I present these to help any interested understand the process better. I will say up front that if I seem grumpy or accusatory in any part it is not my intent. It is a first draft as an a decades-long manager my communication has a tendency to sound like a marching order if I am not careful!

I will say up front that the email responses that both Angelique Kithos and I receive highlight attention to detail, adherence to script, quality of video, attention to post-editing, attention to sound editing and an overall higher quality than expected. We spend more time preparing and editing than is required and that results in a better product. I get knocked for delivery times and the below is an effort to improve that.

 General Guidelines

1. If interested in ordering a custom video or if you have questions about the process please email me at tedmichaelsdsamsels@gmail.com with the header of "Custom Inquiry". This helps with two things. I have a special email folder your email with automatically be sent to. It also reduces the chance that an email will end up in my spam folder. I check my customs folder multiple times a day but my spam folder only once every two weeks. I am too busy to check my spam folder daily or even weekly. If you tweet me I will just tell you to email me.
2. Avoid all caps in your header. It will result in your inquiry going to my spam folder and can result in up to two weeks before I respond to you.
3. After receiving your email I will thank you, try to answer any questions you may have and ask follow-up questions. Details about duration of the video, number of models desired, specific content, number of restraints, number of locations/scenes and the intricacy of any story plot are highly helpful during the first email.
4. I try to work within budgets, but I do not respond to insulting offers. Models cost on average $100/hour. Asking me to shoot a custom that requires two hours and giving me a budget of $25 is not going to work and is a waste of everyone's time. If you cannot afford it, you cannot have it. Customs are a luxury item. If you cannot devote $100 for a video or $75 for a photo set at a minimum please do not contact me.
5. If you request a specific model and she is not available or available in a timely manner I will ask if you wish for me to follow-up with secondary candidates. Please do not waste my time on this. I frequently get this request and then a pass. The time I take to follow-up is money and pulls me from other things.
6. If you require a specific model other than Angelique Kithos or Hannah Perez a minium of a 30-minute minimum custom is required.
7. Special requests are the responsibility of the requester. Torn clothing is an extra cost. Props that I do not already own are an extra cost. A special color of tape that I do not have is an extra cost. All materials for a mummification are an extra cost. External shooting locations that require driving time are an extra cost.
8. A custom gives you rights to view for personal use but not sell or redistribute in any manner. Models do not like giving their personal information on releases to people they do not know or have never communicated with. I do not like seeing material I own the copyright to being pirated. If you wish to own the material this will need to be discussed with the model and will involved much higher pricing than normal rates.
9. I reserve the right to use any material created for my website and stores. That is built into my pricing. Customs that utilize elements (fake blood, fake beatings, fake bodily fluids) that I cannot use on my store or website will involve an extra cost.
10. I reserved the right to delay delivery of a custom if special edits are necessary to make the model look her best. I am working currently on a custom where the model has a nasty blemish that I am removing in post-edit. It is taking time, but I will not risk release of this material as screenshots that a custom requestor might release violate my model release stating that material will not be released that diverges from the images she already publishes on her portfolios.
11. I reserve the right to be sick, have a family and have primary employment opportunities. If delays on my part become too lengthy I will discuss pricing discounts on future customs.
12. Customs requiring multiple models mean that any model after the first are at my discretion to choose. Coordinating schedules and pricing becomes too difficult after that. I will do my best to include everyone you desire, but I will be very honest as to the costs that this will incur for you (flights, lodging, day rates).
13. If I indicate that a model is uncomfortable with an element please do not ask if she will change her mind. My personal shooting guideline is that when a model says , "No" then I will not bring it up again. I will not violate my personal rules of integrity for a custom.
14. I do not have a "harem" of women sitting idly by waiting for requests orders. Please understand that it can take weeks, even months to get my shooting needs into their schedules. If you cannot wait at least three months and demand a specific model you will have a high chance of getting impatient and wanting to move on after sucking up a lot of my time.

Pricing/Durations Guidelines

1. Customs require a minimum of ten minutes. I you desire a six-minute custom the pricing will be identical to a ten-minute custom.
2. Pricing for strict bondage is $100 for each 10-minute block. Special pricing is available for customs for 60 or more minutes. I will negotiate on price, so please do not hesitate to inform me of your desired budget.
3. Certain elements can effect price. S&M elements, erotic elements, messy elements and anything requiring lengthier wardrobe and make-up adjustments can incur extra costs.
4. Pricing includes finalizing a shoot with model(s), filming, editing and full post-processing. I shoot on high-end equipment with quality lighting. I do not produce dark and grainy customs with muddled sound. I guarantee to spend more time polishing the final product than the actual shoot time.
5. Please refrain from constant emails after I shoot a custom. I you have not heard from me for a week, please feel free to ask for an update. I do not have time for a hundred emails each day asking for a status update as that takes the better part of a day to handle, time that should be spent filming and editing.
6. Any request that requires more than ten emails will require a non-refundable $50 deposit. An request that has exceeded an hour of my time will require a non-refundable $50 deposit. I simply do not have the time to engage in lengthy conversations that may not result in a customs (and many inquiries do not result in a custom). My time is money. The best way to avoid this is to be clear and present as much information as possible up front.This deposit will go towards payment for the final custom and is not an additional cost. If you back out of the custom later, you will lose this deposit.
7. Non-bondage, non-erotic customs have different pricing structures. Please do not hesitate to inquire in your initial email.

Other Thoughts

1. Please keep all emails in the original email chain. Starting new email chains, posting to me on Twitter/Facebook or contacting me at other emails makes it very difficulty for me to keep everything straight. This results in delays and possible errors in the custom.
2. Be nice, be professional!

I know this will change, but I kind of wanted to get a first draft out there. I will have a new custom page up at my website soon, and it helps to get something out there for people to start emailing me and going, "what the hell Ted, this makes no sense" or "thank you, that cleared up a lot of questions."

Image courtesy of  She Begged the Burglar for Tight Ropes Then He Took All He Wanted with Angelique Kithos available at http://www.clips4sale.com/38048/6562651