Do you want to know why customs are sometimes so expensive? Here’s a breakdown of the costs. Also here is a link to a fantastic article written by Sydney Screams explaining the costs of customs.
Models:
Depending on the model that you choose, and what you want her to do, a model can cost anywhere from $50 for an unknown model doing a light fetish like foot worship to $1000 or more for a famous model or for a full on sex scene. I know that’s a wide range, but on average models cost ~$10/minute if they shoot continuously. If they are shooting in scenes they will charge between $100-$200/hour on average.
My shoots are broken up into scenes so it may take me 1.5 hours to produce a 10 minute video. We have to rehearse the scene multiple times, shoot it, review the shot, maybe reshoot the scene which can take time depending on the model’s experience or the complexity of the scene. So a ten minute 2 girl match from me will cost $300-$600 for the models.
If the model is from out of town and you want the video right away you will have to pay for her flight and lodging. Special outfits will cost more. Producers and models have a wide variety of outfits but if you want something really special like cosplay or Leohex the cost is passed on to the customer. I will send the costume back to you since you purchased it.
Location:
Many producers have their own space like a mat room or ring, I do not and have to rent out space to shoot. This can be dungeons, hotel rooms, wrestling rings, etc. These can cost anywhere between $50 for a cheap hotel/motel (much more with the pandemic). A ring can cost as much as $200/hour to rent. On average a hotel room costs me $100.
Equipment:
There is no added cost for equipment as I already have it. If it’s a mixed wrestling match I have to pay a camera person which can range from free (another model) to $300.
Pre-Production:
Pre-production is the time it takes to communicate with you and the models. It’s time reading your script and asking questions, exchanging e-mails, making arrangements, packing equipment, etc. I do not charge for pre-production, but some producers do. Especially when it takes multiple e-mails with the customer to get things sorted out.
Post Production:
This is the editing process. I charge $25/hour to edit and it usually takes me about an hour to edit a video. I don’t charge for the time to render and upload the video which could take from 30 minutes up to several hours because I don’t have to be in front of my computer to do this process.
Payment Processor:
When you pay me through whatever platform, the bank takes 10-20% of the charge and we pass that cost to the customer.
Sales:
I will sell your custom if it meets my standards but not every custom will achieve a sale. Producers are not going to lose money producing your custom, so they want all custom costs covered by the you even if they end up selling a lot of clips.
Profit:
Many producers will charge the customer extra so that they may make a profit. I know a wrestling producer that adds an extra $100 or $200 to the price of his customs so that he makes a profit. I don’t necessarily take an additional profit from the customer, but I am not taking a loss either. All production costs are covered by the customer.
Example
Total Custom Cost 2 girls 10 minute wrestling custom hotel room
Models: $300-$600
Hotel: $100
Editing:$25
Total: $425-$725
My current payment processor takes up to 20% which I pass on to the customer so the cost would be $531.25-$906.25 (rounded to $540-$910) Please remember that there are very few payment processors that will work with adult material and fetish wrestling is considered adult material same as porn.
If you wanted exclusivity for the custom meaning that the producer could not sell the custom if he/she chooses to it’s pretty standard that the producer will charge more. This is especially true if the customer is going to sell the clip on his/her website. In that circumstance I might charge an extra.
Some of you will say that “_____ doesn’t charge that much for a custom”. That’s because they may have lower production costs. If I had a mat room then that’s $100 less. If my girlfriend would wrestle for free that would be $150-$250 less. That would take the total price down to $175-$375 Some models do trades where they don’t have to pay model fees, but this occurs more with female producers.
Finally please don’t try to negotiate the price with the producer. If you cannot afford the custom either save your money or move on to another producer.
I hope that this sheds some light on the subject of customs and why they can be quite expensive.
Please let me know what you think.
Also feel free to ask questions about myself and the industry, I would love to post some Q&A
