Originally Posted by Paul Markham

The most important thing in porn is the performance of the model. Shooting a crisp in focus well lit image has never been hard, today it's easy. Model performances are harder to get right.

List of reasons is long and can be dealt with elsewhere. Here I'm talking about getting the right model for the right scene.

The idea of a sponsor picking a model from an agents site or book is the worse way to do it. Often the sponsor doesn't know how to shoot, what to shoot and who to do it with. The girl arrives on set knowing the shooter is hired help and not in control. She can churn out her usual performance and no need to step it up. She has to really fuck up to get sent home penniless.

A porn scene isn't like a visit to the gynecologist. It's not like the girl is working for the shooter as a secretary. It's a girl doing an intimate and personal act and getting something from it. It needs the girl to relax in front of a shooter, share her feelings in front of him and often go to places in her body that are reserved for intimate friends.

She needs to trust, respect and allow the shooter to get the best he/she can. It's a relationship between a team. The shooter and the model. Even on a shoot with a crew it needs the model to take directions and give her best. not just do the same old scene and act she's done or seen before. The shooter often needs to be on a level with her that boyfriends are. Just for a short while.

Shooters need to pick models, on the day they employ her and control her. For him to do this on only a picture is tough. The best method and IMO the only method unless she's a long way away, is to meet her. Assess who she is, what she can do comfortably, explain what you do, tell her how you work. Build in her respect and trust for the shooter. Tough to do that if she knows the sponsor is choosing her and he's hired like she is.

Then the shooter needs to think of creating a scene for her. After a good casting he will have an idea of what she can do well and can create the scene that fits her best.

A sponsor telling a shooter from a picture something lie. "Shoot 3 or 5 solo girl scenes 20 minutes long and 150 stills. A stockings with anal dildo scene, a bed scene and a sofa scene." Or something like that is going to end up with bland content.

The shooter has met her, maybe videoed the interview, great BTS footage, assessed her, written out 3 scenes that he feels she can nail. Then submitted this to the customer. If the shooter isn't able to do this. Get a new shooter.

Also a content provider shooting a few stills of a girl and sticking them up on his site and letting people choose her to do video. Is about as foolish an idea as ever. Shoot a small video of her. Not hard core, just something to show how she looks on video. As we know it's videos that sell porn. So why am I still seeing pics of "the girls I'm shooting next week." ?