THE KYLIE SHOOT(S)!
Those who read these blogs know
that I sometimes refer to a shoot as "leaving money on the table."
Basically, it's a situation where the model was great... But the producer (ahem)
didn't quite deliver on his end. This used to happen more in the old days, as
I'd like to think my technique has improved immeasurably since. But there are
still times when I look back and think, "I could've done that one better."
Which brings us to the tale of two Kylie shoots....
So Kylie Kohl contacts me in 2012
about shooting when she's in town. I check her profile and realize very quickly
that she is a) an all-natural, very attractive Playboy model, and b) prone to
being mostly naked in her shoots. How to fit her into the (mostly) PG-13-rated
SlapstickStuff? We wound up shooting three scenes with various levels of raciness:
regular shirt and underwear, the "top hat/suspenders" look with pasties,
and the infamous nurse outfit. After the shoot was done, I looked over the footage
and realized a couple more things:
1) Kylie was a bit overwhelmed by the mess at first, but got more comfortable
as each scene went along. A good sign.
2) I should've done a better job of matching the model with the right wardrobe/scripts/scenarios.
My fault.
And so it always felt to me like one of those "money on the table"
shoots. Assuming Kylie was just a one-shot, I left the footage in the vault
as newer shoots that needed to get out sooner jumped ahead of it. And finally,
in a moment of very odd synchronicity, I finally began editing her first
shoot... Right as she contacted me about shooting again.
And this is where the story has a happy ending: Kylie was not only eager to
shoot again, but "fully prepared to get completely messy" (her words).
Which meant that not only did I raise my game with the scripts, but she
wound up taking her game to a new level as well. Looser? Funnier? More comfortable
on camera? And totally down with all the mess? Check, check, and double check.
And that's how we got a slingshot clip that is not only one of the sexiest scenes
I've ever shot, but also one of the absolute messiest. Ditto the "hand
bra/lingerie" scene. And hell, the Star Wars scene was HER idea! (And her
costume!) The extra level of comfort even extended to some crazy behind-the-scenes
footage, like Exhibit A: Kylie in her tiny purple slingshot and her "sexy
librarian" glasses, calmly reading the script in my kitchen, making wisecracks,
and laughing at the oblivious UPS guy who would've had his day made if he'd
only looked through the window...
Now I know what most of you are thinking, so let's address it together: Rich,
you just filmed a super-hot nude model in tiny outfits, so how "comfortable"
was she? Well, as far as the final edits go, you probably won't be seeing
much beyond PG-13. (Although I've yet to start post-production, so that might
change.) I'll probably edit out the nudity or pixelate the naughty bits, and
in fact, the hand bra script was actually designed that way. ("Nude
pixelation" and Kylie's annoyance with my double standards is a running
gag.) But as far as the RAW footage? Well... Let's just say that trying to edit
out all the random topless moments and nip-slips would be like trying to edit
all the profanity out of Goodfellas. I still pride myself on being a
PG-13 site, so you won't see any explicit screen grabs or preview footage, BUT
seeing that Kylie was 100% willing (and eager??) to show off her bod throughout
this shoot (sometimes at random!), it seems silly to deny that footage to the
(buying) public. So for those who have been waiting ten years for this day:
You're welcome. (And you should really thank Miss Kohl!)
I wish I could give you more details, but it's honestly been less than 24 hours
since our second crazy shoot, and I've barely done anything beyond a
brief scan of all the new footage! But the plan will probably be: One volume
with the slingshot (Scene 1), Star Wars parody (Scene 2), and the nurse skit
from the earlier shoot (Scene 3). Then a second volume to get the other three
scenes, possibly released immediately after or further down the line. Unedited
footage for all available early, of course. And some fun (free) BTS footage,
especially with the slingshot scene. Feel free to email me if you want the latest
updates. Otherwise, stay tuned and thanks again for all the support!