All the shoots we make are consensual (that means, models and Shoot Producers agree and consent to everything that happens on the shoot).
“She [Shoot Producer Giulia] didn’t force anything on me. Usually, the shoot is explained and then they ask for something more… She told me not to touch myself at all because I’m not getting paid for that. I was really impressed.” (Madison A, Aug 2022)
We invite all models to share their boundaries before and during shoots, and we believe consent only exists at the moment (saying “yes” an hour ago does not mean “yes” now). Your Shoot Producer will ask for your consent many times throughout the shoot, and give you opportunities to share how you’re feeling about the shoot.
For that reason, we welcome models saying “no” (or a similar variation like “I’d prefer not to do that.”) – at any time. We also believe that no is a complete sentence (more info) – we don’t expect you to justify why you’re saying “no”. However, we may ask for clarification on what that means for the rest of the day.
Here’s how it works;
- If you prefer not to do a certain pose, answer a line of interview questioning, or have lunch later in the day (or anything else on a shoot day), you speak up
- Shoot Producers are pretty cool, but they are not telepathic and they have a job to do, so if you indicate you’re ok with how things are going, they’ll keep going in that direction.
- You let the Shoot Producer know clearly “no”.
- Variations are fine, for example, “This is making me uncomfortable” or “I want to do something else now”
- Don’t be vague – changing the subject or taking a toilet break will not be interpreted as a “no”.
- The Shoot Producer respects your decision
- They will never “argue” with you, bargain with you, push you to reconsider, coerce you, or ask for reasons
- The Shoot Producer will suggest some alternatives
- A different line of questioning, a different pose, lunch later in the day…
- The Shoot Producer may ask for clarification
- For example, “Do you mean, no questions about bacon sandwiches – or no questions about food at all?” or “Ok, you’re uncomfortable with that pose – can we try some other poses at the same Posing Level, or would you like to reduce your Posing Level for this shoot?”, or “Do you mean, you want to skip lunch today, or just have it later?”
Communication rocks! 😎
If you say (or indicate) “no” a lot, we need to work out if we can really make the shoot today. For example;
Every time the Shoot Producer directs you into a pose that shows your bum, you always say “no”.
That’s a problem: bums are pretty good 🍑, our customers like bums, and they want to see your bum. We’ve let you know that we’ll be capturing your bum a lot in the shoot. If you’re not comfortable showing your bum on camera, we cannot make a full shoot of you. That means you cannot be paid, and the media we have captured on the shoot day so far will be destroyed.
That’s ok – perhaps a little frustrating for everyone, but it’s far better to let the Shoot Producer know that now than to make the shoot and regret it forever, right?
