Maybe you are new to VR porn and are curious as to where your subscription dollars are going….. Or maybe you are interested in making your own VR porn. For whatever reason, if you are interested in what goes into VR porn and whether it’s expensive, this article will hopefully clear up at least some of this.
Table of Contents
What do I need to Make VR Porn + How Much Does it Cost?
The Camera
If you want to film VR porn, the main expense will be the VR camera that you use. Most VR porn is filmed in 180 degrees, so you will need a camera that can at least film at that angle. It terms of the quality of this camera, the very least you would need would be something that can record your 3D content in 4K (or 3840 x 2160 pixels), which would be fine if you were uploading it to a basic VR porntube site or a cheaper pay site. Anything more than this and you will need 6k and ideally 8k output from this camera.
The Z CAM K1 Pro has been a popular camera over the years, and this is a camera that costs around $3000. Although this camera only shoots up to 6k content, it would be fine to start. For something 8k ready for would probably need to pay something closer to $6-7000.
Laptops or iPads
You will need some type of device to monitor and record the output coming from your 3D camera. This could be a good quality laptop or even a higher end iPad. I would budget around $800-1000 minimum for this.
Camera Mount
When filming VR porn, your VR camera needs to be very well placed . In regular boy-girl porn, this would be positioned just in front of the male performers’ head, for example. You will need to buy some kind of stand or tripod that is adjustable. Each sexual position or location filmed will require a slightly different setup, so be aware of this! For a typical setup, you are least looking at $200+
Lights
Something that a lot of people outside the industry don’t realize is that the good lighting you see in your VR porn videos isn’t an accident. Some type of lighting equipment is used to make sure the scene is well lit. No-one wants to watch a dark VR porn scene, trust me 🙂 A half decent lighting system like the one below is going to run you around $300-600.
Microphones
For filming VR porn, you will need a microphone. Sometimes this microphone might be in the camera itself, but this will only the work if the output is good in the finished video. Many VR porn studios use external microphones to enhance the sound and match it up better with the VR content. The H3-VR Zoom microphone is a good example of what is used and would set you back several hundred dollars.
Your Performers
In order to film VR porn, you will need some performing talent, which would cost you at least $1000 a day for a female pornstar and $600 a day for a male. Of course, this is just a ballpark figure. The amount you pay will vary depending on the popularity of a performer and what you would like them to do in the VR scene you are filming. If you get this talent from an agency, then get ready to pay a decent amount in agents’ fees too!
Your Team
Realistically, if you want to film high quality VR porn videos, you will need a small team in order to do this. Most VR porn studios will, at the very least, hire a lighting guy, someone that can monitor and operate the 3D camera (in other words a cameraperson) and someone that can direct the shoot (it could be the same person). This would be seen as the bare minimum.
Your Location
I filmed most VR porn videos in fancy looking houses, which certainly don’t come cheap. Especially when the owner finds out you are intending to shoot VR porn in it. Depending on the quality of this location, expect to pay anything from $500-$2000 a day. This could be cheaper depending on the country you are filming in. The cost above is what it would cost in America.
Photographer?
Big studios will often hire a photographer to take high quality still photos whilst the porn action is happening. These stills are used to market your VR porn and making it look as attractive as possible for the porn consumer. See this more as a luxury than a requirement, especially if you are just starting out. As you can imagine, these photographers are not cheap, often costing anything from $40-100 an hour.
Editing Skills and Equipment
Good quality VR porn needs to be edited and the audio file synced and improved alongside the 3D video. So you need someone that has the required editing skills or the cheaper way is to teach yourself how to do this through tutorials on the internet. Just be aware your editing skills need to be good enough to get a good enough quality that people would be willing to pay for!
You then need a computer that is powerful enough to render and edit these 3D porn videos on. Be sure to budget at least $1500-2000 for this. The software required to edit 3D videos on this computer would also cost you $100-200. Alternatively, you could hire someone to edit your content for you, although this will work out more expensive in the long run.
Food
A typical VR porn shoot is one full day, and performers would expect you to feed them during this time. Make sure to think about catering costs if you want to be taken seriously.
I want to Shoot VR Porn, is it a Good Idea?
As you can see above, the costs to create VR porn well is expensive. If you are a seasoned pornographer and have the funds, I say why not give VR porn a go. However, if you are new to creating porn, I don’t think VR porn is a good place to start. It is very technical in nature and the setup costs are much higher than 2D porn. For a new pornographer, you should just make ‘gonzo’ style porn with a simple camera on the cheap. When you make some money and get more experience in the industry, then you could consider VR porn!
VR Porn Production is not Cheap
Hopefully, you now better understand the costs that go into making half decent VR porn. So if you are looking to make your own VR porn, you have a better idea of what you are getting yourself into. And if you are a VR porn consumer, you now know that those monthly subscriptions you are paying to porn sites are totally worth it!!