Strangling Scene

[Intersub111]

I think the build up matters most for me. Particularly “the turn” that happens when character is no longer holding the advantage and realizes they are losing. That gear change is done really well in Dark Canary 2 showdown and Athena Onslaught. In DC2 she starts out as a badass wrecking shop with massive overconfidence. Young and running in guns blazing, it was awesome to see that flip by the end. Losing more because of her recklessness than anything else. It easy to imagine her final regret was not simply shooting the strangler when she had a chance. Though tossing her guns down was a ballsy play that paid off.

Alternatively Athena Onslaught and Mark of the Heroine has an actress whose acting made her intense angle work. She is like a veteran so her confidence is more measured and comes from her own fighting prowess. There is an intensity and anger that comes through so when she finally loses it’s all the more surprising for her. Her voice eventually transitioning to a feeble plea at the very end.

[Director B]

I think the build up matters most for me. Particularly “the turn” that happens when character is no longer holding the advantage and realizes they are losing. That gear change is done really well in Dark Canary 2 showdown and Athena Onslaught. In DC2 she starts out as a badass wrecking shop with massive overconfidence. Young and running in guns blazing, it was awesome to see that flip by the end. Losing more because of her recklessness than anything else. It easy to imagine her final regret was not simply shooting the strangler when she had a chance. Though tossing her guns down was a ballsy play that paid off.

Alternatively Athena Onslaught and Mark of the Heroine has an actress whose acting made her intense angle work. She is like a veteran so her confidence is more measured and comes from her own fighting prowess. There is an intensity and anger that comes through so when she finally loses it’s all the more surprising for her. Her voice eventually transitioning to a feeble plea at the very end.

Thank you for your comments.

[SSkykingDA]

I think the build up matters most for me. Particularly “the turn” that happens when character is no longer holding the advantage and realizes they are losing. That gear change is done really well in Dark Canary 2 showdown and Athena Onslaught. In DC2 she starts out as a badass wrecking shop with massive overconfidence. Young and running in guns blazing, it was awesome to see that flip by the end. Losing more because of her recklessness than anything else. It easy to imagine her final regret was not simply shooting the strangler when she had a chance. Though tossing her guns down was a ballsy play that paid off.

Alternatively Athena Onslaught and Mark of the Heroine has an actress whose acting made her intense angle work. She is like a veteran so her confidence is more measured and comes from her own fighting prowess. There is an intensity and anger that comes through so when she finally loses it’s all the more surprising for her. Her voice eventually transitioning to a feeble plea at the very end.

I'd love to see Nadia return as Athena. Heather's two runs have been nice, but Nadia is the better Athena as she's more exotic in both appearance, and accent. She also has the advantage of doing topless! I'd be happy to see Heather return to the Catwarrior role, as she has a fine body for that catsuit.

[Intersub111]

Agreed. Nadia such an exotic woman. But I think we get spoiled with so many beautiful actresses that it’s nuanced at this point.

[Director B]

Today's strangling pics are from Supernova 23- We Are One

[Director B]

Today's strangling pics are from Athena 2 The RRS Factor

[Director B]

Today's strangling pics are from Dark Wondra Power Drain

[SSkykingDA]

Today's strangling pics are from Dark Wondra Power Drain

The tightest garrote I've seen Krystal take!

[Director B]

Today's strangling pics are from Frenzy Alternative

[Director B]

What is the best strangling scene in a Bluestone video, and where do you think we are going wrong in shooting it?

[xj900uk]

What is the best strangling scene in a Bluestone video, and where do you think we are going wrong in shooting it?

IMO the best strangling you have ever shot to date was in Nadia Knight's first movie as Athena. 'Amazon Onslaught' I think it was called. In terms of sheer slow sweaty eroticness that has probably never been equalled.
Probably the best movie you have ever shot which included strangulation? Has to be Doomsayer, that so far has been the best where you actually came close to moving completely out of fetish territory. Just edges out the Danica one against Xander set in the prison cell, 'Jail Break', which again came close to veering into a whole different genre altogether.

[SSkykingDA]

I'm not really going to pick a single "best" strangle because there have been so many wonderful ones over the years. Instead, I will draw from some personal favorites that I return to over and over. I'd start with "The Trap", anything with Lynda on the receiving end, "Dark Canary Showdown", and "Teen Bat 1" as examples of well done and delicious.

My biggest pet peeves on strangling scenes mainly revolve around a few issues that tend to be actress specific:

• ligatures so loose that it slides on her neck as she claws at it. I realize that not everyone can handle one as tight as Lynda, but it has to at least compress the neck enough to stay in place.

• Inadequate vocalization (gasping, coughing, choking sounds, and/or verbal or internal dialogue)

• Failure to really engage the whole body in the struggle, Sienna in particular does this incredibly well in both Spider Warrior videos

• Postmortem change to facial expression between moment of death and body pan

The facial expression thing is all too common. Too often, the actress "dies" with her mouth partially open and then her body is panned and when the camera goes back to her face, the mouth is closed. Eyes may also be shifted, or even closed. The partially open mouth death stare is particularly sexy, so I hate when it comes back to a closed mouth!

Another aspect that I'm sure will prompt debate is more story driven, and it includes two points:

• Unrealistically long strangulation

• Impossible escapes

The length of strangulation has improved somewhat in more recent years, but can still be too long, especially for thinner, tighter ligatures such as the garrote. Wide ligatures such as nylons, ribbons, belts, scarfs and ties can take longer because they mostly restrict airflow. But thin ligatures like a garrote will stop both air AND blood to the brain, and realistically would be over in a minute or so. That's why special forces are trained with garrotes to silence sentries! Obviously, you have to balance those who want realism with those who want to linger on the struggle, but if it goes much beyond 5 mins without the strangler deliberately relaxing it to stretch out her suffering, it is just too long! Now, if the villain chooses to play with the heroine by holding the ligature tight for several minutes until her hands drop away and then loosens it for 30 seconds to let her catch her breath before drawing it tight again... THAT element can be used to draw out the struggle for 10 mins or more!

Similarly, for any character other than a superheroine, if she doesn't escape the ligature in the first 20–30 seconds, it's just not going to happen. She begins weakening from the instant the ligature is drawn tight and by 30 seconds, all hope of survival is gone.

On a side note, with the duration of a Chloroform scene, the opposite is true! The average person can hold their breath for about 2 minutes, so unless they are so surprised they take a deep breath right away, they would likely struggle for at least one or two minutes before the Chloroform begins to weaken them. I haven't really seen it with Bluestone, but there are other studios that Chloro the victim in 10–15 seconds, which is laughable!

[Director B]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Keep them coming.

[Director B]

What is the best strangling scene in a Bluestone video, and where do you think we are going wrong in shooting it?

Today's strangling pics are from Supernova Alien Dawn

[Director B]

What is the best strangling scene in a Bluestone video, and where do you think we are going wrong in shooting it?

Today's strangling pics are from Night Warrior