So, Dreams of Spanking’s latest movie is live on the site! I know I’m a couple of days behind posting this, but I really wanted to wait until the behind the scenes footage was also on the site. This is partly from a personal point of view, that I am a voyeur and love watching the behind the scenes stuff from Pandora’s shoots, but also because I think the behind the scenes footage is an important part of what Dreams of Spanking is all about. When it comes to severe scenes like The Final Test, it can be easy to loose sight of the fact that this is the performers fantasy, and they want to be there, and having the behind the scenes documentaries helps us get to know them more, and understand their motivation to undertake something of this level. Pandora’s focus has always been on performer driven scenes, and I feel it’s only fair to review the actual movie, and behind the scenes footage together.
So, onto my thoughts about the film!!
Firstly I love the fact that this is not a punishment caning movie. Kaelah’s character wants to recieve the caning, has asked for it in advance, and even immediately before hand, says that she wants it. She is not bound in any way, for any part of the caning, she simply holds position throughout, without even needing any verbal reminders. This is not a film about a weak girl being punished. One thing that shines, to me, throughout both the caning and the tai chi sequences, is Kaelah’s inner strength, and calmness.
There’s no screaming, or tears, no begging for it to be over. Kaelah’s reactions are restrained, but there is no doubt she feels each stroke, Ludwig delivers each stroke at almost his full force, and we can see welts raising almost instantly. I love her restrained reactions, and the way that Pandora has cut bits of tai chi into the caning sequence, only emphasises the way that the character is drawing on her martial arts training to embrace the experience. I’ve always loved the rite of passage style scene in my personal play, but it’s not something you often see done explicitly on film. It is done beautifully here.
Onto the behind the scenes footage now.
This is actually divided into two separate movies – there’s a Preparation movie, and a Making Of movie. The preparation one is the one I find most interesting. Kaelah makes no secret of the fact that this is not the style of play she would usually indulge in in private, but does a great job of explaining her motivation to make a film of this severity, as well as talking about her previous experience of a severe caning, and her reactions to it. There is also a great deal of detail about the preparations for a severe caning – Ludwig talks about the choice of the cane he is going to use, and also what preparations they are making for aftercare (this includes a moment that I quite like – a shot of Thomas smashing a bag full of ice so that it can be placed on Kaelah’s bottom immediately after the caning, without there being any jagged or pointed edges to cause her more pain)
The Making Of movie starts out with both performers talking about their nerves before the scene, and is then followed by moments between cuts – admiring the marks, reassuring Kaelah which number stroke comes next, and showing the care taken during the shooting of the scene to make sure both performers were happy. This is always my favourite bit, as you get to see a little of the performers with their guard down. Then there is a final interview where Ludwig and Kaelah talk about how they felt the scene went. It’s interesting that Ludwig is a little critical of his accuracy during the caning – I get the feeling from this that he always strives for perfection!
Overall – it’s a beautiful movie with some wonderful performers, and some very interesting behind the scenes insights.
You can see the full movie over at Dreams of Spanking, and read Ludwig, and Kaelah’s blog posts about the experience here, and here.