JockSpank is delighted to be able to interview Dr Skelpz
Hi Dr Skelpz, thanks for agreeing to give an interview to JockSpank. I plan to ask you a number of my own and then some which have been sent in my members of the Lads group.
Starting with the Google group, you have been the moderator of the Sting lads fan group for a number of years now, are you a fan of Sting yourself and how far back does your association with Sting go?
Answer: Thank you so much for asking to interview me. Looking at your previous interviewees I’m honoured to be included in such distinguished company. I was and remain a huge fan of Sting pictures. I should thank the Royal Mail for giving me the opportunity to meet Rich and Rob about eight years ago. Twice I had ordered large consignments of DVDs from Sting and twice the Royal Mail failed to deliver them. Rich offered to hand over the DVDs in person. We met, had coffee, got talking, discovered our mutual passion for film and soon Rich and I became firm friends. Some time afterwards Rich and Rob needed an extra pair of hands on the set for a shoot featuring Vex and David and asked me to help. I brought along my camera and took some stills. Next Rich and Rob asked me to join them on a Royale Tribute photoshoot. Gradually, I became the regular set photographer at Sting shoots.
Rich and Tigger
What always struck me on the Sting set, in addition to Rich and Rob’s total professionalism and commitment to the highest quality film making, was the sense of fun. With the likes of Tigger, David, Matt Mills and Barry bouncing around the studio, the laughter was continuous. I decided to set up an independent fansite. Rather than a site about the studio, I thought it would be more fun to run a site dedicated to the lads. Rich and Rob generously opened their treasure trove of old stills for the site and have been tremendously supportive from day one. Five and a half years and close to ten thousand pictures posted, Stinglads is still going strong.
In 2011 you began to make your own videos which were released through Sting on a “Guest Director” basis, what made you decide to do this, is it something you have long wanted to do, or have you been involved in film making in the past?
Answer: As a life-long film buff I had always dreamt of making my own films. I learned a huge amount about filmmaking on the Sting set. Rich always encouraged me as a photographer. On one of my many visits to Prague, Rich handed me one of his old video cameras and suggested I should think about doing some filming when I got back to London. On my return, Barry and I met to talk about doing some filming ourselves.
45 minutes later we had shot the first two scenes of Bad Week for Barry.
Your style of film making is very different to Sting, and has been described as “Guerilla style” is that a style you particularly enjoy, or is it simply the result of the nature of the actors and the locations you film in?
Answer: A bit of both, to be honest. I’ve always loved low budget independent film such as John Waters’ early work. Sting’s films are in the classic Hollywood tradition. Lighting, sound, camerawork, sets, costumes, editing and post production are all done to the highest professional standards. There is simply no way that I could make films to their high technical standards. What we do have here in London are cheeky streetwise lads and some great locations. I try to make films that are of the time and place. We have shot in the street, in offices at lunchtime or at the weekend, in flats when the missus is out, on an empty building site, anywhere we can find. We need to get in and out as fast as we can which, I hope, adds to the energy in the scene. This can lead to hilarious results like during the filming of Tea Leaves Scene One when the plumbers turned up in the middle of the shoot. Everyone just carried on with the job in hand! There is always a trade off between having enough kit to control lighting etc and having enough hands to set everything up (and make a hasty exit if needed!).
Tim bares his bottom for the cane
We have received a number of questions from Members of the StingLads Group which I will put to you later, however, two members, Swatter and Firmhanded both asked a very similar question, which I think it is appropriate to ask here. That is, how do you find so many young actors who are willing to appear in movies getting their bottoms spanked?
Answer:All of the actors in my films have been brought along by their mates, brothers or boyfriends who had worked with me before. The shoots are fun, the lads have real input into the storylines, they make a few bob as an appearance fee and we have a pint afterwards. Still, we all greatly miss Clublads who unearthed one superstar after another.
You have now set up your own studio at Clips4Sale, does this mean there has been a rift or disagreement between yourself and Sting?
Rich O’Shea
Answer:Not at all. It was actually Rich’s suggestion that it was time for me to spread my wings and develop my own identity. Rich and Rob have been incredibly supportive at every step, even offering to let me post the four films released by Sting at clips4sale. I look forward to my next trip to Prague once the weather warms up and we are hoping to do some shooting together in London before too long.
What are your plans for the new studio?
Answer:It’s all been a bit tumultuous since setting the studio up last week. The ten clips make up the whole top ten in the Spanking m/m chart at clips4sale, but even more extraordinary is that In Their Own Words Part 3 is at number 16 in the overall clips4sale top 50 and In Their Own Words Part 2 is at number 25. I’m really pleased that so many aficionados seem to enjoy the work. I hope to update the site with new material on a regular basis but, to be honest, all my energy has been focused on getting it set up so I haven’t thought much about the future.
What were the main challenges you faced when setting up the new studio?
Answer:Leaving the nest is always scary! Rich first suggested setting up my own studio before the release of Gotta Get Paid.
Gotta’ Get Paid
Putting together ten individual new clips was a challenge. It meant that some old scenes were dusted off. In the past, Rich had always tidied up my editing while Rob worked magic with the sound and did fantastic credits. They offered to help out again but I decided it was time for me to stand properly on my own two feet. Dealing with clips4sale has been very straightforward although they turned the site on while I was still working on GIFs and trailers completely catching me on the hop! It has been stressful but enjoyable.
Do you plan to concentrate the so called “Guerilla” style gritty urban themes or will you experiment with other themes and settings?
Answer:It’s likely that most of my work will continue to be modern and urban as that’s what I enjoy making. The In Their Own Words series is different, with the lads speaking straight to camera, unscripted, describing being on the receiving end.
Are there any of your movies do you feel most proud of and why?
A bad week for Barry
Answer:I’ve really enjoyed everything so far. Bad Week for Barry will always have a special place, as the first. Community Service with multiple actors and interlocking storylines felt like a great achievement. It Still Happens, especially the scene with Rich O’Shea playing completely against type as an abusive Dad, is when I first felt like a proper filmmaker. In Gotta Get Paid, I started to let the actors go for it – Jay Faith’s scene with Barry stands out for its raw energy. In Tea Leaves I’ve had five actors in a scene at once, night scenes and outdoor scenes so again it feels like I’m developing as a filmmaker. In Their Own Words is a completely new direction for me – I’m pleased to see that it has been well received and gives me confidence to try new ideas in the future.
Can you allow us a few hints about the future story lines you have in mind?
Answer: We’ve started shooting our most ambitious urban story yet with scenes filmed outdoors in an abandoned housing estate. Clips4sale lends itself to episodic serial type stories so the spanking version of The Wire might be on the cards! I hope to do a series called What If? imagining what might happen if corporal punishment was reintroduced. And there will be more of the In Their Own Words series.
If I may ask a few more personal questions, have you always had an interest in Spanking?
Answer: I’ve had an interest in spanking as long as I can remember. Certainly well before puberty.
What aspects of spanking bad boys appeals to you the most?
Answer : The aesthetics of spanking has always been the most important part for me. I love the sight of a beautiful backside turned rosy red. In terms of the films, it’s important that the scenes are realistic in that they either do happen, as in It Still Happens, or it could just happen, in terms of the urban stories.
To what degree, if any, were you influenced by descriptions of corporal punishment and spanking in literature, in movies and of course in the, much less politically correct, comics and magazines of the sixties and seventies? (all of which would be banned now) Do you believe that any of these have influenced the videos you make
Answer: Hmmmm, that’s a really good question. There is little doubt that comics, magazines, films and TV of the Seventies have all made an impact on me. I saw work by the Children’s Film Foundation every week at the ABC Minors. The Seventies was a very interesting time to grow up. We were not brought up to be deferential – quite the reverse, we were encouraged to challenge authority, especially unjust authority. Having said that, corporal punishment was still alive and well not just in the media but in schools and at home so there we all knew that actions had consequences.
Do you have any spanking related fantasies or storylines which you would especially like to see made into a movie?
Les Quatres Cents Coups
Answer:Yes. Lots! As I said above I’d like to do the What If? series, with CP re-introduced to 21st Century London. I’d also love to re-make Francois Truffaut’s brilliant 1959 film Les Quatres Cents Coups except this time Antoine and his friends get their backsides tanned every time they deserve it!
Do you believe that humour has a place in spanking movies?
Answer:Absolutely. Humour and terror are very close to one another and I think both have a definite place in spanking films. Some of the most scary experiences at school were also very funny, in retrospect.
How about humiliation? should the boy feel humiliated and embarrassed by what is happening?
Answer: Not in my work. I don’t set out to humiliate my actors or the characters they play. For me, that’s where punishment begins to shade into abuse. I’m not against other people doing it or being into it. It just doesn’t float my boat.
Do you enjoy the work of other spanking studios? And do you have particular favourites? Also, Do you feel that any of the other studios have influenced or inspired you?
Answer: I think it’s fantastic that there are so many good quality spanking producers out there. Man’s Hand would have been the first I came across back in my youth. It was really exciting to discover that somebody was producing stuff I wanted to see. Seeing Sting for the first time was like seeing the work of Jean-Daniel Cadinot for the first time – adult movies as serious art. I have always enjoyed Get Your Trousers Down and the Magic Spanking Factory – good fun and seriously sexy. I was pleased to see Brett Stevens get into making films. I’d love to see more of the lads get behind the camera. I seriously admire everyone who has the courage and tenacity to make films and put them out there for other people’s viewing pleasure. Frankly, most producers are lucky to cover their own costs never mind get any sort of worthwhile payment for the time and effort they put in so good luck to everyone.
I now have a number of questions which have been asked by members of the Sting Lads group. There were a few which you felt were inappropriate or too personal, so I have removed those:
Mark S asked: Will you be doing any school-type videos in the future? I ask as this is by far my own personal favourite scenario and I assume it is a taste shared my many Sting aficionados. Rich does a first-rate job it goes without saying, but it’s always nice to see another perspective?
Answer:Perhaps as part of What If? All of my films are sent in the present time so that’s a bit of a barrier. Also, school scenes require costumes and sets to be realistic. Sting does these so well I’m reluctant to even dip my toe in that water. On the other hand, there is always the possibility of a collaboration with Sting in the future so never say never.
Tigger
He also asked: Will you be finding any more new London (or UK) models, a la Sting ‘golden years,’ in which such stars as Tigger and, my own favourite, the lovely Vex, were featured? British lads obviously have an advantage in that they can deliver dialogue in English without sounding like a Bond villain. Plus they have a better cultural understanding of the background of corporal punishment in schools.
- Answer: I’m not going to knock the Czech boys. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting lots of them and they are lovely kids. They are real troupers, taking some serious punishment on camera. I see no reason why films should only be made in English – many (if not most) of the greatest films ever made were in other languages. In addition to old stars Barry, Damien, David and Stephen, I’ve introduced new actors – Jay Faith, Alfie, Sean, Max, Alex and Buddy. I hope to have some more new actors in forthcoming films.
Swatter had a number of questions
1) At what age did you realize you were “into” spanking?
Answer: From about eight
2) Were you ever spanked at school?
Answer: We didn’t call is spanking but every boy I went to school with received corporal punishment at some point
3) I would like to see you make a video in which you interview the model about his true, real life spanking experiences at home and at school when he was growing up. Any chance of that happening? You could interview several models privately and individually and then put them all together in a single video.
Answer: Not likely, to be honest.
I have already asked you one of Firmhanded’s questions, his others were:
Are all of the actors straight, or are some of them bi or gay?
Answer: All of the above!
2) Do any of them to any porn work and if so where?
Answer: David has done a little solo work as have Barry and Damien. I’m not aware that any of the other actors have done porn.
3) Do any of them admit to (or seem to) be into the spanking or is it purely for the money?
Answer: You know, there are other ways to make money. Having said that, most of the lads seem to enjoy getting to act on camera most, especially when there is an urban storyline they can relate to.
Barry
Cady asked: Will we be seeing more of Barry going OTK for a bare butt spanking?
Answer: Yes, although Barry HATES getting spanked. He loves acting, filming and directing. He has written all the music for the films. He wants to stop getting his ass spanked but recognises that he has too big a fanbase out there to retire just yet.
Bobby asked: Will you accept requests and suggestions for story lines?
Answer: Yes please. Although I’m not interested in doing period or costume drama, nor have I got big budgets or a studio to build sets in but with those provisos in mind all suggestions are welcome.
Well that is all the member questions, is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself or your plans for the future?
Not really. I’d just like to thank all the lads and everyone I’ve had the pleasure to work with either in person or online and I’d especially like to thank Jockspank for your great work on behalf of the community. If there was a spanking New Year’s Honours list you certainly deserve to be recognised. I’d encourage everyone in the community to be positive and supportive of one another; it’s a small community and we should be seeking to encourage one another whenever possible.
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Dr Skelps videos are available from
