The Art of the Headshot

[Norrin]

Introduction
When it comes to methods of killing in snuff fantasies, or fantasy snuff videos, the headshot will always be my favourite. Although it will certainly never lose that position, I have come to discover that, in the audio-visual medium, my enjoyment of headshots highly depends on certain factors. Now, I am not saying, of course, that my perspective on this subject matter is the most important or best, but it is fair to say that I speak from the position of someone who really likes this killing method, and absolutely adores it when done "right". So, what I shall attempt to do here, is to give a most detailed description of what, to me, are the elements whose inclusion should be seriously considered when making a headshot scene. So that producers who have this method in their repertoire might be inclined to pay mind to such details, if they wish to cater to such an audience. For the sake of the argument, it shall be assumed that the killing method is a singular headshot, not performed by the victim herself, with no prior harm done to the body. Though I am aware of the fact that nudity levels differ greatly from studio to studio and actress to actress, I shall primarily focus on the situation of a nude, or at least topless, victim. You will see why.

The Anticipation
The first thing that needs to be determined, is whether the victim is aware of her impending fate or not. Both situations can have their own appeal, but I shall begin by looking at the aware victim first. Regardless of the way she reacts to it, the POV perspective of the killer is almost always the most effective in presenting the scene, as it allows the viewer to look right into the victim's eyes and study her expressions, whether they are driven by fear, defiance, or another emotion. An exception to that is obviously the shot to the back of the head; I will come back to that later. To me, defiance and acceptance are the sexiest emotions, but fear is of course the most natural, and welcome too when the actress is able to convey well her attempt to wrap her head around the fact that she is about to be killed. The one emotion which should always be avoided is indifference, for it presents a great obstacle to immersing oneself into the scene. The point of an emotional response is to create the appearance of a character's inner life, where even without it being implied through dialogue in the story, it becomes easy to comprehend that the loss of her life is something tremendous to her, regardless of whether she is ready for it or not. If the victim is unaware of her impending fate, there is arguably more difficulty in establishing her stance on dying due to the fact that you cannot have her react to it directly.
Let us assume a simple sniper scenario, with the clueless victim in her apartment. The easiest way to make her more three-dimensional is by having her be in a phone conversation, after or during which she gets killed. While said conversation can concern the reason why she is a target (angry ex-boyfriend, political intrigue, etc.), I consider it equally appealing when it is a conversation with a loved one, something giving her an inner life which is going to be taken away from her without her foreknowledge. The moment when the bullet strikes should definitely not seem overly artificial by leaving the impression that the victim is just waiting to receive the shot. She should always be doing something or be about to do something, living her life until it abruptly ends. Undeniably, my personal favourite activity to have a victim partake in, when she lacks foreknowledge, is masturbation, or rather sex, if there is another person involved. I shall stick to the solo activity, since I wish to talk about couple killings in another essay. The unique thing about it, is that you do not necessarily require a prior establishment of character to give her an inner life, although it would most likely be appreciated. Because masturbation, the act of gaining pleasure, is so natural and understandable as an inherent desire, that regardless of anything else that could define this woman, the one positively established thing, her love for her own libido, is enough to inform the viewer that she has something to lose, the ability to feel pleasure, and we see it right there. Another added appeal is seeing her gain pleasure, building herself up to an orgasm, while knowing as the viewer that is the very last time she will ever orgasm. With her being unaware of it, she does it as she always would, which is highly erotic to observe, although it would be just as erotic if she had her killer right in front of her and would be forced to masturbate as he/she watches, being directly confronted with the fear of dying while trying to achieve that familiar pleasure. That would just work in a different way. Returning to our current subject, the ideal moment to strike is certainly when she has reached the peak of ecstasy, experiencing her orgasm and being shot right at the same time. To do it beforehand would perhaps be more cruel, but deny the orgasmic spectacle, while doing it afterwards would be somewhat anticlimactic, no pun intended.
Of course, in any situation, you could have the victim be confronted with the killer's presence just a second or two before she is murdered, which could still be good when the sheer shock of it is well acted enough. But to me, at least, it is not as favourable as the other two general scenarios. Anyway, the anticipation should never be underestimated when it comes to the headshot, especially when the victim is aware. In fact, I would argue that unless you are planning on any sexual activity before or after the deed, the victim should be aware. For the great appeal of watching the reaction lies in the mental, the psychological aspect. If you do not have any sexual content in the video, the anticipation is, in terms of our fetish, as close as it gets to a buildup, while the headshot itself, including the victim's reaction, equates to the orgasm, the switch from life to death. But before we get to that, there are two other important aspects which need to be addressed first.

The Spot
One matter whose importance in headshots might be underrated, is the point where the projectile fractures the skull, the placement of the bullet wound. In my view, there is only one point that makes sense on an aesthetic level, and that is the centre of the forehead, also known as "the third eye". I cannot stress enough what a difference between a good and a great headshot it makes for me, whether the wound appears right in that magical spot, or just some random place on the forehead or temple. This is an issue on which I would be most curious to hear the opinions of other headshot aficionados, because I can only imagine that there might be some fans of the "temple" spot, or the "back of the head" method, but not that there would be a preference for just a random spot on the forehead, combined with a disapproval of the "third eye" spot. At the very least, I could only see there being a general ambivalence towards the placement of the wound.
Me, I love the third eye, because it is just... beautiful to me, when perfect or close to perfect in it's symmetry, and you see the entirety of the victim's face, watch her facial muscles and eyes react to the brain trauma. Plus, if you have a good look at her still corpse afterwards, it is very erotic, albeit in a dark fashion, to see the body remaining just as gorgeous as it was in life, with no other wounds, only the third eye revealing what was the cause of her demise.
The "back of the head" method is fine if you do not want to use any blood. But, if you would show an exit wound as just a red spot or something similar on the forehead, it would be difficult for me to buy, as the exit wound is always supposed to be rather grisly; thus it would be simpler and better to just shoot the victim from the front. The only interesting exception I can think of, would be if, via damn good F/X, you could imply that her brains got blown out through her face. If you would want to do any post-mortal activity with her, you would not even have to apply any prosthetic in order to sell it; putting a towel over the remains of her face would be enough, as long as you have the brain and skull bits on the ground. The last method that should be mentioned is the "gun eater", when the barrel of the gun is stuck into the victim's mouth. That one shares the same detriment as the back of the head, yet is even less appealing, even with impressive brain F/X, though that is solely to be blamed on personal preference.

Damage Levels and Special Effects
Through the power of make-believe, it really does not take elaborate F/X work to sell a headshot wound. A simple red dot works the best for me. It should not be too small, but it should definitely not be too big. My brain has a simpler time believing a small "hole", than a big one which ruins the illusion, particularly when it is more red than black. A dark red or black colour tone works best in selling the illusion, a bright red tone hurts it. You do not even need blood flowing out of it, really. Just a tiny bit around the wound, or none at all, would be enough. In my opinion, the flowing blood hurts the facial aesthetic a little, but not seriously, and has the potential to look sort of neat, when done in a "realistic" fashion. I just would not prefer it. A more accurate bullet wound has it's charms as well, with the skin around the wound looking bruised from the impact and to some, it might even be more immersive.
Obviously, it would be best if you would be able to show the exact moment the bullet hits it's mark, but if that is not an option, it is always preferable to either show the gun or the shooter's face when the shot is fired, depending on if you can deliver good gun F/X. For me, it seems ill-advised to have the actress react to the shot without there being any wound, and then add the wound in the next cut. The focus on the shooter/gun, followed by a quick cut to the victim with the wound applied, is much less immersion breaking, or not at all in the best case. One more thing to add here: the question of practical vs. digital. I usually find practical better than digital, nine times out of ten, but for being able to see the victim's face react to the bullet in real time, digital is more than welcome through use of a tracking dot. However, with the subsequent cut, it should be replaced by a practical wound effect. Otherwise, it becomes extremely jarring to look at. In the worst case scenario, you hold the camera on the victim, with barely any camera movement, and your digital wound image is just dancing around so noticeably that the immersion is completely broken. I would beg any producer to avoid that and instead work with as many practical effects as possible. Because, even when those effects are not top notch or elaborate, the mind has a much easier time buying them, rather than something it knows is not physically present.
In terms of gore, there are many options. From a little bit of blood behind the wall to imply the exiting of the bullet, to literal brains or skull pieces sticking to the wall or falling to the ground. Such brutality is not necessary, but does not hurt either. The level of gore merely depends on what the producer considers appropriate. Though at the same time, it also presents a danger of possibly looking fake and thus slightly breaking the immersion; so again, I think less is more, as is so often the case.
The complete lack of any wound or blood when there should be some is extremely unfavourable, except in gun fun scenarios, and even then, these do not benefit from the lack of F/X. I would never buy such a video outside of the gun fun category.

The Reaction
This is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the most important aspect of all, bar none. The greatness of the headshot lives and dies by how good the actress is at selling it. While it could be played straight with a non-reaction and having the victim drop down like a sack of potatoes, the death scene's sexiness is increased many times over by her actively reacting to the shot. Beginning with the eyes, they ought to end up in a beautiful death stare every time, but before reaching that state, it is hot to see them look around, as if disoriented, or slightly rolling upwards, as if trying to look at the bullet wound, or the new third eye. Simultaneously, the look on her face could be one of confusion or pain, potentially made grotesque by the awkward twitching of her facial muscles. Her tongue sticking out in the end, similar to a strangling, is erotic to think about too. The key element, though, which must never be ignored, is the destruction of the brain, leaving behind only a flicker of personality, before that disappears as well. What made her a person is practically non-existent, so nearly the entirety of her reaction stems from her subconsciousness. She is no longer in control. Her reactions are so awkward, yet sexy precisely because of that lack of control, the final, fleeting signs of life visible on her face. That should never be forgotten when staging the reaction.
But the face should not do all of the acting. At this point, I should go into what the rest of the female's body ought to do. In order to determine that, it is vital to identify the optimal position to die in. Assuming a totally nude victim, the optimal position allows for the best view on her assets in the moment of death and afterwards. From that point of view, the simple answer would probably be a sitting position, seeing how standing does not really give you a good view of her genitals, and lying often results in the breasts being pressed in, therefore not looking as enticing as they could. However, what I think is the most desirable, the most erotic, is to see the breasts react to the headshot by bouncing around as she falls back. Said bouncing is of course easily achieved by having the woman go down from a standing position. So, I find the really optimal position for her, to be shot while standing, her first facial reactions captured in that stance, before she goes down into a sitting position, where she could also reveal her vagina through her legs spreading. What also helps the bouncing is an admirably ample bosom, leading to a naturally more arousing display. Starting and staying in a sitting position is perfectly acceptable, however I do not see much benefit in executing the headshot, or having the actress end up, in a lying position. Unless it suits the situation best (e.g. an assassin kills his target during sex like that).
In each and every instance, her body's twitching should be included. Not only is it another indicator of her lack of control and the last signs of life, her nervous system going a little haywire, but it can also result in further bouncing of her breasts. The twitching should be most visible in her limbs, maybe fingers and toes even, but an alternative to it could also be the momentary stiffening of the limbs, leading to some arousing spasms, although the twitching is preferable. What should also not be ignored, is fluttering eyelids. They never cease to be sexy, fulfilling the same signalling role the twitching facial muscles do, but more subtly. So while the facial muscle act might be considered more extreme or difficult to perform well, the fluttering eyelids should always be there, occurring just as all motions are about to stop, signifying the absolute end, when they stop. While these physical movements hold the lion's share in making the reaction utterly sexy, one would do well not to ignore the audio aspect, for it works wonders in enhancing the experience. It can be a simple groan of pain as an initial reaction to the bullet hit, elongated moaning caused by the brain rapidly shutting down, or both occurring in quick succession. An alternative to the longer moaning, that might be even sexier, is the gasping for breath. For example, when after receiving the headshot standing, she falls down on the couch sitting, and with all the other things going on, you would have her performing short and desperate gasps for air (again, last signs of life) that could end in a strong expiration as she perishes, or simply stop in the middle. Both are viable options, but these are the things that should be kept in mind to get the most out of a headshot reaction. Her reaction should, all in all, take about 5 to 15 seconds to perform, after which there should only be small twitches happening, if anything.

The Aftermath
What is done with the victim afterwards, naturally depends on the producer, but I have some ideas. Should the victim still be clothed, undressing her is always appreciated, though never as much as her being naked in the first place. Therefore, if stripping at gun point (or for another solid reason) is an option, it ought to be taken. Positioning her after death for other poses you think your audience might like is an option as well. In that case, if repositioning her corpse should prove too difficult or too much of a hassle, an appropriate cut to the position you want her to be in could always get the job done and is sometimes preferable to the potential awkwardness of the repositioning. Another possibility, something dirty, would be a bladder release, either while the victim is still reacting, or after she has gone still. Though admittedly, I am not a fan of this kind of stuff, it does work for me as a humiliation of sorts, showing the loss of control over her own body. But I understand the complications involved with it, in addition to the audience for it probably being relatively small.
Then, of course, there are multiple necro options, depending on the scene. If sexual actions with a topless/nude victim are out of the question, the sensual (or violent) groping/slapping of her breasts should definitely be considered. For the foot fetishists among the audience, it would be nice to include a removal of her footwear, or respectively the highlighting of her exposed feet. You do not even have to make a big deal out of it to satisfy that part of your audience. Two very suitable positions for final body pans are, e.g., sitting with spread legs on something like a couch, so her legs have the freedom to open and show what lies between them; or halfway lying on the couch, on her stomach, head on the armrest with her face turned outward, so it can still be seen. That position would allow you to put more emphasis on her butt, which, depending on the actress, could be very welcome, while also giving you opportunities for small sole shots. Plus, it does emphasise the death aspect more, due to it being such an unnatural position to be in.

Conclusion and Final Notes
Like I said, I strongly encourage other lovers of the headshot to share their opinions here, on how strongly they agree or disagree with my points and what their own preferences in regards to this killing method are. As you can tell, I care very much about the headshot being executed as good as possible, when it is attempted. Hence, I would also be very curious about the opinions of producers, if they regard my thoughts as overly obvious, or if I was able to point them towards details they did not think of before. I have deliberately excluded the possibility of it as a method of mercy kill, after a couple of body shots, for instance, because I consider it such a downgrade of it's impact. From my point of view, it is much better to leave the victim unharmed before the headshot, since what matters is the pure psychological terror of the situation, or respectively her ability to deal with it and maintain her dignity before the bullet strikes. The excitement on that mental level is seriously diminished when the actress has to focus on the pain of the bullets. There is also the element of leaving the rest of her body intact to be viewed and admired, potentially played with, in it's dead state. That said, a lot of what I wrote about the victim's reaction to receiving the bullet should still be applicable in the case of a coup de grace.
There are two final notes I have for producers: First, please do not bother for headshots when the victim is already dead. I have seen enough pictures of it (and then there is also the scene in Scream 2) to have realised that despite the visual aspect of it being pretty, it does not have a tenth of it's worth in sexiness with the actress completely unable to react to it. Thus, it feels like a waste. Second, when your work includes a headshot, please include the tag "headshot" in your product description. And type it just like that, written together, because looking for "head shot" can be very frustrating, to say the least.
I shall remain on the lookout for headshot videos here and in other places. If I find one that really speaks to me, by respecting the things that can be done with it, you can rest assured that I will actually consider buying and maybe reviewing it, if I find the time (which is difficult, right now). Aside from reviews, I hope I will be able to provide further essays like this, if people are interested in reading them.


Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
N.

[Max5s]

Norrin,

I really appreciate you sharing your perspective on this. It certainly gives me some ideas.
And much of what you said can be applied to other types of shots as well. This is an area I’m interested in experimenting with, so I hope to be trying some of this out soon.

One area where we have some differences in our respective perspectives is the one bullet shot. I really understand where you are coming from as that is what I like in my favorite scenarios, but I am okay with the headshot being a final shot some of the time.

Again, thanks for sharing such a detailed explanation of your ideal fantasy death.

[xj900uk]

Yes, thanks for your detailed examination and synopsis, Norrin. I prefer headshots as well, as I just do not like seeing a beautiful body wiht a load of leaky red holes all over it - spoils it totally IMO.
and of course, the classic is the 'right between the eyes', the third red eye opening up in their forehead low down just over the brow like a 'third eye' is just perfect. Then their two real eyes open up quite wide as if to say 'I can't believe you just shot me like that!'

[Norrin]

Max - You are very welcome. I am more than glad to give you those ideas and look forward to seeing what you are going to do with them. Of course, I did not fail to notice that in the vast majority of videos, from any studio, 'tis the case that the headshot is preceded by other shots. But if that is what people gravitate to more to than the headshot on it's own, I guess I will just have to accept it. Though, on that note, I must admit that it can be quite sexy to have a wounded woman asking or telling her killer to finish her, remaining in that defiant/accepting stance despite of the pain, or becoming defiant/accepting as she realises she will die. So, the headshot as the last of a number of shots does have it's own merits, no doubt about it.
I also like that you see the applicability of what I wrote for other shots. Even if I do not get as much out of them as others do, it is a nice feeling to imagine my suggestions having led to their enjoyment of your work being enhanced.

xj900uk - Fun fact: I never refer to it as "between the eyes", because the third eye really lies directly in the middle of the forehead, while when I hear "between the eyes", I think of it more literally, as being almost between the eyes, like the way you described it. That is still a nice spot, but again, I am just personally more drawn to the symmetry of the third eye, especially when the woman has a large forehead.
Yeah, it is so important to catch the eyes in that moment. And although disbelief would be something very likely to read in her eyes, I prefer to think that there is a number of emotions a good actress could express, leading to a great number of sexy possibilities for actresses to play out their headshot reaction and try different things with it which might also fit their character.

[Max5s]

Max - I did not fail to notice that in the vast majority of videos, from any studio, 'tis the case that the headshot is preceded by other shots. But if that is what people gravitate to more to than the headshot on it's own, I guess I will just have to accept it.

Fear not as there will be plenty of opportunities to do the single shot to the third eye. I have a plan to get a several specific elements into some of my upcoming work.

[Norrin]

Fear not as there will be plenty of opportunities to do the single shot to the third eye. I have a plan to get a several specific elements into some of my upcoming work.

Well, if that really is the case, then consider me even more intrigued than I was before.

[consigni]

I would absolutely love to see a couple of Norrin's headshot scenarios executed by 'Scotland Yard Cold Cases'. This guy knows his shit!

[PatrickPayne]

Excellent analysis of the headshot! That was an awesome, entertaining read. I liked the way you broke it down, explained how you like to see each part, and discussed several different scenarios such as masturbating.

I like headshots but typically like the face kept intact. Though my moods change and sometimes I enjoy seeing her receive a third eye, or get shot “between the eyes” literally, or right in the face next to the nose.

One scene I saw many (MANY!) years ago started with a casually dressed woman walking into a pet shop. She approached the empty counter and someone came up behind her and shot her in the head. She dropped, then after a glimpse of her “what just happened” face, the camera went to her view of a man in slacks walking out. There were no explanations and the entire scene was less than 30 seconds. For some reason I enjoyed seeing that one to the back of the head, and her reaction. Most want more than that but it was chilling and fun to imagine the aftermath of the investigation.

Thank you again for sharing this. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[dunnie1]

Interesting read, thanks for your insight Norrin . I too love the headshot and as explained the “third eye” is my preferred option. I also like the way some victims look up (as you explained) or go slightly crossed eyed after the bullet hits, it looks real like a bodily reaction. A look of shock is also usually portrayed which is good for me. I know In the “SYCC 19- Recovery “ from Bluestone the actress Darcy portrays a shocked eyed up/crossed look when shot and immediately is thrown back onto a sofa with the force. I also think the force of the shot would push the victim back onto the ground.
Thanks again for your excellent insight and dissection of the art of Headshots

[Norrin]

Patrick - Thank you very much for your kind words! I understand where you are coming from with the intact face, but for me it is less desirable since, when you look at the victim afterwards, there is no wound to admire. And alas, a spot like next to the nose does nothing for me. I saw it once on YouTube, in a clip from a movie, but it gave me nothing. Oh well, we all have our own tastes, though it is nice when they converge every once in a while.
One scene that cemented the idea of the Third Eye for me early on was in a short movie called "The Messenger" by RBG Productions, where the assassin (Fi Stevens) shot the bad girl (Becky Speed) while she was sitting on the rim of the tub, leaning against the wall. One to the centre of the chest, one to the head, and she slid down very erotically back into the tub. Too bad she had a bikini top and bottom, but at least the former allowed her to show some nice cleavage before she joined the choir invisble. Sometimes a lack of context can work well, but there should always be something that informs the viewer of the situation and how "normal" it is. It should not look too artificial, which can be avoided with the right scenery. The way you describe the scene you saw, it sounds like it could have quite an impact, in a good way, due to the suddenness of the act and the lack of an explanation for the killing, leaving it up to the viewer.
Anyway, I hope you will also enjoy my future content. Many thanks.

Dunnie - You are welcome! The "real" aspect of it, or that it conveys that impression, is something important, that is true. Too short of a reaction, and it seems like a missed opportunity. Too long, and it crosses the line into becoming ridiculous or surreal. Almost any stare is sexy, as long as it manages to sell the "emptiness" in the eyes, another huge aspect in maintaining the illusion of death. I have seen the preview pictures of the scene you describe and it does look like it could be a sexy reaction, a textbook example. The lack of nudity of any kind is unfortunate, but if these are the limits of the actress, they of course need to be respected. Still, maybe I will get around to buying that clip down the line. Thank you for the recommendation.

[ananbaban]

Hi Norrin. This is the first post that introduced me to the website. It's one of the best articles I've ever read. Headshots are my favorite method too. Do you have more posts like this, or can you tell me where I can discuss about the headshot fetish and read posts like this?

[xj900uk]

Here is a very interesting factual article which goes in to the anatomy in simple-to-understand detail

[Norrin]

Hi Norrin. This is the first post that introduced me to the website. It's one of the best articles I've ever read. Headshots are my favorite method too. Do you have more posts like this, or can you tell me where I can discuss about the headshot fetish and read posts like this?

Hello Ananbaban,
I am sorry that I did not respond to your message when you originally sent it, but I appreciate your words very much. I had thought about doing more posts in this style, but real life tends to keep one occupied and I would have to manage to get myself in the right mood as well. If there are aspects you would like to discuss about it, or another death fetish topic, I am sure you can feel free to start a post in this forum and perchance could get a discussion going. You can also DM me directly, if you'd like :)

Here is a very interesting factual article which goes in to the anatomy in simple-to-understand detail

Thank you for the video, xj! Normally, I do not check stuff like that out, since I prefer keeping fantasy and reality separate, but that was quite informative and well made. It would probably be hot to have an X-Ray view of a bullet entering the skull from the side, like in some of those old Dr. Don videos for intestines. That was a cool effect.

[Max5s]

Cool stuff